Preliminary diagnostic report on Boltz – 25 November 2020

There were no significant findings on the nerve/muscle biopsy that was sent to the University of California- San Diego.  The brain and spine showed no lesions that would have caused the neurological condition. This confirms the information that we gained by doing the MRI and spinal tap, which in itself is a significant component of this case as Boltz was the first wolf in our history that had both procedures.  The pathologist final report is yet to arrive.   I would say we had the best diagnostic team possible, but if I go back to the original discussion about Degenerative Myelopathy, the idea was, that if we ruled everything else out, that’s the likely cause.  The DNA test that we ran on Boltz showed the lack of the mutated gene for DM.  What I didn’t know (and now I do), is that the lack of the mutated gene wasn’t a diagnosis for DM but was indicative of a an animal being a carrier, not whether an animal had DM.  Our loss of Boltz is still fresh in our hearts.  The passing of each wolf is hard, but the lack of knowledge on the cause makes this particularly hard for staff.

Today, we take the time to remember Boltz, his legacy of knowledge and medical diagnosis that was a first for any of our wolves.  We also take today to honor Luna, who lost her battle to cancer on November 26, 2019.

RIP to these two, it was an honor to be one of your many social companions.