My new friendship is blossoming!

My new friend Tylar (the kitten) is so adorable... We sleep together, eat together, play together and purr together! If you would call what i do, purring! 


Everywhere I walk, Tylar plays with my tail! He also has to pee & poo inside of every one of my litter boxes! 


Mommy has some new footage on video of me and Tylar playing, well, tylar playing with me! opossums dont play much! between Shadow trying to bring me her toys and barking at me, and tylar swating at my tail... i must look like a toy!! 


Mommy will post the videos this week, we are all going over to Grammie and Grampas house for Christmas for the week! Clearwater from sunday to sunday! 


Happy Holidays! You will hear from me soon with new videos and pictures of me and tylar destroying the Christmas Tree!

NEW FRIEND!!!

I have a new friend! His name is Tylar, Daddy brought him home.. we cuddle together and play! He loves chasing my tail! We eat out of the same bowl, and he like using my litter box.. which is okay by me! I guess opossums arent picky about their litter boxes! :) Check him out!

Jingle bells and Christmas Treats!

Merry Holidays everyone! This week has been so fun and exciting! After my horrible adventure to the scary ER, I went to see Dr. Drake and everything has been A-Okay since mommy started my new medications! :)

Today mommy took me to PetsMart © to get a pet ionizer.. because i guess my litter box is stinky! At PetsMart © we met some really fun and exciting people! She gave out some of my business cards, so i'm expecting some new followers soon!

So, everything with my tummy and reproductive system looks like it is up and running fine! I am back to my piggy self, eating crickets and avacadoes! I am using my litter box again, which is a relief to mommy and daddy...

Well, I will write some more tomorrow, Mommy is watching the Wisconsin Badgers VS Hawai'i bowl!

GO BADGERS!!!!

PS: Hello to the girl and the woman I met in walmart tonight around 9:30pm at the cash register, mommy didnt catch your names! Hopefully i can meet you in person at PetsMart © or somewhere!

Goodnight to all!

UPDATE!! <3 <3 <3

Hello everyone! I recently had surgery, and OVH, it went well without any complications! A week later, i had vomiting and loose stool and mommy had to run me back to Dr. Drake.  This wasnt what she was expecting. I had stopped eating, and taken a turn for the worse! She gave me IV fluids, and flagil to help my stool.. everything looked up! I was getting better!

About 3 days ago, i began rubbing my booty on the carpet and leaving lines of green poo everywhere, mommy got concerned, and added fiber to my diet, prescribed by dr. drake.  I continued the batril and flagil, but then golden urine came, which meant i am dehydrated. Mommy forced fluids, and continued the meds, but i've been getting worse. Saturday night mommy and daddy ran me to the emergency room in tampa because i had lost over an ounce of blood through my vent! (My booty). because opossums ureathra a anus are connected inside the same opening (or exit), we are not sure where i am bleeding from exactly.  The animal ER called Dr. Drake at home and gave mommy strict instructions, high fiber diet, rest, and new meds.  I am eating science diet W/D cat food, with and increase in my batril antibiotics (this time it is fluid) and another anti iflammatory.

I am completely healed from my surgery, but this looks like i may have had a hemroid or something else may have ruptured.  I am straining when i use the potty, and i am uncomfortable it i stand up... I am refusing to eat and they had to give me emergency fluids last night.  Tomorrow morning, Monday, mommy is dropping me off with Dr. Drake at 7:30am to be observed by them. They havent seen the blood and mucous yet because i do it at home, so mommy wants dr. drake to take a look.

Everyone, i need your prayers, and please hope for the best, i would like to go see the little kids at metropolitian minitries this week!

Zohey

I'm A Service Opossum!

Hello Everyone! Good News Good news!

I'm a Service Animal now with "Paws for Friendship, Inc." in Tampa, FL!

I go around with the other animals to assisted living facilities and schools, Helping with animal assisted therapy!

I went from being helpless, saved by my daddy, being a spoiled princess, to being a spoiled service opossum helping the elderly and educating children! :0)

I love my life, and I'm glad that I can be of some help to my mommy's community!

Well well well..

Looks like mommy is going to have to start blogging again! She's been trying to get school and her mind put back together! Had to drop a class and pick up some loose ends! But we're back!

It's been a long 2 months, between Urinalyses and blood work! Dr. Drake just figured out what bug i have about 3 days ago... Mom forgot what the name is because it is so old and long! It's kinda like a common bacteria, but only found in a few people and animals. Dr. Drake said the anitibiotics i'm on should completely cure me! but the only way to stop it from coming back is to get my OVH done. :( We thought we wouldn't have to do it... but it looks like it going to happen!

Dr. Drake said she only uses this surgery as last resort, and has never lost an opossum, knock on wood. The surgery will cost $170.00 so donations are greatly appreciated!! I have to stay on the antibiotics for another 6-8 weeks to clear my system, then surgery. After the procedure I should be fine and no more vet visits unless its a 6 month exam! :)))

So, in the mean time i'm on my medicine and feeling fine! Mommy and Daddy are headed to Colorado to visit mom's brother and sister-in-law on friday, they will be back on monday!

See ya!

Long time no post!

Well hello everyone! It's been an exciting month! Sorry mommy hasnt been blogging, she's been having some personal issues, but now shes back on track and ready to post more updates! Check back today for some crazy new pictures and some really cool adventures!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry Mommy hasnt posted lately, her school started, and i am still sickie! The weeks have been crazy! We went to Shepards on Clearwater beach for daddy's birthday and i stayed inside the closet! It's been fun, but also hectic!

MY SICKIE TIME...

Well, mommy hasnt been blogging, because i've been sick. I started peeing an amber/red color, and dribbling it everywhere. So, mommy assumed it was time for my surgery. She stayed up 3 nights in a row because i was in pain and aggitated. I couldnt sleep..i was chewing on everything and digging everywhere. I also had mucus coming out of my poopie and pee hole, and it has a harsh stench to it. On tuesday, she had enough! She rolled over out of bed and called the National opossum Society and the lady finally answered and gave mommy the phone number to the nearest opossum specialist..which just happened to be in tampa! (Dr. Drake will be my permanent vet now! :0) ) So, they didnt have an open slot for the day, but mommy took me anyway and they kept me at the vets all day and did blood tests, urine tests, and everything else in between the other clients. They vet techs sure were nice! They played with me and gave me yummy snacks that mom packed for me. They had never seen such a sweet and clean opossum before, so i showed off my cuteness! Mom went home and got some much needed sleep, and they called her at 3pm to come and pick me up!

The vet explained that captive female opossums that live outdoors in a cage are the only opossums that should recieve and OVH. Getting the surgery done will only assure that a UTI infection will not spread to the uterus. I will still get UTI's because my poopie and pee come out of the same hole. Dr. Drake D.V.M said that i was the cleanest opossum she's ever seen. My teeth and gums and perfect condition for being a year old, and my pouch is super clean. She said that my pads were so soft, and had never been able to feel opossums toes before because the ones she works with are usually wild and move around too much. She told mommy that i also do better without restraint! She told mom that i just sat on the table while she took my blood and squeezed a urine sample out!! WOW! I was such a good girl. So, it turns out that i dont need the surgery because i'm not in any risk of picking up an excess amount of bacteria, because i live inside.

Dr. Drake took blood from me, even though i just had a blood test done 3 weeks ago when i had diarreah. She said because the color of my urine changed, a lot of numbers in my blood work should be differnt, and we could tell what i had through the blood test. They did a urinanalysis, and found a very minute trace of blood which could be causing the amber color. but because my urine and bowel come out in the same hole, it is hard to tell whether im bleeding from my bladder or maybe tore some part of my rectum from having hard stool 2 days ago. because the trace was so small, she thinks its from a tear in my rectum, which will heal. The test also showed that the mucus coming out is probably a type of reaction from having an infection, and antibiotics will help (mommy thought maybe i might have cushing's, which is really bad) The urine also showed traces of bacteria that causes a UTI, which could be caused from not being given antibiotics when i was born. Every opossum should be put on antibiotics when they are born, and i wasnt. My stool sample they took showed traces of an in infection, which Dr. Drake thought might be a parasite that was not detected in my blood work 3 months ago, because Dr. Hong didnt know that opossums always carry this parasite in their liver! (the antibiotic given when we are born will kill the eggs to this parasite).

So, the blood work: Dr. Drake gave mommy a heart attack, she said that from the results of the urinanalysis and the stool sample that there could be a problem with my LIVER! She said that kidney problems in opossums are mostly rare with female opossums as young as me, most kidney problems would develop when were 3 or 4, and mostly in males. So, with the kidney out of the picture, Dr. Drake focused in on my liver. Because everything looks as tho i still have the parasite i mightve been born with, this looks like it will be the verdict. The parasite is very common in opossums, it lives in our liver and matures, eggs cannot be seen in my stool because they live in the liver, the parasite cannot be given to dogs, cats, or humans. I can get rid of this parasite with dewormer. The other option that may be happening to my liver is: liver disease. It is very rare in opossums, happening in only 1/400, but it can still happen. If it is liver disease, i will die before my 2nd birthday. So, Dr. Drake sent out the blood work, and sent mommy home with my antibiotics and told her to keep me on my regular diet and regular bathing and excersise schedule.

Mommy waited all day to hear from Dr. Drake about the blood work yesterday. She called 3 times, and the vet was in surgeries all day, and they said she would call mom back by 9pm. mommy collected a urine sample, because it looked like the amber color was dissipating a little bit. Mommy took it up to the vet office, and then we came home to relax. Still, nothing from Dr. Drake and boy were we panic-ing! Around 9:45pm, Dr. Drake finally called! The first words out of her mouth were : GOOD NEWS! and mommy felt her heart drop ! She said that it was a good thing mom brought in the 2nd urine sample! My blood work came back with normal results! My calcium levels are elevated just a little bit, but nothing that cant be fixed by changing my diet a little bit. The Parasite bacteria levels were way down, but still present. My 2nd urinanalysis showed that blood traces were decreased significantly, probably because my tear was healing. and mucus levels are also decreasing. My liver enzymes looked like they were returning to normal numbers, which means NO LIVER DISEASE!!! yay! The vet said that i should finish out the antibiotics for the whole 14 days, keep my diet as it is, with bones from the chicken on every other time i eat chicken (to decrease calcium levels), and mommy needs to call her every 7 days to update them on how i am doing. Mommy has to take urine samples everytime i pee pee to observe the color and texture, and amount of mucoid membrane. If it looks like it is getting worse, she needs to take a sample straight to the vet. I am drinking fine, so i am not dehydrated, and im eating fine, so im not becoming anorexic, which means its not Cushing's disease, which is also good news! When mommy gets a stool sample, she has to collect it and observe it also, she is writing down everyday's information that way when she calls she wont forget ANYTHING! Dr. Drake also said that it looks as tho the antibiotics are doing a good job in killing the parasite, because i did have the little sucker! But, after 14 days are up, i will go back and get my blood work done again so that Dr. Drake can compare enzyme levels from last time, and make sure im getting better! If blood work comes back clean when they take it in 14 days, then i will be given a dewormer that mommy will have to readminister in 6 months.

So, I'm healthy. It just looks as though that the parasite made just enough bacteria inside my liver to make my urine amber/red, and make me develop an infection which my body tried to fix by pushing mucus through my bladder and intestinal tract. I was cramping, which caused my hyperactivity the past 3 nights, and chewing and digging. The antibiotics are helping a lot, and i'm back to my old loving self. Mommy has a lot of work ahead of her for the next 2 weeks, which is okay because school doesnt start for 3 weeks!

Thanks to all of you that kept me in your prayers, and supported me and mommy. She will keep you updated with the results of the blood work in 14 days! But until then, it looks like my booty is clearing up, mucus is dissapating, smell is getting a little less harsh, still waiting for me to poop, and amber color is leaving my urine.

That was a close one! But were in the clear!!!!

BIG NEWS UPDATE!

MY PERMIT WAS APPROVED!!! I can get my OVH surgery now!! Oh happy day!!! And...I Will be joining everyone on the pet walk in october, and i can fly on a plane!!! :0)

MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Friday, August the 7th was my birthday and mommy and daddy threw me a little birthday bash! they made special opossum muffins for me and sang happy birthday to me! we had so much fun! I love my family!

For the past two nights tho, my tummy has been bothering me, i have a UTI. Which means i really need to get my OVH surgery done. Mommy called the NOS regional advisor to see if they have any ideas for veterinarians! Well, Wish me luckers!

Rainy Days

Fun and exciting events have happened over the past 2 days! We've been exploring new places and meeting new people! Daddy and granpa finished my wheel, and mommy decorated it sooo pretty! Daddy just has to hook it up to the back of my kitty climbing pole, then i can use it. He is supossed to be doing it tonight when he gets home from work. Last night he went to the rays game with Grandpa Daron, they didnt get home until 1:30am, when he walked in the door mommy and I were playing in the living room. She made me a plate of veggies and fruit, and i had 23 crickets! YUM! She put my new T-shirt on me to see how i walked in it, for the Pet Walk on October the 24th! (dont forget to sign up! Mommy put the link under the post).

This morning when we woke up, I had an accident by the big bed, i didnt make it to the litter box on time, and poopied everywhere! mommy had to clean it up, then put me up in bed with her and daddy. We went back to sleep and then around 11am we woke up again, but this time to thunder, lightening, and pee pee all over the sheets! Shadow had jumped in bed, terrified, and went potty all over the sheets. So mommy woke up and cleaned that up. Now, we are all in the living room enjoying the rain and watching the lifetime channel!

Bubble Snails and Sluggy Toes..

This was a great weekend at grammie and granpa's house! Mommy took me to the petsmart in clearwater, and i got a new tag that says "princess" on it! We also got to go to countryside mall to the new "Paw Paws" store..it is out of this world!!! The store had a 'Puppia©' harness like shadows, but in my tiny size!!! Mommy is going to get it for me when she gets her next paycheck from the bookstore!

(BTW: mommy needs $$ and she is willing to clean a 2bdrm 2bthrm for $50.00..comment after this blog for more info!)

Well... mommy's watchin Army Wives on the Lifetime channel and it is a wonderful episode..very heartfelt.

Does anyone else watch Army Wives?

We are calling tomorrow to ask about how my permit review is going, and to see how long it will

take for it to get here, I really want to get microchipped and get my OVH performed! :0)

Thats it for tonight, talk to you all tomorrow, let me know what you think about mommy cleaning and tonights rockin' episode of army wives!

I'm just going to sit here and enjoy my cottage cheese..♡

Persnickety 'possum!

These past two days have been so exciting, and also so so so busy! Daddy and granpa made me a wheel, and mommy posted the link for it under this post! I've been wandering around the yard, and climbing trees, sniffing around the garage and missing my beautiful litter box at home. I've been having to poopies outside, and its dirty out there!

Sad news today.. my opossum internet crush "Stewie" passed away and went to opossum heaven today. We watched his videos on you tube, he was so handsome. Mommy asked why he only lived to be 3, and we are waiting for a reply. We will keep you updated on Stewie's facts. A usual captive opossum, if fed properly, and if they get enough excersise, can live to be 10! ...Stewie was so young. Mommy cried for about 2 hours, and has been holding me ever since, she wont let me go...and i dont want her too. If she needs me now, then i will be here for her. Rest in Peace Stewie, we will keep you in our hearts.

On a lighter note: I caught my first baby lizard today! But, mommy made me spit him out because he was just a baby, and unfortunately she loves all creatures except insects! So, i got to eat cockroaches, snails, red bugs, and some sticks and grass! I climbed up a tree and then i couldnt get down! but mommy was there!

Tomorrow, mommy is getting 'felt' to put on my wheel, so the wire doesnt hurt my tootsies, then i'm off and running!

Well, i hope everyone has a lovely night! See you tomorrow!

Fundays aren't Mondays!..They're Wednesdays!

Good evening everyone! Just stopping by to tell you how exciting my day has been. Mommy was frantically trying to clean the house to get us down to grammie and granpas house by 4.. but it didnt happen. Me and shadow sat on the couch and watched her go back and forth with the vaccuum, then in the kitchen with the dishes. The hamsters were even rolling around in their little balls everywhere! it was crazy madness!! We had "Rosanne" on the TV, and the sun shining in on us from the patio..so relaxing. I ate my vegetables for lunch, and then got into my nice clean freshly washed vera bradley! and off we went to clearwater! We will be here until saturday night or sunday afternoon, just relaxing and mommy may even take me and shadow to honeymoon island and let me play in the sand! I'm so excited, its for my birthday! Well, Mommy needs to sleep, and let me play in the new surroundings! Hope everyone has a good night, and i will let you know how tomorrow goes!

Mommy Has a Tummy Ache...

Last night, I was climbing around and chewing on a wet washcloth in the bathroom when i notices that mommy didn't feel good. She was up for most of the night sick to her tummy. I kept her company in the living room and she watched me explore, because she couldn't sleep. I ended up falling asleep around 6 am, and she took some medicine and went to bed shortly after me. Daddy went to work at 8, and mommy slept till 3pm! It ended up being a good day though, because i got to sleep in and mommy stayed home with me and hung out all day. We didnt get much done today, i got my nails trimmed and i had makrel for dinner. We are still waiting for my permit approval to come in the mail, so keep your paws crossed!! My stool is solid again, and back to normal.. so i am finally recovered from my little incident 3 weeks ago! Which is great news! But, now mommy is sick. I'm so excited for the pet walk! if you want to donate to our team, or walk with us if you're local, i posted the link under this post and our teams name is "Paws for a Cause", hope to see you on the website!!

Well, thats all for today, hopefully more news tomorrow, maybe mommy will feel better.

Zippidy doo dah!

I had such a fun night last night! Running around the living room, exploring the kitchen and jumping off of the couch! Well, today was a great day to be in temple terrace...it rained all day so it was so relaxing with mommy and daddy. The apartment complex had $8 large pizzas they were selling in the parking lot! But, mommy knows im not allowed to have that, so i didnt :0(

Its about time for me to eat dinner. Tomorrow we are going to clearwater to visit grammie and grampa while mom goes to the beach with a few of her besties!

here is a video of me in my deepest sleep...i was Zonked out dude! i was up from 12am-6am so i am completely pooped! I woke up and eat my monday eggie, then went back to sleep!

hope everyone has a good day! Check out twitter for more video upload alerts via youtube!

Zohey's Permit Plea!

Daddy found me lying on the pavement in the hot sun with a bloated belly. My brothers and sisters were all around me, but they weren’t breathing. My opossum mommy was killed. In the woods where I was born there was a clan of homeless people, and my opossum mom kept stealing their food. I guess they got really upset and killed her, but they didn’t know she had us in her pouch. Daddy found me when he got to work that morning and picked me up with two golden spoons and put me inside of a dark box. He gave me some soft stuff to lie on and some water. I wasn’t old enough to drink it yet, and I really had to use the bathroom but he didn’t know what to do. Mommy got her high school diploma in Veterinary Science in Honors, and so daddy knew just who to call! He brought me home, and mommy used a warm damp cotton ball to make me urinate, boy did I have to go! I was really hungry though, and this was when mom started getting worried.

She was on "Google for 2 hours trying to figure out the proper opossum infant formula and couldn’t find anything. She took me to go see my doctor, Dr. Hong, and he gave her a tube and some formula. For the next 60 days mom had to tube feed me every 3 hours, poop me every 4 hours, and make me urinate every hour. She was in college getting her Bachelor degree in Psychology, but she ran on very little sleep for me!

Mom eventually signed up to be a member of the National Opossum Society, and by the time that I was off of my formula her huge handbook came in the mail! She learned about Metabolic Bone Disease, and my proper diet. I’m so lucky to be in such a well-informed family. She wasn’t going to keep me; she knew wild animals should stay in the wild. I really liked it at their house and I didn’t act much like an opossum. Unfortunately none of the wildlife organizations in the area would take me, because I was already acclimated to being inside. All of them told her that she would have to find foster parents to take me, and she figured that if I was going to be inside with someone, why not with her?! She gave Dr. Hong all of the updated opossum material (copies of it) from her NOS handbook. I was dewormed with lavimasole and given my antibiotics. Daddy made me the opossum wheel that is featured inside of the handbook. Life was good.

Mom kept going to school, we went to parks, and to pets mart. About 2 weeks ago, in July of 2009 I got a tummy ache and had diarrhea. I was given bananas and cottage cheese to ease the bubbles and dehydration but I wouldn’t take in any fluids or regular food. I became very lethargic, and mom was freaking out. Of course, I went to go see Dr. Hong, he gave me fluid under the skin and ran some blood work for hypocalcaemia, to make sure I wasn’t coming down with MBD. My blood work came back negative, and the fluids from the IV drip and the back-pack helped a lot. I am back to my normal self, and mom was reassured that the diet I am on, is the correct one!

When I was 2 months old, mom called the University of Florida Zoological patient services to see if they would do my Ovarian Vaginal Hysterectomy when I turned one year old. They said that they would, so mom and grandma were going to stay in a hotel for the weekend in August of 2009. They saved up the money and after I got my last Urinary Tract Infection (as female opossums do), mom was ready to do the procedure, and I wasn’t scared. 3 weeks ago she called UF and told them we were ready, but that she needed documentation that the veterinarian that was going to be working on me has performed a successful OVH in the past. The program couldn’t find a vet in it with hands on experience, and mom isn’t going to settle for less than the best. She started calling vets in Florida 2 days ago but still is unsuccessful in finding a veterinarian that will do the procedure. Many healthy female opossums just like me, have had owners that thought they were doing the right thing, but had the vet ‘wing-it’ and they’ve died under the knife. My mommy loves me, and wont let that happen.

She was sitting on the couch yesterday, and realized that she never sent out the permit forms! Without my permit, I can’t get my OVH, which means I may only live another year. UTI’s are deadly in opossums. She dug up the old forms, and went online to check for updates, there weren’t any, but she had to fill out new forms anyways because the dates said “2-2-2009” on them!

I love my family very much, and I am so glad they have done the research to keep me healthy and happy. Mom hides food around the house to I can forridge at night, and I have a lot of stuff to climb on and I go outside everyday for vitamin D and exercise in the trees. I also like to get worms out of the dirt after it rains, and catch cockroaches in the garage!

I would like to get a permit to stay inside, so mommy and daddy can take care of me. Thank you very much. Here are my application forms, my disaster plan, my vet records, and some pictures from the past year. My 1^st Birthday is coming up, im so excited!

Wondering about tomorrow

Well, everyone has gone, and i am here all alone in temple terrace! little zohey just had an "ANT DISASTER" on the couch! Her food got ants on it, and then the ants got all over the couch! it was a very interesting event!

Hopefully Zohey's Permit is approved soon, then we can find a vet and go get her OVH surgery done!

I added the link to support the national opossum society! on facebook..... please join this cause, and recruit more members! donate $10, and the foundation will truely be thankful!

This is the beginning of Zohey's story.... please keep reading our blog for more adventures!

yo!

...my first blogger... haha