I have one boy that drinks very differently than all my others. he uses
his canine teeth to get his water from the bottle. He cannot get water
otherwise. This is his little story. 

Mattman, so named the day he arrived at the shelter from California
because he was covered in matts. He was a rescue from California who
had spent four month at the wildlife rehab after being rescued from
being dog bait. He was pretty torn up from what the courier said when
he was being pulled out of the carrier. I said as he finished the story
that I wanted to adopt him, I had only been at the shelter for about
a month and we were preparing for the big yearly open house at the
rescue. His story touched my heart and I wanted to give him a good
home. He was a sweet chubby seven month old silver panda and was deaf
as well. He still has the scars to prove his harrowing beginnings.
Unfortunately I became ill the next day and ended up in the hospital
and it was almost a month before I could bring him home from the
shelter. During that time CJ noticed he ate funny as well as drank
funny. He would dig out all his food then use his eye teeth to fill his
mouth with water then mix it with the food, rubbing the mixture until
it was a paste he would then scrap off the blanket to eat it. He just
would not eat his food any other way. His cage was always a mess around
the food dish and his little face was a mess when he was done. It was a
puzzle as to why he would eat that ways. He became my sweet little guy
I carried every where with me and he would lie in my lap as I drove
around town.

One day he was lying in my lap and I looked down as he yawned this big
yawn and I discovered he had no tongue. I called CJ to tell her Matty
has no tongue, she didn't believe me and said when you come over bring
him so I can check him out. She soon discovered I was right Matty
doesn't have a normal tongue. Just the base, He was unable to lap at
the water bottle so smart guy that he is he figure out how to use what
he has, big canines to work for him, when we told the vet I again, had
to bring Matty to the vets so she could see he didn't have a tongue. He
grew out of mashing his food but not digging the food out of the bowl.
I believe needs just a small amount of food in the dish so he can get
it into his mouth. He is an amazing fellow.

Sweet he did not remain, he is my biggest thief, he can carry off a
bottle of Starbucks Frappaccino by the lid or as many cans of cat food
or AD as he can grab before I catch him. He is the most disobedient one
of my crew and because he can't hear he thinks he doesn't have to mind
me at all. I have no idea weather his missing tongue is due to trauma
or is a birth defect the vet said there was no way to tell but to me
it looks like there is a healed long scar at the base of what bit of
tongue he has left.

He had no idea that he has a disability, he is the rowdiest most active
and bad boy of the group. He is into everything and refuses to obey my
shaking no head and shaking finger, he backs up hissing and fluffing
his tail out to let me know he is not happy that I am telling him to
stop his bad behavior.

Joelene

[Posted in FML 5483]