We got that same cold front at Easter time and some of our bushes and trees look pretty sick also. I decided just to be patient and see what happens throughout the summer and probably prune them in the fall or next year. Hard for me, because patient I'm NOT! Arlene

Thanks all. I will extend your sympathies to little Bear. She seems to be doing a little better today. At least the wheezing has stopped. She has antibiotics to help settle her stomach. When I gave it to her she started foaming at the mouth. I got scared. I managed to grab her and a towel and kept wiping her down. At least she didn't throw it up. I opened a can of tuna for her and poured just the juice in a bowl and she lapped some of it up. I tried mixing mineral oil with her dry food, but she turns her nose up to that too. She really isn't eating at all. She loves water, but she hasn't been drinking water now either. The vet said that was the only thing that kept her hydrated. When I weaned her off the LF to the DVP I started her on the Duck and Green Pea formula. Since she liked it so much I thought I would give her a variety and bought the mixed ingredients for her. That seemed to be the start of her problems. Mixed ingredients contain lamb, green peas, oatmeal, chicken, beef. The vet thinks she was allergic to something in the mixed ingredients and that is what caused the problems she is having now. I am hoping that once she gets over the trauma of being hospitalized and her stomach settles she will start eating again. I am going to stop on the way home from work and buy her some baby food. My problem is if she isn't eating I can't get any fiber into her. I am afraid once she starts eating this may happen again. I don't think she is having a problem smelling the food because when I made chicken last night she came in the kitchen crying for some, but then she wouldn't eat it. She tried to eat some, but she was gulping air when she tried to chew it. Thank God my son is home, and my daughter is over to stay with her today. They are going to call me if anything changes. I watched her like a hawk after her first episode, and took her in almost immediately when she started showing signs of distress this time. It's like she wants to eat but can't, or she is scared to eat. She has lost weight in the three days since this started. If she doesn't eat soon I am afraid she isn't going to make it. Jenny

HI, Thrips can be found only on blossoms. If you saw something in the soil it must be something else. I would not only remove the dead leaves but I would take it out of the pot and remove as much of the soilless mix as I could from the root system. I had a friend say that she would tickle the soil off the roots. This meant that she was gentle with what was left of the root system. I would also use a very light mix. One part peat and one part coarse vermiculite and one part coarse perlite. Do not plant it in a large pot. The pot should be 1/3 the size of the crown of the plant. If you would like more info Email me and I will email back to you three pages of info that I used to distribute to groups when I lectured on AV's. I hope that your plant will survuve, AV's are a hearty plant that are easy to grow. Fred in NJ

Poor thing- they eventually grow in but I don't know how well they navigate without them....