Vet days — Kariba’s spay, Tanzi’s exam and more

The Keeper Journal

While I had every intention of continuing with our regularly scheduled programming of talking about the routine of the Sanctuary, we had an upset to our routine this past week and I thought it would be appropriate to also change the trajectory of this blog – at least for now. 

We were blessed to have Dr. Rebecca Richard and her team of vets and vet techs visit WCR for two days and assist us with medical procedures and check-ups for a number of our resident cats. 

Even though our on-site Animal Care Center is still a work in progress, Dr. Richard was able to set up all her equipment in the building. While it was phenomenal to be able to see the hospital being put to good use, we’re still anxious to have it completely finished. A finished hospital means more than just another building on site – it means more on-hand medical supplies and equipment, a safe and comfortable environment to keep cats in quarantine or recovery, and the ability to perform procedures without the need to transport cats off-site. It means less stress on everyone, from the keepers to the cats. 

First up on Dr. Richard’s agenda was Kariba’s spay. We keepers were able to get Kariba locked into a crate to make it easier and safer to sedate her for the procedure. The entire procedure took approximately three hours, and the vet team worked diligently to cover all the basics in addition to the spay, from clipping nails to cleaning her teeth. Keeper Lynx, a trained vet tech, was able to assist with elements of the procedure while the rest of us keepers stood close by watching. There was so much to be learned from that experience! 

After Kariba was securely returned to her crate post-op, Dr. Richard administered the reversal drugs and kept a close eye on her as she woke up. It was a relief to have everything go smoothly and according to plan. And Kariba herself is recovering wonderfully, already back to her feisty, fiery self. 

In addition to Kariba, Dr. Richard took some time to check up on other cats as well, including our serval Tanzi. One of the daily things the keepers monitor is the behavior of the cats while eating. Unfortunately, we noticed that Tanzi hadn’t been eating as much as usual for about a week before Dr. Richard’s visit. . A good indicator of an animal feeling sick is a lack of appetite, so we were anxious to have Tanzi examined.

Well, it was a good thing we did, because the x-rays revealed a lot of debris in Tanzi’s stomach. According to Dr. Richard, it looked like Tanzi had a very upset gut and was trying to help herself feel better by eating things not meant to be eaten. The solution? Administer medication and some lactulose to help pass the debris through her system and get her back to her normal self. We’re happy to report that Tanzi is on the fast track to a clean bill of health. 

A top priority for the keepers was ensuring a number of our sweet domestics underwent an examination as well, especially those cats who hadn’t been examined recently, to make sure everyone was healthy. It took all the keepers to wrangle seven domestics, but soon enough they were crated and transported to the hospital (much to their chagrin) for their check-ups.

Needless to say, both days were long and intense, full of impressive teamwork, passionate dedication to and love for the animals, and learning. For some of us keepers who are new or not as experienced with the veterinary side of things, being able to watch and learn from the vet team was an incredible gift. Not to mention the fact that being able to rely on such a knowledgeable team of vets and vet techs put all of us at peace knowing our cats were in the best of hands.