Grizzer – A Great Patient

Grizzer has had issues with his right eye for several years.  He received some tissue damage at the top of his head from altercations with Denali that resulted in some nerve and muscle damage.  This resulted in his inability to blink his upper eyelid.  His 3rd eyelid or nictitating membrane does close offering some relief from irritation.  When we watch nightime surveillance video, we are able to document the movement of this membrane as it obscures the “night shine” of the cornea, at a rate of about 1 movement per every 5 blinks of his left eye.  The nictating membrane is important to remove debris from the cornea and it’s wolf care staff’s responsibility to clean debris from the corner of his eye (actually, all the ambassador’s) on a daily basis.  During last week’s unusually dry and windy weather, his eye was a bit irritated.  To provide him some relief, the veterinarians prescribed an eye ointment that was delivered twice a day.  Grizzer willingly took his treatment and his eye is better this week, especially with the return of some moisture to the air.  We weighed Grizzer on May 1st as part of the spring medical regime.  Grizzer’s weights have fluctuated the last few years, but we are certainly at a heightened state of awareness with Grizzer’s loss of 11 pounds since last spring’s physical.  Grizzer is scheduled for a full blood panel later this spring and we definitely want to test all systems to make sure he is aging well.  The loss of weight might be in response to the fact that he tripled his real estate by having access to the East Side enclosure after the sad loss of Shadow and Malik.

6/4/2013	Grizzer	118.6 lbs
8/14/2013	Grizzer	122.76 lbs
6/13/2014	Grizzer	123.0 lbs
5/1/2015	Grizzer	111.9 lbs