Grayson – Carcass Time

As I wrote in Denali’s log, Grayson has to wait to eat on some Saturday night feedings due to Denali’s tendency to guard and possess food.  Staff always document the time spent on the carcass by each wolf and an overall assessment of food consumption is best identified by the size and coloration of the scat on the days post-feeding, not to mention a full belly of a species that has stomach receptors allowing for a gorging of up to 20% of their body weight.  Although, for the white wolves, a look at their face can reveal at least a presence on the carcass as shown by Grayson’s picture.   Grayson is a special case for us, he seems to have a different immune system than Axel.  In his short two years, we have had several reoccurring issues of parasites that have been a challenge to treat.  We are glad to report that have 3 negative fecals in the last month and we will continue to check for the next month to make sure he stays parasite free.   With Grayson’s parasite issues and the behavioral challenges with Denali, monitoring weight is a big issue.  Typically wolves lose weight over the winter, but combine that with the competition of parasites and it becomes more concerning.  We are happy to report that Grayson is back on track and aided by additional feedings of chicken and beef that is part of Luna and Grizzer’s daily routine.