Surgeon helps patient of a different stripe!

A milky looking cataract obscures Cikala's vision before the big cats operation in Chesapeake on Saturday. The tiger, nearly blind in both eyes, was having trouble getting around his FLorida enclosure, finding food and interacting with other cats.

Brad Nadelstein stepped into place and looked over his sleeping patient.  "That's one ... big ... tiger," the doctor said slowly.  FOr the next two hours, Cikala's life and vision would be in his hands.  Cikala arrived in Chesapeake at 1 a.m., after an all day and half the night drive from FLorida in a yellow truck. This is the third time Thunderhawk has entrusted a big cat to Nadelstein, a veterinary ophthalmologist who operates mostly on domestic cats and dogs at Animal Eye Care Associates.  At 9 a. m., after very little sleep Thunderhawk and several other handlers pulled into the parking lot of Nadelstein office. WIthin the hour, the small practice filled up with curious medical professionals.

Anesthesiologist Lydia Donaldson, who traveled from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg for a chance to work on an exotic cat, stuck her head into the back of the truck.  "WOW!" she said, seeing her patient for the first time.  Cikala was stunning. The massive cat paced, his chiain rattling against the wooden floor of the cage.  Black stripes rippled along his coat and blurred into the creamy white of his chest and underbelly.  His paws were as big as loaves of bread.

Cikala is thought to we a rare Indo-Chinese tiger. He was born prematurely and has had poor eyesight since birth. Now, 80% blind in both eyes, Cikala can't navigate his enclosure, find his food or interact with other cats very well, Nadelstein said.  The tiger's cloudy vision also endangered his volunteer handlers because he startles easily.  "Large cats rely on vision for the way they go about their daily lives," Nadelstein said. "Unlike dogs, who rely more on smell."  As the assembled doctors, nurses and their families gawked, Thunderhawk stepped over to a  small cooler.  "I need to bless him," he said. He sprinkled dried sage on the ground, then filled had a lion's paw shell with it and other herb's. He lit the mixture and, walking in a circle, fanned and fragrant smoke with two feathers, one eagle, one red tailed hawk.  Thunderhawk Enterprises is a non profit, big cat rescue operation he founded in 1997. The Lakota Sioux wants to save as many big cats as he can from inhumane treatment or from
people who mistakenly thought they would make good pets.

Today, 36 big cats live with him as extended family.  Sometimes, one is even invited into the house to spend the night.  Thunderhawk climbed into the truck and let the smoke settle onto Cikala. The big cat rose to his feet and nuzzled the handler's elbow.  Nadelstein stepped up to the truck and Thunderhawk around the surgeon.  Time for the first sedative Thunderhawk did the job himself.  "I'm sorry sweetie," he said to the cat. It's OK. That's my boy. That's Daddy's boy. Give me a kiss?"  Cikala, wise to the trick and stinging from the injection refused. "It's OK," Thunderhawk crooned and pressed his face though the wires of the cage. They nuzzled.

Two more injections. More soft talk and , finally, Cikala slept. Thunderhawk opened his cage. A dozen hands carried the cat into the building and settled him onto the wooden table Thunderhawk had brought with him.  They propped the animal in place with rolled blankets, Inserted a breathing tube  and started an intravenous line. Nadelstein, who donates his services to Thunderhawk, bent over the tiger's face.  "That's one big eye," he marveled. He and Thunderhawk decided that only on cataract would be removed. The Microsurgery can be risky an accidentally hole can cause fluid to leak into the back of the eye. The retina can detach, bleeding can accur.  They decided instead to measure the tiger for two new lenses and save the second cataract for a later surgery.

The surgeon scrubbed, suited up and went back into the operating room.  Thunderhawk leaned against a counter in an adjoining room, within hearing distance.  At 11:25, looking through a microscope. Nadelstein cut into the cornea of the eye.  "Tiger cornea is pretty tough," he said And then, "Gosh," look at the cataract!" He shot fluid into the eye to maintain its shape after the incision.  Then he made a second cut.  Next, according to the plan a machine with a part that fits into the hand like a dentist's drill, a phacoemulsifier, would break up the cataract with ultrasound waves and sick it out That's was the plan. This however, was reality: God, that thing's tough," Nadelstein muttered. "C'mon, c'mon."  Again and again, he asked a surgical assistant to turn up the power on the phacoemulsifier.  It buzzed ever louder.

Man, that is a rock," Nadelstein complained of the cataract. "That thing is a rock hard. It's like a boulder."  No fluid. no big cataract were being sucked out of the eye. Nadelstein put down his machine and trimmed off bits of tissue by hand. Again he tried the emulsifier. Against it failed.  Once more, he reached for his tray of sterile instruments. "I've  got to crush it into little pieces so I can take it out," he said, peering into the operating microscope. Finally, he changed the nozzle on the machine and tried to suck it out once more. Success!

"There you go!" Nadelstein nearly shouted. "Crystal clear!" Quickly, he stitched the eye closed.  "Where's Ray?"  he asked peering out of the operating room door. "You wanna see a clear eye?" Thunderhawk squeezed into the room and looked closely at Cikala.  "Awesome, bro," he said, clapping Nadelstein on the back.  A few minutes were left to measure the tiger's eye for new lenses, and then Thunderhawk made an announcement that cleared the room. FAST.

"Uh, we're getting a little bit a movement here," he said, pointing at the big cat's paws. "So, gentlemen; you're done."  WIth Cikala slowly coming around in his cage, Thunderhawk took a ragged breath and wrapped his arms tightly around Nadelstein.  His big cat was safe.