Red Wolf Physicals

Wolf physicals are over for the year, and we learned a few things. First, our wolves’ teeth are in good shape. This is not a huge surprise since our wolves are less than three years old. On the right, you can see Dr. Staab-Carter is checking out #1390s teeth- he had a bit of tarter that was quickly scrapped off. (Keeper Marilyn is helping hold the wolf).

Second, the wolf with PRA is not #1389, but actually #1391. It is easy for the best of us to visually and even behaviorally misidentify the wolves. When we had the wolves sedated for their physicals we were able to scan their microchips and identify which wolf was which. We now know for sure that our “blind” wolf is #1391.

Third, we’ll be able to see what their blood shows: samples are being sent off to check on a variety of things: just like when a person goes to their doctor, blood is taken to test for things like cholesterol, kidney and liver function, PRA, and much more.

Finally, we watch the joints of #1389 closely. He was born with a joint disease, and had a swollen knee recently. Below you can see our veterinarian checking his leg in the photo. This wolf is currently limping and is being held off-exhibit to see if rest will help the leg. We’re hoping that the rest and pain medicine will be all he needs to recover, but we’ll keep you posted.

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