ickis and fungus

Only hard core toonies will remember this little ditty that plays in my head.

"Ickis and Fungus, he's not a virus, don't call him pustule - Monsters and dogs rule!"

Fungus, you may recall, is the puppy that Ickis and friends snuck into the school for monsters on "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters" way back in 1990-something. If my IT IQ were higher, I am certain I could find an mp3 for that song. My IMDB IQ is equally low but I think perhaps the tune was written by Drew Neumann who is listed as the composer for the show. If the theory of six degrees of separation is true and if I ever develop a readership for this blog (which would require telling more than 2 people that it exists...) then perhaps someday someone will read this who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone else who knows Drew Neumann (or perhaps somebody with access to Nickelodeon archives...) and I will get to hear "Ickis & Fungus" on my ipod. Oh, to hope and dream...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the reason this tune has risen to the surface today in particular is that I have just learned that poor Ashbaby (the sea lion whose necropsy I attended) did not die of pancreatic cancer as we first suspected. Instead, the growth that filled her abdomen was fungal - coccidioidomycosis to be precise. And this is why I love my work with seals. There's always something to learn, even when the outcome is not good.

This evening's patient, Thornberry, is all of 13 pounds - a recently weaned northern fur seal that is so darned cute I just want to lick him. Fur seals are rather fiesty, so any sort of affectionate nuzzling is out. In fact, in close quarters he was downright scary. I must say, Thornberry is still only the second cutest seal I have encountered in my 5 year career with the Marine Mammal Center. Shadow, a new born california sea lion, still holds the crown for cutest ever. He was so adorable he made me want to lactate.

Unfortunately, Shadow's outcome, we knew from the start, would not be good. Sea lions are too much like puppies. At that age he had no prayer of being raised wild (unlike fur seals who are wild to the core). And, like puppies, sea lions are plentiful so they are not in high demand for placement in captivity. But Thornberry will not be alone. He's got at least five other fur seal toddlers to play with in Sausalito (thanks to El Nino). And he won't be euthanized, thanks to his snarly nature.

I'll bring my camera to tonight's 10 pm feed so you can see just how delicious he is...