Recently, Burrito fractured a canine tooth. We don’t know how it happened exactly – in fact, we only became aware of the injury when we noticed it pointing straight out of his mouth, perpendicular to his other teeth. As with other significant injuries, we began by administering oral antibiotics and pain relievers and arranged for our local veterinarian, Dr. Zamzow, to come take a look. Dr. Zamzow then consulted with Dr. Mensching, also a veterinarian and a member of our board of directors, and Dr. Bezner from Save the Chimps, to come up with a plan to deal with Mr. B’s broken tooth.
If you don’t know this already, I should point out that chimpanzees are remarkably tough. Believe it or not, Burrito never missed a meal, and didn’t even seem to favor that side of his mouth when chewing. It’s really hard to appreciate how stoic chimps can be until you witness it yourself.
Despite his own lack of concern about the injury, a broken tooth can present serious risks for more severe pain and infection down the road, particularly the canines which are large and deeply rooted, so we decided that it would have to be repaired or extracted by a veterinary dentist. But as you may know, Burrito is already being treated for symptoms of heart disease, and that makes decisions about medical interventions a bit more complicated due to the risks of anesthesia. But when an intervention is required, for whatever reason, it presents an opportunity to learn more about his overall health, so we gathered an amazing group of people to help with Burrito’s treatment. And it was all made possible because you helped us build an onsite veterinary clinic.
Before we can make any decisions about how the treat the tooth, we need x-rays. Yesterday, two vet techs from Valley Veterinary Hospital in Ellensburg came to the sanctuary with digital radiography equipment to get pictures of his teeth and jaw. These x-rays will be shared with a board certified veterinary dentist, who has agreed to come to our clinic to treat Burrito, whatever that treatment may be. And because of our concerns about Burrito’s heart, we were grateful to have the assistance of a huge team of veterinary cardiologists, anesthesiologists, residents, and vet students from the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, all led by Cardiologist Dr. Lynn Nelson.
After receiving anesthetic injections inside the chimp house, Burrito was wheeled to the mobile clinic where he was intubated and placed onto gas anesthesia for the procedures. The anesthesiologists were able to ensure his safety by monitoring his airway gases and reading his vitals using ECG, blood pressure, temperature, and pulse ox equipment. Dr. Zamzow drew blood for CBC and chem profiles and obtained an urine sample.
With such a huge group of people, teams worked in shifts as much as possible.
But the clinic turned out to fit more people than we had expected. Technicians obtained dental x-rays while the cardiology team began the echocardiogram.
This imaging of Burrito’s heart will help us evaluate his initial diagnosis and may potentially provide avenues for better treatment. It will also help us determine how well he might handle the anesthesia required for a longer dental procedure. We will share the information we obtain with the Great Ape Heart Project to help improve the lives of other captive chimpanzees.
When the tests were complete, Burrito was placed back inside into one of the front rooms to recover from the anesthesia. The girls had to wait outside in the greenhouse until he was ready to deal with all of their excitement.
After a few hours of rest, he was ready for visitors on the other side of the caging. Jody and Foxie were particularly concerned about their buddy, but eventually all of the girls came to groom him through the bars. For his safety, he was not allowed to return to the group until he was 100% recovered from the anesthesia.
Both the general and injectable anesthesia can upset the stomach and make you feel all worn out, so Burrito took an additional day to lounge around by himself, waited on at all times by his staff of caregivers.
With the help of some anti-nausea medicine, he was feeling good enough this evening to join the gang for a dinner forage on the hill.
In the coming weeks we will learn more about Burrito’s health from these tests, and the veterinary dentist will be able to decide the best coarse of action based on his x-rays and what the other tests tell us about his ability to tolerate prolonged anesthesia.
Exams like this aren’t easy on a chimp, and they’re pretty tough on the people who care about them too. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr. Zamzow, Dr. Mensching, Dr. Bezner, Valley Veterinary Hospital, and the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for providing the best care a chimp could ask for. And to everyone who helped us build and equip our onsite clinic: You made it possible for him to receive this level of care. And I know you would agree that this guy deserves nothing less.
Thank you for letting us know about Burrito. I am so glad he was able to get the best care possible but it had to be so upsetting to see him like that. Happy to see him back with his friends!
Thank you. Two small words that mean so much to those who deliver it. As someone who has supported this organization from the start how do you express the gratitude of those who make all this possible? It is a calibration of so many who express their devotion to others. There are too many to name individually but we are the village who makes all this happen. To the thousands of phone calls, emails, texts, to the hours of research and higher education, to the teams who came together over many miles I say THANK YOU for helping my friend Burrito.
I’m glad Burrito is ok and back foraging on the hill. This post made me think a lot of things – what a good idea the clinic was. Amazing how so many fit in the small space. It was there and it worked when it was needed. How great for Mr B that when he woke up, he woke up in the home he loves, surrounded by his friends. He had *care* givers. yay. And also yay for Burrito who proved himself quite the “ladies” man, even in “the hospital”. Love you Mr B!
Thank you J.B. for this informative post at a time when your concerns must be overwhelming and your time very limited. It is astonishing to hear about all the qualified doctors who have gathered at CSNW and it speaks volumes about your organization. I am so worried for dear sweet Burrito and I can’t imagine the pain he must be in (and yet he still enjoys food!). Will he be placed on pain management until decisions are made? I can’t help but think about his past “medical” experiences in the lab. Thank goodness Mr. B is surrounded by people (and chimps) who love him dearly and care for him now — no doubt he knows the difference and his trust in you all will help to make him feel better/safer as he struggles through these next weeks. I wish I could do something from afar to help him but all I can do is keep him in my thoughts (and I do that all the time anyway). I’d say that vet clinic just paid for itself this week! Thank you everyone for helping our lovable Burrito.
Hi Kathleen – Yes, he has been on Tramadol and Ibuprofen since the injury and will remain on pain meds and antibiotics until he is recovered from the extraction or root canal. Honestly, we never really know how much pain the chimps are in. Are really not bothered by things as much as we would be, or are they just better at hiding it? He has been so happy and playful since the injury, so I lean a bit towards the former, but you always want to be sure you aren’t leaving them suffering quietly. So you balance the need to treat their pain “just in case” with the possible side effects like upset stomach or even liver damage.
And the thought of his traumatic experiences in the lab is always at the front of our minds. Of course, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do, but we can always find ways to make the experience a little more comfortable. There are some anesthetic drug cocktails that provide a much less traumatic experience for the chimps, but when a heart condition is suspected, it can limit our choices to the safer, more conventional drugs. Still, there are ways to make it better for him. Premedicating him with oral valium helps reduce the fear associated with being injected or darted. And there is no doubt in my mind that the trust we have built with the chimps goes a long way toward helping him through the experience. As much as we hate to have to be the bad guy sometimes, if we are there for them during and after the procedure, they will move on and put the experience behind them. So far, Burrito doesn’t seem to have any hard feelings.
Thank you J.B. Amazing hearing that Burrito is so happy and playful after surgery. I think of how dogs hide their pain. By the time they express pain, they can be in need of prompt help. And I’ve seen some people who are very stoic through dire situations so it can be an individual thing. We will never know since Burrito cannot tell us and in the end all that matters is the great care he’s receiving.
Perhaps after all Burrito has seen, this is not such a big deal. And like we all have stated, such a difference going through something that’s scary when you are surrounded with those who love you. Love and trust, care and comforts (and in Burrito’s case, food!) make all the difference. I think we rest assured knowing you hold Burrito’s heart in your hands — he couldn’t be luckier.
PS: I went to the Great Ape Heart Project website — WOW! Fascinating, thank you for including the link.
Thank you to all who helped provide care and comfort to Burrito. Happy to hear he is doing well and back with his Family. Photo of him napping alone is precious and heartbreaking at the same time. Poor little guy, used to seeing them all together. … Being such great groomers, when they get shaved, like Mr B did, do they pay much attention to the area afterward?
I haven’t seen Burrito paying attention to his shaved areas yet, but as soon as he was reunited with the girls, they gave him a thorough inspection. I even saw Jamie inspect the tiny spot on his arm where he had his IV catheter.
Wonderful to have the loving support of the veterinarian community. Glad Burrito came through and am looking forward to hearing how all comes out. I love Burrito…
We know that Burrito is under the best care possible and we all pray for his speedy recovery.
So happy Burrito came through the procedures so well. I hope all goes well in following procedures to treat his tooth. Burrito is everyone’s baby I know you will take extra good care of him.
Thanks for the update! Cheers to Dr Zamzow and the veterinary team!!! I hope everything checks out OK when the labs come back.
A big thank you to the medical team and all those at the sanctuary that care for Burrito on a daily basis. I hope and pray all the test results will be OK and that his tooth will be treated. Burrito is such a sweet guy and like all the chimps deserves the best. Keeping all of you in my thoughts.
Wow! Such a great team of Doctors and Caregivers for Mr. B…he is very lucky to have all that help and attention!
Thank you ALL for taking care of Buritto. 🙂 And im sure he thanks all of you as well, in his own special ways. 🙂
I am glad Burrito is doing so well after all he has been through. Thank you for the details and the updates. It is so comforting to know there are so many people who love and care so much for him and the rest of the chimps as well. Special thanks to all of you:)
So glad to see how much care goes into assuring a outcome for Burrito. I just love him! I know you love him, too!
Wonderful news that the mobile clinic worked out so well and for all the people who came to help. I see Dr. Nelson in those pics….a super cardiologist from WSU. Burrito was certainly in good hands. Please keep us updated on the tooth.