Next month the rockhopper penguin living at the Shedd Aquarium will celebrate her 30th birthday, an age considered geriatric because she already has exceeded the average life expectancy of a penguin, and she struggles with arthritis.
More animals are living longer due to the regular care they receive at the zoos and aquariums, away from life in the wild where they would have to hunt for their own food or be hunted. That leaves zoo and aquarium staff faced with caring for the growing number of elderly animals who experience the same types of ailments as humans, from arthritis to poor eyesight.
“One of the cool parts with working at the Shedd Aquarium and especially growing up in Chicago is I’ve gotten to see a lot of these animals since I was a little kid and a lot of them are still here,” said Matt O’Connor, a staff veterinarian.
At the Shedd, where there are eight penguins out of 33 rockhopper and Magellanic penguins over the age of 20, veterinarians have been applying advances in medical technology such as laser therapy and cataract surgery along with administering medication to help improve health conditions and quality of life for aging animals.
Animal care specialist Duke Stacey carried Pebbles from her habitat in a crate to her weekly appointment and placed her on a towel on the examination table.
Pebbles is the only Shedd penguin that regularly gets the non-invasive laser therapy to help stimulate the body to increase blood flow to her knees and ankles so inflammation can be reduced, O’Connor said.
“If you look at her X-rays, she looks like some athlete that’s been running marathons her whole life. She’s got a lot of arthritis in her joints and a loss of cartilage, so that’s what creates the discomfort, just like in people,” he said.
For less than 10 minutes, Lauren Czudak, a certified veterinary technician, moved the hand-held wand emitting a red light in a grid pattern on both of Pebbles’ legs from her knees down to her feet.
Stacey gently petted Pebbles and sprayed her feathers with a water bottle to comfort her. The penguin did not squawk or try to escape. “I just give her little rubs to let her know she’s doing a good job,” Stacey said.
The aquarium routinely examines the penguins once a year, takes X-rays of their joints, watches for signs of lameness and maintains a list of cataract progression in older penguins, O’Connor said. Veterinarians also rely on the trainers to help identify behavioral changes such as not being as interactive with other penguins and waddling hesitantly, which can signify a potential medical issue.
The trainers noticed Pebbles was not as active and was lying down on her chest more at her nest. They also saw a change in Wellington, another rockhopper penguin at the Shedd since 1991.
“When he looks for fish now or even when he walks, he’ll put his head out and sort of feel around and then take a step. So he’s using his beak to figure out where he’s going because he can’t see at this point,” O’Connor said.
Wellington, who also has early signs of glaucoma, is scheduled for cataract surgery Nov. 29 at Eye Care for Animals, which provides ophthalmology services to the Shedd.
He’ll be the third Shedd penguin to get the surgery, in addition to one great horned owl.
The surgery requires the penguin to be sedated so doctors can make incisions in the tiny eyes and remove the cataracts. After the surgery, Wellington will get eye drops for at least two months as his vision is restored.
“I’m always amazed. If I had cataract surgery, I’m sure I would want to keep something over my eyes for several days,” O’Connor said. “The animals, usually the next day, have their eyes open and checking everything out.”
So far, the laser therapy has worked well to keep Pebbles comfortable and wean her off a lot of medication.
“Now that she’s on treatment, she’s able to walk around more. She comes up for the feeds,” O’Connor said.
Another good sign: She’s swimming more often. Water helps take the weight off her feet and pressure off her joints, much like water aerobics for people.
Before laser therapy began two years ago, Pebbles had at least two surgeries to remove scar tissue on her feet to help her walk better, according to O’Connor.
More good news: The therapy has prevented the scar tissue from returning. And for now, Pebbles has, well, happy feet.
Comments: 0
Post a Comment