Grizzer, Aidan and Denali will be scheduled for a complete medical exam during the first week of March. This is a tri-annual exam that includes a complete blood panel, as well as checking titers for rabies, parvo and lymes disease. This is also a good opportunity to address any issues that we see. Grizzer is showing some dentition wear on one of his premolars. It doesn't appear to bother him based on his ability to devour a pigs ear in only a few minutes, but as long as he is immobilized for his blood work, it's a good time to do dental care.
The notes from the wolf care staff indicate that Grizzer has been an an extremely good mood and very socially engaging since the medical exam. When judging a wolves pain tolerance or irritation with something like a decaying tooth, we watch how they feed and respond to human inspection. Grizzer did both well and never showed any issues with the tooth, but as we saw from the exam, he had an abscessed pocket below the tooth that must have been painful. Now that the tooth is gone, he seems to feel very good. The stitches are still in tact and his gums are very clean.
Today Grizzer is 58 days old. This morning, Grizz ran right into the pup pen and greeted the Arctics, then proceeded to romp around the rest of the enclosure. He ran a lot, and chased Nyssa and Maya while being chased in return. While being chased, Grizz displayed flat ears and tucked tail. He showed no fear toward the wheelbarrow. He watched with ears perked up, then greeted the wheelbarrow pusher enthusiastically. During the warm afternoon, Grizz was calm while the puppy pool was being cleaned. He had perked ears and showed no signs of stress. While the pool was being filled, he stepped on the rock in the middle and investigated the hose nozzle. After the pool was full again, he got into the pool and began to splash around, getting water on his legs, stomach and face.
Grizz is 60 days old. Grizz was very active in the enclosure this morning and seemed to enjoy playing and rolling in the moist dirt. Grizz has been less aggressive with staff members and has actively submitted to them several times during the day. Today staff started introducing a dog brush to comb their fur. We also started putting a mock "ear ointment" (Vaseline) on their ears. Since daily wolf care during the year will require being brushed and placing fly ointment on their ears, we are working gradually to get the pups acclimated to this kind of care and the various objects (brush, ointment containers, etc.)in our hands. These things are being done both when they are sleeping and awake, in order to get them used to being touched in specific areas. Today Grizz was sleeping and did not seem to mind the brushing and ear care. During the morning program, Grizz & Nyssa fought over the deer hide, with Grizz intensely muzzle-biting and standing over Nyssa. Grizz was restless during the afternoon program, and was not easily distracted by stimulus items. During the 5:00p.m. program, he played with a fresh-cut venison leg and tail.
Grizzer is 62 days old today. He paced and jumped at the window in the auditorium during the program, eager to get back outside. Being confined in the small enclosure inside seems to make him restless. While playing with Nyssa today, he grabbed her with his teeth and shook his head. Nyssa looked surprised, then went after Grizz. He ate his dinner eagerly,and tussled with Maya and Nyssa before settling down for his first night in the outside enclosure.
Grizzer was seen on two occasions this morning crouching behind a tree or rock and kind of stalking the other two pups while they were playing. His ears were upright, eyes focused on Nyssa and Maya, crouched down on his belly then stood up slightly in a stalking position and all of a sudden jumped up and ran toward them.
Grizz is 63 days old today. Grizz slept with his packmates in the center of the pen, unphased by howls and whining from arctics. However, later, Grizz howled during a group vocalization started by the arctics. Grizz dislikes being woken up from sleep, and growls whenever he is moved. As the warmth of the days increase, pup activity levels during the day decrease.
Today Grizz was 65 days old. Grizz was very anxious during the programs today, most likely due to the heat. He was distracted by a frozen deer leg but continued to pant. Grizzer's aggression towards nannies and staff has calmed somewhat, but he still needs to be forced to submit every once in a while. Grizzer's appetite has increased, and he has been finishing his entire bowl consistently.
It was very warm today, and Grizz was panting during the programs. He enjoyed chewing on ice and the frozen blanket. When he's back in the outdoor enclosure, he either climbs in the den hole or finds a fresh pile of dirt to lay in. Weights and measurements are more difficult to acquire on puppies with so much energy, and irritation from the heat. ((a zero measurement means they were too active to be accurately weighed)
Today Grizzer is 69 days old. When working with pups from different litters, there's always a concern about bonding between the pups. Nyssa is one week younger and her development is naturally behind the others. Each week, staff monitor the logs to make a comparison between the pups weights for their age. At 61 days, Grizzer was 21.4 lbs, Maya was 20.4 lbs, Nyssa was 20.2 lbs, while Malik and Shadow were 19.5 lbs. So even though Nyssa's smaller, she's on track with her packmates and ahead of Malik and Shadow at that age. There seems to be as much interaction between Grizzer and Nyssa as with Maya.
The International Wolf Center advances the survival of wolf populations by teaching about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future.