We
our honored to present Tiger Tucker as Companion Animal of the Month for
December 2007. Tiger is a 2 year old Akita who is the loyal and feisty
companion animal to Sarah and Stan Tucker. Tiger actually comes from
champion Akita blood lines, his father, named Mikiro's Big Block Hemi, is a top
shown Akita in the Unites States and is Asia. Tiger was brought home as an
8 week old puppy, and was named Tiger for his black and brindled hair coat.
Tiger is one of four Akita's at the Tucker house, Princess is his mate, Ribbons
is his daughter, and Bushi the dominant male of the pack who is not related to
Tiger.
Tiger is definitely the clown of the Tucker family, he enjoys performing tricks for attention. Tiger can also be quite a detective, he is very inquisitive and investigates everyone and everything that enters the Tucker's home. Other pastimes for Tiger's include rough housing with Princess and Ribbons and talking to the Tuckers. He will carry on conversations for quite some time and his tones range from high and low barking to even purrs. Akita's are known to be very affectionate, and Tiger is no exception. He was an amazing father to his first litter of puppies, and still has a soft side for his daughter Ribbons.
We first met Tiger when he was only about 6 months old. He had a very healthy puppy hood except for the occasion tussle with his housemates. At about one and a half year of age, he started losing a little weight. This slowly progressed and other clinical signs came on including lose bowel movements. Baseline lab work-up was performed and Tiger was started on Hill's Prescription Diet I/D and a general canine Vitamin. Tiger continued to have good and bad days and sometimes had to be put on Vitamin B-12 injections and oral antibiotics for Clostridium in his stool. Further diagnostics, including a maldigestion profile, helped Dr. Sukhija diagnose Tiger with Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI). This problem was leading to a failure of absorption in the intestinal tract due to inadequate production of digestive enzymes by the pancreas. Coincidently, Dr. Sukhija's own canine companion, Laila, has this disorder and he was able to guide the Tucker's through treating Tiger not just with his veterinary expertise but also with his personal experiences. Tiger was placed on a digestive enzyme supplement and the special diet and vitamins were continued. Soon after the treatment was initiated, Tiger regained his weight and has now returned to normal.
Despite the fact Tiger will have medications and a special diet for the rest of his life, Tiger handles his health obstacles with class. He is always very patient with the staff at Atlantic Animal Hospital as we continue to treat him with a high standard of care. To see Tiger responding well to his current treatment makes the staff at Atlantic Animal Hospital proud to be part of the veterinary-patient-client relationship. Furthermore, aiding and strengthening the human-animal bond through veterinary care makes are jobs incredibly rewarding. The Tucker's have done a wonderful job in caring for all of their canine companions and deserve all the credit for Tiger's recovery. The veterinary-patient-client relationship has to be a balanced equation as it has been in Tiger Tucker's case.