Retired Pack Update – Jan. 27, 2022
We have very sad news to share with you today. Grizzer, our oldest-ever ambassador wolf, was euthanized this morning. He was 17 1/2 years old.
There has been a stretch of especially cold weather over the last few weeks, but Grizzer has been doing well. He had been eating his morning breakfast in the building before going for his morning walk and settling in the hay beds. On Wednesday morning, with increasing wind chills, he seemed to be having troubles. Wolf care staff brought him into the building and called our veterinarian, who is a member of the wolf care team.
His body temp and vitals were all stable, but at his age, liver and kidney issues are always a concern. With a light sedative, a blood sample was taken and IV fluids and some antibiotics were administered. The nearby Vermilion Community College Vet tech program provided a portable x-ray machine to do a chest and abdominal X-ray to see if there was an underlying issue as to why he wasn’t feeling well. There was nothing significant in the bloodwork or on the x-rays, but not everything is detectable, so there was likely some age-related decline occurring.
Grizzer had a restful night in the wolf care center with the wolf curator, but his condition continued to decline and the decision was made to euthanize him at 7:40 a.m. on Thursday Jan. 27. A necropsy was performed at the Ely Veterinary Clinic on Thursday morning to help determine his decline and his remains will be cremated.
