@ Palo Pinto Mountains State Park (with special permission to access the property). Park is still closed to the public.
Unbelievably dry, but I saw new Texas territory and observed its flora and fauna.
This flowering lotebush was loaded with insects. The activity was so frantic that few of them would stay still long enough to be photographed.
My cat was diagnosed with Feline Hemotropic Mycoplasmosis today. It is caused by this species of parasite of the red blood cells. The diagnosis was made by my vet after weeks of trying to treat and figure out the cause of her anemia and weight loss. Today the diagnosis was made when her blood was examined under a microscope. The photo I am using just to document this was taken from wikipedia. I have no idea how this could be better documented although I will ask if by chance, he took a photo of the blood smear under the microscope when I take her back for another cbc in 2 weeks. I don't see any observations for this in iNat and felt there should be. My cat's name is Sasha.
Photo removed, waiting to get something from the vet.
update: When I took my cat back for her recheck after completing the antibiotic, the labs were rerun, and she was weighed. She is starting to gain the weight back & she is no longer anemic. I am attaching a letter from the vet with her official diagnosis he made after examining her blood under a microscope, plus her before and after labs and a photo of her.
I am doing all this to document the fact that here in Garland, part of DFW in Texas, we have this parasite, (the living organism) which is carried by fleas and causes this serious, can be fatal, disease in felines. It has not been documented in iNat and I think it should be.