After playtime in the wolf garden, Animal Caretakers Tayler and Makai found sanctuary wolf Kaya with a cheek so swollen she resembled a chipmunk preparing for winter. They didn’t see anything that could have caused injury or accidentally lodged inside her mouth, so we rushed her to one of our local veterinarians. During the initial examination, Dr. Maura discovered an impacted salivary gland. Kaya’s mouth was cleaned, the gland was drained, and she was sent on her way with a prescription for twice daily antibiotics.
Kaya, being the incredibly emotional and sensitive being that she is, will probably milk this for days. When she was stung by a bee while playing in the wolf garden two summers ago, she was so distraught the animal care team had to sit with her and soothingly feed her by hand for several days, earning her the nickname “Princess.” She relished extra attention, and we knew she would likely do her best to play on our sympathies again this time. Whether that meant feeding her by hand or providing her with extra love and affection, we would gladly make sure she had whatever she needed to recuperate from her traumatic experience.
But after several days of antibiotics, Kaya’s condition began to decline. She stopped eating, became lethargic, and her cheek again started to swell. Extremely worried, we contacted the vet and took her back for a second visit. The antibiotics shouldn’t have affected her appetite, so was there something else wrong? Or was this just Kaya being her usual sensitive self, trying to get some extra attention?
Dr. Maura drained more fluid from Kaya’s cheek, and we were happy to see the liquid had cleared up, meaning the antibiotics were working. Maura prescribed another round, added steroids to reduce inflammation, and drew blood to check for low platelets or anemia.
Princess is now back home and seems to be slowly returning to her delightful self. Luckily, her bloodwork came back healthy, she’s eating again, and her energy is returning to normal. After worrying us so much, I made a point to spend time in the wolf garden with her. It was such a relief to see her sweetly following me everywhere, wanting pets and belly rubs to soothe her delicate emotions… After all, she’d had a very rough week.
Expenses for Kaya’s two veterinary visits are over $500 to date. Your donations allow us to provide animals like Kaya with the very best in veterinary treatment, specialty diets, and life-long care, which is our goal with all of our sanctuary and rehabilitation animals. We appreciate your support in this endeavor.
