Grizzer- Hair Galore

Grizzer has been losing his dense undercoat in large sheets of hair.  We often call this “blowing his coat”.  Wolves typically don’t shed all year like a dog, they shed for about a 2 week period, losing all of their undercoat at once.  They keep their permanent guard hairs, and will look sleek and thin until early August, when their undercoat begins the process to regrow. For a 12-year old wolf, Grizzer has a tremendous coat that is still soft and glossy.  Grizzer is very alert and attentive to the fact that he is one door away from the newest pack members.  Even after the pups move to the Pack Holding Area and Grizzer moves to the East side habitat, he will still be able to see the action, but it will be away from the watchful eyes of the Exhibit Pack.  WE weighed all the adult wolves today.  Grizzer is down to 106 lbs, a weight loss of approximately 20 lbs. that will prompt us to do some additional changes to his diet.  We will also draw some more blood to check for any underlying health conditions.  We had a similar situation last winter, and managed to regain his weight over the summer.  We are extremely grateful for new Wolf Care Center, we know at this age, that having access to a warm space indoors will be critical in managing our aging retiree.  Grizzer remains in great spirits, and welcomes to extra meals and extra attention of 24-hour a day wolf care staff.