Burrito spent much of his day just like this:
His friends did cause a ruckus midday that got him up and alert, and, later in the day, I saw him sitting on his “stoop” on the other side of the mesh while Negra groomed him and Foxie checked in on him. But that was enough activity for the day. He didn’t even want to move much to eat his dinner of mashed sweet potatoes.
Since we have had Burrito in recovery many times we know he’s usually out for a day after a procedure, so it was good he was even a little active and eating.
Since J.B.’s post yesterday about Burrito’s procedure, some people were asking how we knew that there was an issue with his tooth. It was an observation made by staff caregiver Kelsi who noticed that the left side of his face was swollen by his nose. Volunteer caregiver Krissy said she had also noticed that and newest staff caregiver Jenna shared a video that showed the swelling, but it was really only noticeable upon close inspection.
Per Dr. Erin, we first tried giving Burrito an antihistamine to see if the swelling went down, which would have indicated some sort of allergic reaction. When that did not result in a significant reduction in the swelling, there weren’t many other options for what it could be, and Dr. Erin started organizing the team in preparation of a tooth extraction. She surmised that it was likely his upper canine on that side.
Chimpanzees have some impressive canines. Willy B kindly allowed me to take this photo today while he was eating dinner in order to show you:
The part of the tooth that is visible doesn’t even begin to reveal the full tooth, though. Here is a photo of Burrito’s tooth that was removed yesterday, cleaned up by staff veterinary assistant Sofía:
You can imagine that it was quite a lot of work to get that tooth, with it’s long root, out of Burrito’s mouth. I’m happy to say that I was not personally in the room when that work was happening, but I could hear the drilling as we were cleaning.
No doubt Burrito will be a much happier man without that issue bothering him. And his smile will likely be even more charming.
Willy B’s missing front teeth, for example, is his signature look; one that he likes to check out whenever he gets the chance:
In fact, this is not Burrito’s first tooth removal at the sanctuary. Several years ago, he fractured his left lower canine and had an upper incisor pulled at the same time. That was when we had a much different set-up for procedures and the chimpanzee would have to be wheeled outside of the building to the back of an RV that J.B. had retrofitted into a medical clinic.
Though the “mobile clinic” worked fine, and was all we could manage given our resources at the time, I don’t think anyone misses those days. We are extremely happy to have a clinic within the building that is much better outfitted, and very grateful to donors who made this possible as part of Phase 1 of the building expansion.
The more procedures we do, the more we realize that there are certain things that would be helpful to have, so we will likely be looking to purchase some more medical equipment for the chimps in the future.
In the meantime, we are forever thankful to everyone who has contributed not just specifically to the expansion, onsite clinic, and equipment upgrades, but also so grateful to everyone who continuously supports the sanctuary, allowing us to continuously improve the care that we are able to provide all of the chimpanzees and the bovines.
Marcie says
Thanks for the update. He was on my mind all day and am glad to hear he’s progressing well.
Hillary Wilson says
I hope he got a visit from the tooth fairy and got something for that tooth.
Mary Garripoli says
Sweet baby. i am so relieved to hear that he is recovering.
Melissa Marcus says
I am also really glad he’s recovering well! sweet guy
Kathleen says
Thank goodness for the new clinic. I wish it wasn’t seeing so much action lately and hopefully Burrito will be the last visitor this year. Thank you for the update and the photos of the cleaned tooth.
Poor Burrito. You know he’s not feeling well when he can’t even lift his head to eat his mashed sweet potatoes! Tomorrow is a new day and I hope he finds himself feeling a wee bit stronger. With Negra and the gang caring for him and Dr. Erin at his side I know he’ll be back to his sweet silly self soon.
Linda C says
aw! he passed out in his sweet potatoes! Poor Bubba! So sorry that he has to be the one who uses that clinic so much. but glad it’s there.
Kelsi, Krissy, Jenna–nice catch!
PatC says
Yes thank goodness for the clinic and wonderful attentive staff. And I second that comment that I hope the tooth fairy brings Mr B something special. Internet love and hugs for Mr B. xo
Linda C says
I think she’ll bring him Gatorade, Sprite, and something like yogurt or something soft.:wink:
tom austin says
maybe you could make us a good deal on some dental work…? :thumbsup:
Carla René says
Holy crap! That tooth’s root goes deep as the button on a VCR!
Question: I know being put down for procedures was a huge source of stress for these guys. Are y’all able to notice whether this act of seeing one of their friends go down is still a source of panic? Or do you think they are recovering finally from that trauma?
My poor, poor Mr. Burrito-toes boyfriend. I’m glad he’s feeling better.
Diana says
Hey Carla. Before we anesthesize a chimp, we do our best to move everyone else out of the area so they aren’t able to watch the details of what’s happening (for the old building, that means shifting everyone else into the greenhouse). That said, they know. Each chimp reacts differently and it depends on the chimp being anestesized. I would say that over time the reactions overall have lessoned. Jody still shows concern, but I do think everyone has some understanding that we are helping non hurting.
Pat F. says
Thank you for the info on patient Burrito. Poor fellow; terrible long roots. Makes your mouth hurt to think of him.
marianne says
That is a enormous root on that tooth, and would have taken quit a bit of pulling to get it out.
No wonder the experts were called in to do the job.
And well spotted that Burrito had a swelling. That is the benefit of spending time with Chimps and having an observing mind.
Glad he is recovering, be it slowly. I know you will all pamper him back to health.
Lucinda says
Wow! Impressive root size. Glad he’s recovering.
Paulette says
I got curious and looked up chimpanzee skull. Here you can see where that root went.
http://pierce.wesleyancollege.edu/faculty/brhoades/WOC/mammals/chimpanzee.html
XOXO to my Valentine:heartbeat:
Marya says
Wow, more drama! So sorry I missed being able to comment yesterday. Thanks so much, Diana, for including all these details including the shot of that most-impressive tooth (Lordie!! It must go all the way to their brains!! Just kidding, but Geez…) And thanks to Kelsi and Jenna for your expertise in spotting the swelling. I think this episode is the epitome of why it’s so important and valuable to have trained, invested staff who are keenly observant and intimately involved with the chimps. We might easily say, “well, yes, of course” but in fact the level of training and personal investment as well as keen observation skills isn’t easy to come by and takes much dedication and hard work to acquire. I’m so grateful for the staff’s unbelievable investment in the chimps and for the training program at Central and for all the other hard-won expertise that each person brings to the table. And as for you, Bubba, this is the ONLY drama you’re allowed to have this summer — NO RATTLESNAKE ADVENTURES FOR YOU, BUDDIE!!! Praying for swift recovery and less sleeping in one’s sweet potato mash!