We are very lucky here at the Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic. Along with being able to provide veterinary care and a cuddle to dogs and cats, we also get to see more exotic styles of creatures. It is not unusual to see small mammals like rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas and rats in our reception area, or even reptiles and birds, along with the occasional fish! And on top of this, we may have a lion cub from Bowmanville Zoo strolling in the door to get weighed for a routine deworming, or we may need to actually go out to visit the zoo if one of their larger animals is showing signs of illness.
Zoo animal medicine is a highly specialized field. As a result, we have
a lot of unusual equipment available to help these very special animals under
our care. We have things like a pole syringe which can inject medication into a
big cat from a safe distance, and a blow gun which can use a small dart to
administer anesthetic to a primate. We even have a dart gun that can administer
a dart from a great distance, just in case one of the larger animals
accidentally escapes.
Most of the veterinary care provided to the zoo is preventative in
nature. Just like your dog and cat, regular physical examinations and vaccinations
are very important. The animals at Bowmanville Zoo are highly socialized, and
many are leash trained and allow physical examinations. But some of the animals
require sedation to safely examine them, and so we also take that opportunity
to collect a blood sample from them. This provides a nice baseline set of
normal values for the animal, and then if they happen to become ill, we can use
these normal values to compare to the “sick” ones. Twice yearly we also run
stool sample analysis on the zoo animals, and treat them with dewormers if we
find parasites. And just like in domestic pets, dental health is extremely
important- sometimes we can have one of the wolves or a tiger come in for a
dental cleaning. They walk out again with a nice bright smile!
Then of course, there are the emergencies. Just like dogs and cats,
sometimes zoo animals can suddenly run into trouble. We need to work fast in
these situations, and so our equipment is always ready for a quick trip to the
zoo. I remember a number of years ago when a female buffalo was giving birth,
and the calf got stuck with only one front hoof out. The male bison were very
protective and obviously we could not anesthetize the whole herd. So tractors
and backhoes and trucks were driven in to form a fence around the now sedated
female, and I could safely go into this little holding to deliver the calf. Not
exactly a relaxing moment, with two huge male bison breathing down my neck!
It is a privilege to help keep the Bowmanville Zoo animals healthy and
happy. They are fascinating and exciting creatures to work with, and certainly
add variety to our day!
Dr. Wendy Korver
Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic
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