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<< Back Today's general examinations were to include the following six parameters. Blood collection, a cardio exam, a respiration exam, a muscular/skeletal exam, a dental exam and a fecal exam. In addition, we were going to catch all of the cats up on their annual vaccinations. This months exams were going to be dedicated to the large felines, particularly the tigers and lions. Dr. Tristan, David and myself decided to start with the three juvenile tigers, Ikas, Tundra, and Loki. The first order of business was to bring Ikas into his indoor enclosure. Since David and myself work extensively with these animals on a daily basis, we were able to actually walk into this enclosure to administer the sedative (Xylazine). For those of you who read last months Sanctuary News, you may have noticed a great feature of Xylazine. It is a Reversible anesthesia! By administering an intravenous injection of Yohimbine one can quickly and safely revive the patient, thus minimizing stress. Once the Xylazine was administered to Ikas it took about 10 minutes to effectively sedate him. During this time, we collected a blood sample from his inner thigh to send out for lab tests. Once this was done a careful and thorough physical exam took place. After reviewing every inch of his body for anything unusual or out of place, we took a careful look at his knee condition (See Ikas Bio for details). Dr. Tristan explained all the details of Ikass previous knee surgery. He then showed us the range of motion Ikas now has in his knee. Due this condition, Ikas now receives oral medications every day as well as an intramuscular (IM) injection once a week. These medications not only help to prevent arthritis, but also help to promote healthy cartilage to grow were his leg bones articulate at the knee. It appears as if Dr. Tristans therapy protocol is working! Ikas never seems to be bothered by his condition. On the contrary, Ikas is often the one instigating pouncing play behavior with Tundra and Loki! Now that the blood has been collected and the physical exam was over it was time to administer his vaccinations. Once that was done, all that was left was to reverse the effects of the sedative. At this time I was instructed how this procedure was effectively performed. With Ikas on his side, David held his top leg to the side. I then poured some alcohol on his inner thigh as Dr. Tristan used his hand to find a vein. As soon as the alcohol was applied, a vein became as clear as day. With the proper dose of Yohimbine, I inserted the hypodermic needle. Being sure to draw back slightly to insure a visual confirmation the needle was properly placed within the vein. I carefully compressed the syringe, administering the reversal agent. We all exited the lock down, and Ikas was up and walking around within 5 minutes. For the rest of the day we repeated this sequence of events with Tundra, Loki, Clarence, Marcan, Sherikon, King and Princess (Note Gypsy was done last month). Once all of the individual bi-annual exams were performed; David and myself went on a stool sample collection mission. A fresh sample was collected out of each habitat to be examined via stains and a microscope for internal parasites. Everything went smoothly for both the Sanctuary staff and
the animals in our care. Both the lab work on the blood and
the fecal exam were normal! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Story by: Jason and David
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