...WideAwake Rescue...

MEDICAL EXAMS ( sent-11 Jun 06 )

After allowing the animals some time to settle and get somewhat acclimated to their new surroundings, the day came for their medical exams, vaccinations and blood draws for testing. Tuesday, June 6th began the process of trying to return them to a healthy state. Before this could happen however, we needed to be as sure as possible that we had the right animal located in an enclosure that would put them either with their mate or companion or next to that individual. It had become quite apparent after receiving the animals from Minnesota that a number of the travel kennels were labeled incorrectly. Visual examination with photos from their original location, determined that approximately 8 of the kennels were labeled incorrectly.

It is our understanding that the catch-up, of these animals, at the original site was accomplished by Gary Tank and his organization (the animal transport company), which makes this mislabeling totally understandable. The Tank Crew really had no feelings for the animals and were only in this for the money, so why worry if they had the right names or not.

It is extraordinarily important for the wolves' physical and emotional well-being that we try to get them paired as quickly as possible. Wolves are extremely social animals and need the companionship of other wolves in order to feel comfortable and at ease. We are still struggling with this evaluation and have been communicating with some of Jamie Willard’s friends trying to get accurate information. We still needed to take our best shot at getting the animals as close to their bonded companions as possible, so that as they reestablished bonds with them we could open the fence between their enclosures. This exercise took an exorbitant amount of time.

Finally we were underway, with our vet Priscilla Dressen -- catching them up, giving their vaccinations, doing their exams, blood draws and documenting our findings. Catching them up was done without tranquilizers in order to insure that we did not have chemical issues with animals that were already compromised. Each was cornered, quickly covered with a blanket and pinned down for the procedures. Once pinned the animals totally surrender and then it was our goal to be quick, quiet and efficient. This approach is actually the best one to use with animals whose health is already in question.

There were only a couple of animals who were defensive, with their fear, and tried to bite. The catch-up team was very good at controlling these situations and indeed kept all of the animals safely under control.

As we performed the physical exams it became even more clear how neglected these animals had been and how much remedial help they would need.

- 17 are anywhere from 25 to 40 lbs. under weight.
- 17 are suffering from stress, varying levels of dehydration and malnutrition.
- 16 have old frost bite damage to their ears.
- 2 have heart murmurs.
- 2 have hip issues.
- 1 has old brain trauma affecting eyesight and coordination.
- 1 has severe cataracts, which might be operable.
- 1 is missing his left eye.

It also became clear that even more animals than we thought were mislabeled. One that was supposed to be a female turned out to be a male and one that was supposed to be male was indeed female. As we determined new identities, finished exams and removed their horrible collars, we then moved the appropriate animals to their new enclosures.

Now we would have to wait on the blood tests to see what else was going on with them physically.

THE RESULTS - THE NEXT STEP

It took a day for the blood work to be processed and the results to start arriving. Reviewing these reports, indicated the critical nature of their health issues and how far we were from having healthy, happy animals. These guys were not out of the woods yet and indeed many of their issues were life-threatening.

- 14 tested heartworm positive.
- 2 of those are in advanced stages.
- 2 are suffering from severe bacterial infections.
- 2 are suffering from moderate bacterial infections.
- 15 appear to be suffering from extreme stress.
- 8 will have to be retested in a couple of weeks to see if there potassium levels are returning to normal.

The stress issues have severely compromised the adrenal functions of all the animals. This is not something that occurs from short-term stress, but rather prolonged extreme stress in their lives. At this point it is uncertain as to whether their adrenal glands will ever function normally again. The tests in several weeks should give us some answers. If the adrenals do not start functioning correctly, it will require significant monitoring and medication for the rest of their lives.

Likewise, the heartworm issue is going to be very critical to their lives. The normal treatment for heartworm requires confinement and little or no exertion. This is not an option for these animals -- as that would only exacerbate the stress issues. After consulting with the experts at the CSU Vet Teaching Hospital, we have decided to take a new path with the treatment for 12 of the animals. This involves using the preventative treatment for heartworm for the next 2 - 3 years of each animal’s life. This approach will effectively kill all of the new microfilaria and allow the adult worms to die off naturally and hopefully be absorbed without affecting normal heart functions. Unfortunately, we will have to treat the 2 advanced cases with the normal treatment, minus the confinement. These 2 animals will not be able to wait 2 - 3 years for a resolution as the level of infestation is too advanced. We are guardedly optimistic that we can keep their lives calm enough, in order to give them the best chance of survival. This will however, be extremely risky. Because of the introduction of these diseased animals to the Sanctuary we will also now have do preventative medication for all the residents at both locations.

We have started the 4 animals, with infections, on antibiotics and are giving all the animals adrenal support supplements. We will keep you updated as their conditions change.

We Need Your Help - Please Send A Letter & A Prayer

We have yet to hear from the Golden Valley Humane Society in Minnesota regarding our inquiries about donations they received for these animals. According to their web site they received approximately $24,000 in donations for the care and transport of these animals. We believe that the individuals who donated money for these animals expected it to be used for these animals. It would appear that The Humane Society has no intention of forwarding any remaining funds above their actual expenses to Wolf, for the care of these animals. We believe that this is not only unethical, but possibly in violation of the IRS regulations governing 501(c)(3) charitable organizations.

We encourage anyone who believes that this is improper, to please write to The Golden Valley Humane Society and express their concerns. We have included email addresses for the Humane Society and the media in Minnesota.

             Animal Humane Society              mgmt@animalhumanesociety.org
             845 Meadow Lane North
             Golden Valley, MN 55422

We ask you to please visualize these animals during your spiritual ceremonies and send them the energy they need to survive these challenges.

As we progress with their medical treatments, spays and neuters, the bills will increase rapidly.

We need your help to provide essential treatment. Our financial resources will be stretched to the maximum.

If you can afford even a donation of $5.00, it will help. You can send it via our web site at this link:

http://www.wolfsanctuary.net/10-funding/10-01.htm#donations

 or send it to our USPS address:

          Post Office Box 1544
          La Porte, CO 80535

THANK YOU to all of you who have already helped and to those of you who will. Your support for this project has been tremendous and extremely heartwarming.

We would also like to provide special recognition to a few supporters, without whom this rescue would not have been possible:

It is also important that we acknowledge the volunteers who went above and beyond to make this happen:

Continued -> ->

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