Fiona is a baby hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius) born prematurely in the Cincinnati Zoo. For a while it was touch and go: she was dehydrated and needed IV fluids, tube feeding, and then bottle feeding, and was removed from her parents. As Fox 8 Cleveland reported:
Fiona is the first Nile hippo born at the zoo in 75 years. She was born Jan. 24 at 29 pounds, well below the usual. She’s nearing 50 pounds now.
Now she’s been given a bigger pool to help strengthen her (in the wild, hippos spend more time in the water than on land), and she’s near her parents. Here’s the video, courtesy of reader Michael:
Fiiona getting IV fluids; what’s lovely is that staff from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital helped find the veins to insert the tube:
On the downside, the Zoo also hired a chiropractor to help a baby tiger. I don’t have much truck with these charlatans, and am surprised that any zoo would use one. This one apparently cured “a failure to thrive” by adjusting the alignment of the top cervical vertebra (a dangerous operation at best). The chiropractor said, “hey, it can’t hurt.” But of course it can, and it has in humans.
You can see these adjustments in the video below, which the quack chiropractor says is backed by a “lot of science”. I’m appalled. Really, Cincinnati Zoo, have you no shame at long last, hiring somebody to adjust the spine of a baby tiger? JEBUS!
h/t: Michael
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Obviously some of the zoo personal think that chiropractors are worth something. It must be the first care for a tiger.
I have to confess that I do visit a chiropractor every six months. I first went almost exactly 20 years ago when I was suffering from acute back pain. My GP had prescribed painkillers and lying on my back for a fortnight, but after more than a week of this I was sensing no improvement. Someone I knew had seen a chiropractor and reported positively (this was before I knew their reputation) so I decided to give it a go.
To cut the story short, it was the most dramatic medical intervention I have ever experienced. The chiropractor felt all round my back, pressed on an area a long way from where I was sensing the pain, did some manipulation, and I felt almost immediately that the underlying problem was solved (it was, though it took a few weeks for nerve damage and muscles to recover).
Now I see the chiropractor purely and simply for what I call my ‘back service’. Claims for anything other than back treatment I treat with cynicism, and the neck thing does make me nervous, but I have no doubt that chiropractic is not on a level with, say, homeopathy.
That’s brave of you, Geoff. But you’re not alone. I too saw a chiropractor for years because of a job from hell that involved non-stop sitting at a desk, 12 hours a day and every weekend. My only relief from the back pain was an adjustment. It was instant relief that lasted about 6 weeks. I rarely go now because I no longer sit for long, long hours. And no, massage therapy did nothing to alleviate the pain. I tried that first
Many years ago I had a pinched nerve at the base of my neck, and it developed into complications like not being able to look straight ahead, and a numb sector down one arm. I visited a chiropractor, and she did a lot of good. What she did was basically very sensible physical therapy and heat treatments.
One day she was not in, and I got a substitute chiropractor. This one was a complete nut case, full of painful ‘adjustments’ that made me worse, plus a steady stream of psychobabble.
Eventually, the problem went away. I don’t know if the first one helped in that, really, but she could give me temporary relief. So I think there are different varieties that go by the name chiropractor.
I went to a chiropractor for my back for a while when I was 18 – before I knew that they weren’t properly qualified.
The guy made constant lewd comments and touched me in places that were completely unnecessary for my treatment, though he insisted they were. At that age and in those days I didn’t feel able to challenge him.
He had a bit of a reputation for such behaviour with bot men and women, but people didn’t believe it because he was a Family Man and a Good Christian.
And he didn’t help my back either.
I’m on board with the rejection of homeopathy and treatments without any scientific validity.
I can’t put chiropractors in that category.
The treatment has science behind it and it definitely works.
I personally have had a positive experience with this type of treatment and have had excellent results.
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The number of clients I’ve seen that are interested in “holistic” treatments has been on a significant rise. One that comes to mind is a woman who brought in her cocker spaniel for a recheck of blindness (due to glaucoma). The recheck was to ensure the dog was comfortable. Her holistic vet had prescribed oregano drops for the glaucoma (to be placed in the ears). All of a sudden her dog was cured and could navigate! Except on exam the dog was still blind, and had excoriations on its ears from itching. Never mind that the previously prescribed glaucoma medications for her dog kept the intraocular pressures within range (and her dog visual), affording two more years of vision than he would have otherwise had. She was upset with me for not prescribing oregano. Why had I prescribed the other drops when they failed? I’ve spent a good 5 hours of my life in recheck appointments with this woman explaining glaucoma, and why ultimately there is no medical or surgical cure; only buying time. There is no reasoning with some people.
I’m also seeing homeopathic remedies like Traumeel becoming common place. I had a cat presented for conjunctivitis with a significant upper respiratory conjunction (discharge pouring from its nose). I prescribed an antibiotic, and the owner responded that her cat was already on Traumeel and didn’t like taking medications, so she would just stick with the Traumeel. So. Stupid.
And yes, I’ve seen multiple patients that have a veterinary chiropractor.
Cincinnati Woo.
Regardless of what one might think about chiropractice (I’m vehemently against it), the idea of bending the spine of a *tiger* sounds like an exercise in risking one’s flesh and eyes.