It was on to Kiki, who had been missed the last time around. Again, this would be a situation where she would have to be darted in the large side of her enclosure. Kiley again prepared a dart and Steve was off to see what he could get done. Kiki, again, was having no part of getting darted. Steve called on the radio for assistance and three of the volunteers went in and helped to get her cornered. This would give Steve a better shot. However when he went to set up the shot, there was no Kiki. How did she slip by the volunteers? No one saw her go by. What was going on here?

After searching for a minute or so, a den was discovered. It was so well hidden, no one had noticed it. Yep, she was inside the den, a good 7 to 8 feet into the mountain side. Steve went far enough into the tunnel to determine that the passage veered around a large tree root and an even larger rock and then made a slight turn to a larger chamber. “Now what do we do?” That was the message sent over the radio back to one of the founders in the house, Frank. Anyone who knows Frank is very aware that he has a severe case of claustrophobia. Just the description of the tunnel made him a bit anxious. Then when one of the volunteers said they could go in after her, he became even more anxious.

The decision was made for Frank to stay in the house and for Steve to dart her in the den. The only possible shot would be the shoulder and that is where the dart hit. However, she suddenly started bleeding. Dang, it must have hit a blood vessel. Everyone went into emergency mode. The vet rushed up the mountain side, 200 feet plus. Medical supplies from the house were rushed over to Kiki’s habitat. By the time the vet reached the den, thankfully the bleeding had stopped. Kiley attempted to enter the den to retrieve Kiki, however, Kiki was not totally knocked out. As Kiley reached the tree root and passed under it, she suddenly realized she was getting claustrophobic and quickly exited.

Up steps Roger, a relatively new volunteer, who proceeds to enter the den. He is able to get a slip-lead around her neck and long story made a little shorter, he was able to get around behind her, get help from the folks outside the den and eventually get her out. Everyone quickly did her exam, vaccinations, made sure she was not jeopardized by the dart and then reversed the tranquilizer. She quickly recovered and was on the move again.

07 June - Blood Tests Tell The Story

All of the blood test results were looking good. However, there were two problems. Kasha indeed had kidney issues and Indigo still had indications of infection.

Kasha’s problems could be related to kidney stones, but his urine was not showing any crystals. It could also be caused by some sort of tumor. The only way to try to diagnose the source would be to do ultrasounds. He was immediately put on a new diet that would help lower the demand on his kidneys. Chicken, rice, bread and more liquids was the recommendation. After pondering this it was obvious -- chicken and rice soup with dumplings. The cooking started and he loved his new concoction.

Now, what to do about the ultrasounds? As we received more information about what the problem could be, the options were not looking great. If it was stones, the only location that would be operable would be in the bladder. This did not seem likely due to the lack of crystals. If it was a tumor, the chances that it would be operable were very slim. Although we have not ruled out doing the ultrasounds, we are not sure it would be in his best interest and would not change the treatment plan.

Indigo was immediately put on two different antibiotics. He will be on those until July 9th. We will have to do more blood tests to determine how effective it will be.

11 June - Special Review -Public Hearing Submittal 

Now that our meeting with the technical departments was complete and we received input during the Neighborhood meeting, we prepared the changes to the original submittal. Another 52 pages of reports and maps to justify our request. Then make 20 copies of the new submittal. It was presented by the noon deadline, along with another application fee. We were now up to $2,500 in just application fees. However, now they were telling us that we needed to resubmit all of the original materials again. What the heck did they do with the 20 copies of the 117-page report and 20 copies of the 6, 2’x3’ maps we submitted the first time? This made absolutely no sense.

The logic, we were told, was that they already sent all of those materials out and many of the technical departments may not have kept them. They did extend the deadline for us to get the entire original package together again.

13 June - Special Review -Submitted Again Ž

After venting to our attorney, we kicked butt, spent a lot of money and time and, again, submitted all of the original application materials.

It is not uncommon after receiving a lot of meat on Saturdays for some of the animals to be fairly lethargic. Lakotah, however, was not only lethargic, but also began vomiting. We figured she had just eaten too much and at her age (14 years old), was just not able to process it all. However the vomiting continued until there was only clear liquid.

The vet was called on the 18th and we began a regimen of subcutaneous fluids to maintain hydration and medication to help stop the vomiting cycle. Although she seemed to be well-hydrated, the vomiting continued. On the 19th we took her to the CSU Vet Hospital for testing.

The outcome of the tests returned a new one for us - she had mega-esophagus. This malady exists when the muscle tone in the esophagus fails. This allows the esophagus to expand and does not move food and water down the esophagus to the stomach. The presence of food and water in the esophagus for an extended period then sends a message to the brain to expel the substances. This can be caused by Addison’s Disease or possibly Myasthenia Gravis. Testing for both of these diseases was done. It turned out not to be Addison’s and we are still waiting on the results for the other.

Lakotah was brought home with new instructions on how to assist her during the eating and drinking process. We now needed to sit her up after taking anything by mouth. Her spine needed to remain verticle for up to 20 minutes. This approach would allow gravity to assist the normal functions of the esophagus. This would be tough with Lakotah, who also suffers from joint issues in her hips.

Her first experience with the process was a little scary for her and back-breaking for the human administering the position. She did very well with it, but shortly afterwards suffer a very small seizure or stroke and fell over. Humans were there and immediately caught and comforted her. She recovered very quickly and did not seem to have any lasting effects from it. It definitely scared and had a lasting effect on the humans present though. She is being spoiled to the max and seems to be doing great. The regurgitation has all but been eliminated and she is acting very much like her old demanding self again.

23 June - The Waltz Ž

The work was done and it was time to party. In fact, so much work and energy we were amazed it all got done. Our supporters and volunteers were arriving and everything was beautiful (see What A Wonderful Waltz - click).

24 June -Devastating News

After a routine email to one of our best supporters and very dear friend was not answered, we placed a phone call. We were shocked, saddened and left dumfounded. Dorothy Donnelley Moller had passed away after a very short illness. Dorothy had been scheduled to visit the Sanctuary on July 3rd and we had all been very excited for her to meet the animals whose lives she had saved.

Dorothy understood our mission and had been helping with the accomplishment of our goals since 2003. She was very instrumental in saving the 18 wolves last year, now known as the WideAwake Pack. Her loss will have a severe impact on the plight of all homeless animals.

Although her family has chosen to keep her memorials very low key, we cannot help but make our remembrances and emotions a little more public. We will miss her outstanding personality and compassion for all living things. We were blessed to have known her and shared her passion for the wolves. A memorial plaque will be added to our sign in the Wolf memorial gardens, in her honor.

Tate’s leg is back to normal and showing no lasting effects of the darting. We are still monitoring Indigo and, again, he seems to be feeling fine, but we will need to take more blood for testing after his antibiotic treatment is complete. Kasha has become bored with the chicken soup concoction and we now have him on alternating meals of a prescription food for kidney ailments. He, likewise, does not seem ill and is acting very normal. Mucqua continues to show signs of adjusting and is actually now inviting his thigh to be scratched. Kiki has also forgiven our transgressions and acting normal.

Summer will be another challenging quarter as we try to pamper our aging wolves, bring our application to the county to a positive conclusion, raise the funds necessary to build the needed enclosures and to actually get them built. If you would like to receive periodic E-News updates about our progress with these challenges, please send us your email address.

­­Thank you for your ongoing concern and support for the wolves in our care. [