I am finally taking time to introduce you all to my Trinket and Triscuit. Many of you know that my passion in life is caring for special needs gliders, and these two are just two more joys in my home.


TRINKET's STORY:
Several wonderful people across the nation worked very hard on this rescue to ensure that Trinket got the very best of care. Trinket's former mom contacted me because Trinket was not using her back legs and her mom could not afford vet care. To make things worse, Trinket was reportedly chewing on her feet.

Long story and many bumps in the road later, Trinket arrives in my hands and has her first meeting with Dr. Walsh. Thanks to an amazing glider angel along the way, Trinket also saw an amazing vet far, far away from us where she had to have one of her back legs amputated as a result of the damage done to her foot/leg.

Dr. Walsh sees her and confirms that her amputation site is healing well. He takes some x-rays and this is what we find:

Very clearly, Trinket's back is broken. She is not able to use her back legs or her tail.

But, she gets around very well. She was doing as well at 3 weeks post injury as Jackie Chan was doing months after his injury. And she has only continued to get better. Trinket seems unaffected by her injury - except for that pesky chewing on her feet. It is unclear if her sister was the one doing the most damage (they have been separated) or if Trinket chewed until she removed the parts that were bothering her. But, she no longer messes with her feet - one has been amputated and the other has only one remaining toe.



Trinket is determined to be just as big of an inspiration to me as Jackie Chan is. She is active and eats well and is SWEET, SWEET, SWEET! And, much like Jackie Chan, she seems unaware of any limitations her body has placed upon her.

Without further ado - here is my precious Trinket



And, just to make life better, Trinket got herself a boy friend. One of my gliders passed away early in June, leaving Boomer all alone and grieving. So, Boomer met Trinket last week and it was LOOOOOOOOOVE from the very beginning. They are so very, very sweet with each other.
(Please excuse our messy pouch - when one drags her backside around, one tends to bring a lot of gunk into her pouch).

Kissing non-stop


The happy couple


So, there she is for all of you who have asked. She is amazing. I'm blessed that, because of Jackie Chan, I am prepared and able to provide a forever home for Trinket. This is just one more way that Jackie Chan has enhanced my life - preparing me to help others.

TRISCUIT'S STORY
Triscuit's mommy contacted me because he could not use his back legs and, despite treatment from a vet (with no testing of any kind), he was chewing on his tail and his toes. He had experienced no improvement. To complicate matters, His mommy can no longer care for him and his cage mate. So, we make arrangements for them to come to me.

We meet at Dr. Walsh's office, where x-rays are performed, full wellness checks are conducted and both boys are neutered.

Triscuit has a fractured vertebrae where infection has set in. His condition is very serious. The infection has spread and has resulted in a glider who is very ill. In addition, he is suffering from mild malnourishment and from necrosis on his tail. So, his tail is cleaned up/amputated, he is treated with Convenia and we are sent home with oral antibiotics, liquid calcium, Critical Care, pain medication and cage rest.

After a week, Triscuit is showing vast improvement. He is now eating well and active. He no longer has the appearance of a very ill glider, but he is in need of much time to remove the smell and greasy looking fur. He is on his way to recovering and I am hopeful that he will recover a little use of his legs and/or tail once the infection is completely healed up. He will receive a follow up Convenia shot in another week and in 4 more weeks we will return for more x-rays.

Triscuit is also a fighter and a champ.




These stories lead me to many questions. Are we going to see this SM behavior with all gliders that survive back/spinal injuries? Will they all mutilate as they get some feeling back or have phantom pains? Remember, Jackie Chan went through an entire year of SMing episodes. So, is this normal for those recovering from injuries of this nature?
I venture to say that yes, it is something we are likely to see with any glider with a spinal injury. But, I am only speaking from my limited experience with these three gliders. I hope that this community does not have to see many more of these type of injuries.

Thank you for taking the time to share in the lives of a few more of the precious babies living in my home.

I finally get to "meet" them! I'm SO happy to see they're doing so well after such a rough (understatement) start! Fantastic news for Trinket and Boomer...yayyyyy!!!!!! What a beautiful couple they are!!!

Val these are such heart warming stories! Thank you for sharing Trinket and Triscuit with us. And thank you for what you do to help gliders!

Wow, Val...I don't even know what to say! The amount of love & care that you give these little ones is SO amazing! You are obviously heaven-sent to give gliders like Trinket and Triscuit a second chance! If there is ever anything I can do to help out, please let me know. I have a couple wodent wheels if you need them....

Such a lovely story. Thank you for sharing, Val. Your new babies are so lucky to have you.

Awesome stories! I wonder if the chewing is due to "phantom pain"?

Wow...Just wow...I am humbled by your inspiring stories Val..You are such a godsend to these little ones who need special care . Triscuit and Trinket are both beautiful and we can all learn a lot from them- thank you for sharing their heartwarming story.
I'm curious: a broken back and fractured vertebrae sound painful. Are they both on lifetime pain meds?

Val, all I can say is once again I can barely see my keyboard for the tears streaming down my face. Whole heartedly I pray for God to bless you and your life. I am convinced you have the most brilliant crown inlaid with the most sparkling jewels. You are a true angel of mercy and I thank the Lord that people like you walk the earth.

They are so lucky to have come into your hands. Truly an inspiration for all of us to love our gliders as much as you. Thanks for sharing

Val thank you sooo much for taking in these special little souls. You truly are heaven sent!!!

Val I do have one question though have these spinal injuries been something that has happened because of accidents or abuse? I am wondering if this is something we should watch for with our own babies or if this is things that are out of the ordinary.

This is a thread that makes you feel like this and this but then it also makes you feel like this and this All's I can say is Val for loving and giving these babies a happy home!

AWWW. Brenda - YOU have done amazing things for at least one of these gliders, so I thank YOU!

I'm sorry I have not answered questions yet. I hope I don't miss any.

No. They stay on pain meds until the swelling is no more and their wounds are healed, but then they do not need them any more (in most cases). Gliders are very good at adapting to their physical limitations and overcoming them. They amaze me every day.



That is a difficult one to answer. I would say that these things are not out of the ordinary in my home, LOL. But, they are out of the ordinary in a community such as this that takes such great care of their gliders.
Each of these gliders lived in homes where they were fed less than ideal diets and had little to no vet care. They were all on pellet diets with limited fruits and veggies, which some would say is not that bad. I'm not going to debate diet here - it just happens to be the only thing all three of these gliders had in common as far as environment and enrichment prior to their injuries. It is my personal belief that diet is SUPER important once an injury occurs, and I believe it is why these gliders made/make such great recovery when brought into a safe, modified environment with a great diet.

As to the question "have these been something that has happened because of accidents or abuse?" I really cannot answer with certainty. I can only go by the story told to me by the person who turned them over to me. And, noone is going to say "I abused this glider." So, I don't know. In some cases, I have no reason to doubt their story. In one case, I don't believe a thing they told me. This is just my gut feeling based upon inconsistencies in the stories told. Every one of these gliders (Jackie Chan, Trinket and Triscuit) reportedly sustained injuries at a time when no one was around to see how it happened.


Thank you all again for the love you have shown to Trinket and Triscuit. I'll try to get some updated photos soon.

Val,

Do you have Jackie Chan's story on this forum? I would love to read about him if you do. I am so glad that there are people like you in the world!

Yes Ma'am. Here ya go:
http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/...ter#Post1037257

Amen to that!! THANK YOU, VAL!!!!!

I have to add something to this post if I may.

I used to say gee how much of a life can a glider have with injury's like this have as I had never met one in person.
Well let me tell you after having one of these gliders in my home for a short time they amaze me more then words can say. Even though some of them may not have total use of there back legs they learn to compensate on how they do things. They play with toys, climb the mesh sides of their special made cages and they can even run in a wheel.
Yes special set ups are made for them and you have to know what to watch for as far as them doing certain things as they can further damage themselves but if you have learned to know the needs of special gliders like Val has and have a vet like Val's who wants to learn more about the needs of gliders who are handicap then these guys/gals can do very well in life.

I learned a lot in a very short time about these guys. It was a wonderful experience and I hope myself or no one else out there ever has this happen to one of their gliders but I feel I am better prepared all the way around in the medical aspect of things just in case.

Thank you Val for giving these babies a forever home and also for teaching me more about them. Please give them all a special treat from me.

You are so right, Brenda.
These guys are fighters with a will to live - and live they do! They are all very active and more CAPABLE than some might think. Trinket and Triscuit have "normally abled" cage mates and live in modified, but large, cages.

Once again, Val, you amaze us all! God bless you and ALL of your fantastic lil fuzzbutts! You truly are an ANGEL!

Wow. That was truly amazing. I am getting ready to go to bed after a [censored] night at work and you have just put a big smile on my face. xoxo

it is heartwarming to read what you do for these poor babies. puts a tear in my eye but a smile also to see they are living well and loved.
you have a loving heart and goodwill to you and your special little friends.

take care,
nancy in detroit

Two things. One, I am sad to see so many gliders with these problems, but number two, I am so glad they found you Val. They couldn't have gotten a better home. What lucky guys and gals these are.

val, you are an amazing giver,for all these gliders...my question do they sm becouse you think they are in pain??or do you think there is nerve damage and they have no feelings. i whould think it whould be painful dragging my leg around ,i might chew it off also..

My current theory is that they SM because they begin to have "pins and needles" feelings as they get a bit of feeling returned to their legs and other parts.

Jackie Chan and Triscuit both respond to touch on their legs and tail (in Triscuit's case). So, I know they both have some feeling. Jackie Chan does not feel pain in his legs, but he does feel touch. Triscuit seems to maybe have some pain feelings as well.

Triscuit is just now getting stronger and starting to play with toys and get around his cage better. He was a very sick little boy.

Trinket, on the other hand, gets along great, is pretty amazing, but does not have any reaction to touch or pain in her back legs. She is doing so well that she and her cage mate have been moved to a larger cage alread. Yay!!!

Glad to read everyone is doing well but I think I need a new picture please..

As you wish. LOL

Trinket has been camera shy lately, so I don't have any recent photos of her. But, I can share these:

Triscuit:



Jackie Chan:

Awe there is our special babies! They look so good. Thank you for sharing.

You are truely a Guardian Angel! God has a special place in Heaven for animals and people who love and care for them. Thank you for having the heart, patience and love of these little monkeys. I pray you have nothing but peace and love in your life always.