Another busy day in the Chimp House! Unfortunately, Terry had to take a trip to the clinic today for a fractured tooth.
Fortunately, we were able to have a skilled group of individuals come to the sanctuary to help with Terry’s procedure. In addition to our vet Dr. Erin and our vet assistant Sofía, we were grateful to have the assistance of Dr. Dan Whitemarsh of Cle Elum Dental Clinic and Mekenzie, CRNA for this procedure! Also a special thank you to Sofía’s aunt Maria A. Loza, DMD, MS for consulting with us about Terry’s tooth!
Through x-rays we were able to determine his canine was completely fractured below the gum line. Dr. Erin opted to extract the broken fragment and clean up the gum to where it could be sutured back together. Out of all the outcomes, this was a good one that will lead to the fastest recovery for him. If all goes well, he can go back to his group sooner! It was exciting to determine, after consulting with other veterinarians and dentists that have worked on chimps, that we could resolve the issue without extracting the entire tooth root. We will keep a close eye on his healing process and do more work if needed, but we are currently happy with the results. Since Terry was already under anesthesia, we also collected all the medical information we could. He got a full dental x-ray, body x-ray, ultrasound, and blood work profile, among other things.
Recently, we received a grant from the Ruth Foundation, a legacy of the Gary E. Millard Family Foundation, for some new medical equipment. With that money we were able to purchase a dental cleaning machine and a dental x-ray, which up until now we had been borrowing. We can’t express how amazing it was to do a full dental cleaning with our new dental machine and x-ray system. We are also awaiting delivery of a new patient monitor, funded by the same grant, which uses new technology for capturing blood oxygen saturation – something that can be difficult to capture in chimps.
Using our new Dental x-ray:
Terry getting his teeth polished by Sofía with our new dental cleaning equipment:
Dr. Whitemarsh and Sofía cleaning Terry’s teeth:
Just finishing up the teeth cleaning with Dr. Erin (left), Sofía (middle), Mekenzie (right):
Dr. Whitemarsh needed to get back to his own clinic, but with the power of technology Dr. Erin was able to consult with him over FaceTime video chat:
Dr. Erin suturing Terry up:
Dr. Erin using the ultrasound:
Caregiver Grace observing and helping out in the clinic:
Dr. Erin (left) doing an eye exam on Terry and Mekenzie (right) assisting:
Sofía doing a blood glucose test:
After stitching him up and doing as many health assessments we could, Terry was ready to go back into the recovery room. He had quite the crowd waiting for him; Terry is a very popular guy! 🙂
Mave, Honey B, and Cy watching Terry come back into his room:
Rayne monitoring Dr. Erin:
Before Terry woke up Dr. Erin was able to do some laser therapy on Terry’s mouth. Laser therapy is very cool, it can help with pain, inflammation, and healing!
Terry did great during the procedure and is recovering very well, just a little sleepy.
Sweet Terry snoozing after a long morning:
Wishing Terry a quick recovery and return to his friends and family.
I always cry when I read about or see one of the chimpanzees being in the clinic. I know that Dr. Erin and all of the staff provide excellent care to their patients, in and out of the clinic. Still, my immediate reaction is to weep when I see one of the chimps etherized and laying supine on the operating table, even as I know that the clinic visit permits a rare opportunity to perform a physical examination on the patient in addition to his or her immediate procedure.
I look forward to Terry’s recovery, and I trust that he will still be able to Bronx cheer to his heart’s content.
I understand the tears shed over these beautiful and dear chimp people. we love them and just want them to be okay! thank you to all of you who love them.
Terry is definitely in the best hands and is very nice to have the equipment at the Sanctuary.
many thanks to all.
He has such a sweet face!
What was the cause of the fracture?
Do the chimps let you brush their teeth?
Thank you to the entire medical team and sanctuary staff for taking such wonderful care of our sweet Terry.:revolving_hearts:
Even though it was for medical reasons that Terry was sedated, His care givers must have had such a thrill to be able to touch Terry and get to hold His hands and feet. To touch His face, His nose, His ears, and to feel the texture of His skin. To be able to really look into His face up close to see what His features really are. Can you tell that I would love to have been in that room also?
I’m like you but I probably w o u l d remove the gloves …. because I definitely want Hands-On contact and I’d be kissing his nose…….. breaking all covid policy:grin::grin:
I would love to be in there along with you and touch them sans the gloves. It’s always alarming to read that one of the chimps has had a trip to the clinic and a relief to find out it isn’t more serious.
Joanne, you summed it up so perfectly. j would love to be able to have that kind of contact with all our chimpanzee friends!
Feel better sweetie.
I know a lot of those chimps have their own unique history but I’ve broken a tooth once on a ice cube right down the middle ……maybe stay clear of the icicles ,ice cubes and coconut shells. I’m sure they can do a number on their teeth and it doesn’t tend to get better as you get older…….
I once broke a tooth on an almond at 4:20 pm, when all dentists are going home, the day before leaving for a few days in New Orleans. Will never eat Jordan almonds again
I have a soft spot for Terry. So glad he received such stellar care and is on the road to a full recovery!
You take such wonderful care of these chimps. On their behalf, thank you and the gifted doctors who work with you.
Such great care they all get – it’s beyond heartwarming. And special thanks to the family foundation grant to give you the ability to do things that might otherwise not have been possible – or at least it makes it go more smoothly and with confidence in the results. Terry is a lucky boy… oh to be able to touch them, and yet sad it must be due to needing medical attention… however a much needed partial tooth extration is going to make him so much more comfortable! Estra hugs and thanks to all!!!
Thank you for providing not just astonishing acute care, but also for making sure that Terry received the very best proactive veterinary assessments and treatments! You all set the standard in the sanctuary community.
Thanks (as always) to Drs Erin and Whitemarsh, nurse Mekenzie, and Tía María!
Lots of squishy soft blankets to keep.him comfy.
Like Tobin, I always think how sad it is, but I know that this Clinic has already paid for itself a couple of times over.
On the other hand, seeing the photo of Honey B, Mave, and Cy looking for Terry through the window made me remember an old ’70s comedy routine called “Tonsils”. The kids were promised ice cream once they had their tonsils out, and made friends with their roommates in the hospital.
“The nurse brought Johnson back on a gurney.
-hey, Johnson! Johnson, wake up! Oh, no!
-What’s the matter?!
-It’s Johnson. He’s dead, they killed Johnson!”
They’ll see soon enough that their buddy Terry the tongue is just fine!
Linda, I’m really laughing at your comment realizing we’re probably fairly close in age, for you to remember Tonsils…What a great memory you have… Mine…Not so good anymore…Oh no…I MUST be way older than you…HaHaHah Seriously, for you to remember the details like you do is astounding to me… : )
Haha, Debbie, old enough to own those vinyl records, hand me downs from my older siblings. “Tonsils”, “GoKart”, and the Chicken Heart that ate Detroit City!
“Snakes!? Are you out there!? Now, I’m just gonna put my toe out. Don’t you bite it!” :laughing:
I’m a known ‘hugger’ & not a biter…HaHaHah
Seriously, I’ve been rather ‘silent’ on social media lately because I’m dealing with yet, one more health situation that’s wearing me out…However, I still l
Thank you to everyone involved in Terry’s numerous procedures today, in person and via video chat! The photo of Terry sleeping after all he’d been through is so sweet. Nice to see him engulfed in a big cozy wolf blanket too. Poor fellow. But a lucky guy to be in the hands of so many skilled professionals.
Look at that compact handheld Xray device! Wonderful to hear about the grant for the new medical equipment. Again, the chimps are in such good hands (and hearts).
Be well dear Terry. You are in my heart too and I am pulling for a speedy recovery so you can join your family very soon.
Hope you feel much better soon, Terry. How did you discover the cracked tooth? Do any of the girls in Cy’s group show nursing tendencies like Nurse Jody? I’m sure we’ll hear those sweet raspberries again very soon :hugging:
So very sorry to hear what Terry has gone through but we know he is in the best of care. We are sending him healing thoughts. Please get well soon Terry. All of your friends and family are wishing you the best.
Get well soon, sweet Terry as you are very precious and much loved.
Thanks for all the love for Terry! A few people have asked how we discovered his cracked tooth or how he got it. It was during a conflict and we don’t know exactly what happened, but he had bleeding gums, so we isolated him right away to get a closer look and consult with Erin on next steps. We’ve performed several teeth extractions over the years, but have not experienced chimps breaking teeth on food items.
My heart melts for Terry to begin with, but more so seeing him so relaxed, comfy looking & vulnerable…I love the position of his (I think index finger) because it looks like he’s seriously pondering something with those eyes closed…He just looks so sweet & peaceful…We don’t get to see many closeups with the gang getting their ‘shut-eye’…I love closeups since I really enjoy studying all their features in easier to see detail……
Hi Linda…I’m hoping you notice this since I’m wondering what just happened to your comment to me, & my response…Seems to have vanished in thin air, but at least I hadn’t finished it yet..??? : )
Oh sweet Terry… looks like he received the best of care! Great job team! Hoping for his speedy recovery…
Wishing you a speedy recovery Terry. Listening to the description of all the new equipment is not only fascinating but makes me happy the Sanctuary received the grant for them. Linda and Debi, I loved your banter back and forth.
Speedy recovery my dear Pal, Terry. Can’t say enough thanks to all the staff who give so much from the heart!!!
Debbie