The family that rescued Katira, and cared for her for nine days. On Friday afternoon I got a call about a howler monkey whose mother had been electrocuted on uninsulated power lines - something that happens all too frequently when they mistake the lines for vines. The campesino family that rescued her said she was drinking very little, and they were concerned that the inside of her mouth was burned.
My initial reaction was that I couldn't help, because I have no experience with burns. And then, in a very "Celestine Prophecy" moment, I remembered that our future neighbor Mark, who is an ER veterinarian, had arrived the day before on a five week vacation...
My initial reaction was that I couldn't help, because I have no experience with burns. And then, in a very "Celestine Prophecy" moment, I remembered that our future neighbor Mark, who is an ER veterinarian, had arrived the day before on a five week vacation...
Road sign 3 miles outside of town by a one-lane bridge. Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. Mark, Alexa (my Tica neighbor), and I headed for Katira...a town so small it isn't in the GPS or on the folding paper road map of Costa Rica. The drive took almost four hours through beautiful countryside and past Arenal volcano, which I hadn't seen before.
Katira (named after the town) had burns on her face, scalp, tail, stomach, and one hand. The pain in her eyes and sad noises she made were heart-breaking, and she couldn't open her mouth wider than the tip of an eyedropper...Mark believed there were adhesions from the burns, and that she might even have lost her tongue.
Katira (named after the town) had burns on her face, scalp, tail, stomach, and one hand. The pain in her eyes and sad noises she made were heart-breaking, and she couldn't open her mouth wider than the tip of an eyedropper...Mark believed there were adhesions from the burns, and that she might even have lost her tongue.
The whole family bid Katira farewell at the door - except for the father, who wasn't present during our brief visit because he was afraid he would cry when she left. Hopeful that we could save this baby who had probably been nursing when her mother was electrocuted, and bravely lived for nine days with the wonderful family that rescued her, we drove the four hours home to San Ramon...after a stop for pain medication (Tramadol) in the first town with a pharmacy.
We know the odds are against us all...
We know the odds are against us all...
 The family says good-bye to Katira. |  Katira's burns nine days after-the-fact. |  With Mark, an ER vet from Wisconsin. |
RSS Feed