Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

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Dora’s Check-Up

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Dora made her first appearance in the veterinary clinic last week for a routine physical exam. Like Rayne, she willingly took the anesthetic injection (this time from Sabrina and Dr. Erin, with a prior assist from the entire positive reinforcement training team). While we have to wait for specialists to review some of the data the team collected, Dora appears to be in perfectly good health.

Many thanks to our great crew of volunteer professionals, from the vet techs, sonographers, and veterinary student extern helping with the procedure to the cardiologists and internists reviewing the results—and of course to our very own Dr. Erin!

Someone recently asked on social media what types of procedures the chimps undergo when they are in the clinic. While the answer depends on many factors, including their age, sex, clinical history, stability under anesthesia, and the amount of time since their last exam, we generally try to do the following:

  • Update Vaccinations (e.g., rabies, tetanus)
  • TB test
  • Glucose Reading
  • Fecal Exam
  • Urinalysis
  • Blood tests
  • EKG
  • Dental Exam and Cleaning
  • Dental X-Rays as needed
  • Echocardiogram
  • Cervical, Chest, and Abdominal X-Rays
  • Joint X-Rays as needed
  • Full Body Exam

Our goal is to perform these exams as infrequently as possible so it’s important to gather all the information we can while they’re in the clinic.

And that requires a great team.

Hopefully Dora will continue to stay healthy and out of trouble so she won’t have to come back to the clinic for a while.

Honey B’s Tips & Tricks

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When it comes to a mess, Honey B knows a thing or two. Many of you might know that Honey B doesn’t mind a messy room and would in fact live in her own mess for a while if she had a say in it, and sometimes she does, which is why she is also an expert at cleaning a mess! Last week, one of the enrichment days was soap buckets. This is where we put in the tiniest amount of soap and make a lightly soapy bucket and put out scrub brushes for the chimps. Sometimes the chimps enjoy the enrichment and other times, the chimps wonder why we didn’t fill the buckets with a tasty juice. Honey B took the opportunity to use her soap buckets, whether it was because she just thought it was fun or because she thought we missed a few spots, we can’t know. What we do know is that Honey B was thoroughly enjoying herself, so much so, we later provided her a towel so that she could dry her front room and she was very enthusiastic to be able to continue her cleaning process. Honey B really is one cool chimp.

Click here to watch Honey B’s Tips & Tricks!

Rayne’s Exam

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Rayne took a trip into our veterinary clinic recently for a physical exam. Take a look at what goes into making such a trip possible.

Some of Rayne’s diagnostic results are pending review by specialists, but she appears to be in very good health!

If you’re new to this blog, here’s a primer on the ethical considerations that factor into decisions around physical exams.

And if you want to learn more about the kind of care we can provide without having to take them into the clinic, check out a few examples of our work with cooperative x-rays, EKGs, and ultrasound.

Cy’s 35th Birthday Celebration!

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Today we celebrated Cy’s 35th birthday!

Ellen, the ever so thoughtful and creative caregiver, created a one-of-a-kind birthday magazine just for Cy! As many of you know, Cy has an undeniable love for People magazines, so naturally, Ellen filled his personal edition with different articles of his favorite people, fashion, piping hot tea from around the sanctuary, and so much more. We’ll need an entire blog just to showcase this amazing creation—it was nothing short of extraordinary! Cy also had a bookcase full of People, In Touch, Stars, and other magazines that capture his love for all things pop culture. Of course we had a forage filled with Cy’s favorite foods, including a chow cookie he could not stop food squeaking for on the Bray!

From the very first moment I met Cy, he completely stole my heart. He is the kind of person who captivates everyone he meets. Cy is kind by nature, endlessly patient, playful, courageous, and a master at making friends with anyone he crosses paths with. He shows grace to the people around him, and he truly cherishes quality time with his loved ones. Cy is the kind of guy who makes everyone’s day brighter! It’s an honor and a privilege to call him a friend.

We also want to give a special thanks to Paulette Wrisley who sponsored today for Cy! We so appreciate her and her love and celebration of each of the chimpanzees.

I will leave you with a few of my favorite pictures of Cy, BUT be sure to look out for his birthday party video tomorrow!

 

Late Winter on the Hill and A Day in the Clinic

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The weather has been beautiful lately and the chimps have been taking full advantage of this false spring before the inevitable second winter strikes back. Enjoy a few scenes from The Bray and Young’s Hill from the past couple of days.

I also want to share with you that yesterday, Honey B took what we hope will be her last trip to the clinic for a while. Here’s more on that from Dr. Erin:

Yesterday, Honey B had her 3rd clinic trip to manage a bite wound on her left hand. She’s had 2 regional limb perfusions to concentrate antibiotics, including deep flushing of the infected wound. Despite twice daily laser treatments, x-rays, and antibiotics, the swelling and drainage have persisted. A team of medical professionals, including Dr. Jeffrey Friedrich, a board certified hand surgeon, and surgery residents Dr. Thais Calderon and Dr. Emma Dwyer, performed a deeper exploratory surgery, which, unfortunately, resulted in the amputation of the affected finger to prevent arthritis and chronic pain. As sad as we are that we couldn’t defeat the bone infection in Honey B’s finger, we are looking forward to her being more comfortable and regaining better use of her hand. We’re grateful for the expertise of Dan Low MD (chimp anesthesiologist extraordinaire) who introduced us to Dr. Friedrich, CRNA Kate Uselman (anesthesia), Dr. Rachelle Chavez, DC, OB/GYN, and sonographer Huong Johnston who performed ultrasound and a complete pelvic exam. Honey B recovered well and was awake and hungry by dinnertime. Even though she was ready to join a brief fray yesterday afternoon, she will need to be isolated for a few days to monitor her healing. A huge thank you goes out to the entire medical team for their care and expertise!

And a huge thank you to Dr. Erin, too!

One team performs the ultrasound while another begins a regional limb perfusion:

The anesthesia team monitors Honey B’s vitals:

The surgical team at work, while CSNW Vet Assistant, Krissy, and visiting veterinary student extern, Eden, observe and help coordinate:

Honey B in recovery:

And Honey B the next day, ready to explore and rejoin her friends (but not until the doc gives the OK):

Front Room Fun

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At CSNW, the chimps typically have the freedom to be in whichever space they choose, so long as we aren’t cleaning it. And while their favorite places are the large playrooms and greenhouses or, for some, the multi-acre outdoor habitats, they tend to have the most fun together when they congregate in the smaller indoor rooms. Laughter is a typical soundtrack to our morning cleaning routine!