MacKenzie had a bit of a relapse on Christmas eve day as we were weaning her off her medication. It now appears that she may need a maintenance dose of medication to maintain mobility and control pain. The hopes were that her body could do some healing while on medication, and that we would see improvement without the anti-inflammatory. It now appears the spinal problems may be more complex. She improves quickly with the increase in medication and we will be working to find the right minimum dose to keep her comfortable. In this week's video, you will see her comfortably eating a beaver, chewing the tail off and taking it to her bed (beaver tails are high in fat, and a real treat for wolves).
MacKenzie was late to shed this summer and late to grow in a winter coat in comparison to Lakota. Wolf care staff are readily available with straw to make sure MacKenzie has a warm bed. With the winter season, an additional feeding has been added to the Retired Pack’s schedule. If you watch the wolf cams, you will now see a Tuesday and Thursday morning feeding around 8 am and the regular Saturday night dinner of beaver or deer legs.
MacKenzie is doing very well with the onset of the winter season. Her mobility is good, and there are only a few noticeable days where she appears to stand with her haunches lowered to the ground (this is usually an indication of pain). In MacKenzie’s video this week, you will see her dominate Lakota, roll over for wolf care staff and actually run and shake. This was a good day for her, and her behavior shows how well she feels.
The text for all the wolves will be the same. The wolves are enjoying the deer scraps donated by local deer hunters, with scraps arriving daily and wolves feeding opportunities on the increase. This is the time of the year when resources are plentiful at the International Wolf Center. Vermilion Community College student, Nick Budzien, made a trip to the Wildlife Science Center in Forest Lake Minnesota, where they graciously donated 24 road kill deer to help feed our wolves over the winter. Road kill are much more plentiful in the urban areas in southern Minnesota, than the more remote forested regions of Ely. We do get local road kill, but not in the volume that will sustain the wolves through the winter. The weather is moderately cool, ranging between 20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit, ideal for both wolves and wolf care staff.
This has been a good winter for MacKenzie; she has fared well. She continues to remain alert and focused and has good mobility for being almost 15 years old. She and Lakota enthusiastically greet wolf care staff during the morning checks and have good interactions with them.
MacKenzie had a slight puncture in her left, rear paw this week. The enclosure was checked thoroughly to see if there were any fence issues, but no noticeable areas were detected. It is possible that it was a puncture from some play bouts with Lakota, but with limited evidence, it is hard to determine the cause. She is keeping it clean and staff is monitoring it for any signs of infection. It was a year ago (December 4th, 2006) that MacKenzie had some significant spinal conditions that made us wonder how long she’d be with us. We are happy to report that MacKenzie remains in good physical condition and good mobility; every day is an honor to work with her.
MacKenzie has been doing well, and enjoys the fresh snow. We would also like to thank Chris Batiste for her recent donation of blueberries for MacKenzie and Lakota. MacKenzie has a bit of a sweet tooth, and would pick berries along the fence line. She enjoyed the treat as you can see by this week’s video. Of course, at this age, anything out of the ordinary is best served in small doses. Wolf care staff will be in on Christmas day to make sure all is well with the wolves, caring for wolves is a 365 day a year job.
Written by Workin' For Wolves participants Andi Nelson and Awen Briem: During this weekend's Workin' For Wolves program, the main objective in the retired enclosure was to stabilize a den, dug by Lakota, that had recently caved in. Roughly a dozen 8 ft. long, 6 in. diameter birch logs were hauled in and placed over the opening to provide shelter from the elements and ensure wolf safety. MacKenzie expressed interest in exploring the den interior, but was reluctant to go in despite the tempation of a pig's ear treat. In this week's video, you will see her investigating the newest addition to the retirement enclosure.
One thing we have noticed is that MacKenzie certainly hasn’t lost her hearing. She is very keen on any noise or activity around the wolf yard. She has had a bit of a time dealing with the noise from the construction, but it was so short-lived, she dealt with it just fine. She still enjoys the beaver feedings, and the special chicken dinner she gets during the middle of the week.
MacKenzie had a late shed, which means she’s been delayed in growing in her winter coat. She gets a new straw bale every week and she frequently lies in her corner bed. We are impressed with her mobility, even though she has a few missteps; she seems to be walking with a steady gate. She has lost most of the weight she gained with the higher dose of prednisone, and has a great appetite. The feeding schedule includes some smaller meal on Wednesday’s and a beaver or deer leg on the weekend. The jaw capacity of these older females has not diminished
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.