by Ginnie Westmoreland, Director of Marketing
stlzoo magazine, March/April 2006 A commonly quoted proverb: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." While the Zoo staff can't say for certain whether the animals in our care are "merry" at all times, the fact remains that Zoo animals will need medical care from time to time. Enter the team of veterinarians from the Saint Louis Zoo: Randy Junge, DVM, Director of Animal Health and Martha Weber, DVM, Staff Veterinarian. They work with two full-time veterinary residents, a full-time veterinarian pathologist, three animal health technicians, one quarantine manager, and one administrative assistant. Two veterinarians are on call each weekday. On weekends, the residents handle the workload alone. When necessary, it's "all hands on deck" for busy days or major procedures. "We never have a typical day around here," says Dr. Randy Junge, director of animal health. "The care given to our variety of patients certainly varies from day to day. But there is a pattern to how each day unfolds." As with their counterparts in a human hospital, the veterinary team at the Saint Louis Zoo Endangered Species Research Center & Veterinary Hospital start each day with a 10 - 15 minute staff meeting to discuss the day's cases. Here the residents may ask the teaching veterinarians for advice for treatment on certain cases. Most commonly, the staff meeting's purpose is to apply "triage" or a priority approach to the current case load. Next come rounds. Unlike a hospital where rounds with patients are done inside a central facility, most Zoo patients are found throughout the campus. There are three ways an animal receives a visit during daily veterinarian rounds: 1) the animal is undergoing care for some kind of previous condition, 2) a curator has requested the vets make a visit to the animal, or 3) there's a routine, scheduled procedure to be performed. The veterinarians use a specially-outfitted truck as they make their rounds. It's a "mini-hospital" on wheels, to some degree, and is equipped with many of the same tools and diagnostic equipment found in the veterinary hospital. Overall, as many procedures as possible are performed within the animals' own enclosure. Rounds are done "in the field" for the safety and concern for the animal. "Procedures need to be performed as quickly and comfortably for the animal as possible," explains Dr. Junge. Blood collections, wound treatment, bandages, are all done away from the hospital and within the animals' enclosures. For surgery, radiology and other involved procedures, the staff brings the animal to the hospital (see sidebar). Keepers bring the small animals (small birds, small reptiles and some mammals) in a carrier. Large animals - primates, hoofed stock and carnivores - are usually anthesthesized and then brought to the hospital. One of the scheduled procedures might include a pre-shipment exam. Before any animal leaves the collection for another zoo, possibly to a new breeding or social group, the vet staff do a careful, comprehensive work-up. Among scheduled procedures is a vaccination. Big cats get a vaccine against many of the same diseases that affect house cats. Grevy's zebras are inoculated with a typical horse vaccine. Primates are tested for some human diseases such as tuberculosis. Vaccinations are often given by the animal health technicians. How does one give a shot to an 800-pound zebra? For these large animals, a dart gun is used with the medicine loaded into the dart. Because there are two residents on staff, each case represents a teaching opportunity for Dr. Junge and Dr. Weber. "Imagine a dog and cat veterinarian," states Junge. "He or she generally practices medicine on dogs and cats. Here at the Zoo I get to work with 200 different species! For the residents, this is quite a varied education during their rotation here." Besides the variety of patients, the veterinarians practice a wide range of specialties. "Zoo veterinarians are not just internists," explains Junge. "They're also anesthesiologists, surgeons, ophthalmologists, radiologists and psychologists." "Many of the guests who tour the hospital are surprised by the variety of procedures we do. We can practice virtually any type of medicine done with domestic animals and humans on the animals in our care," Dr. Junge continues. The Zoo medical staff relies on experts in the medical field from time to time on a consulting basis. For example, Dr. Jay Marshall is on staff at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Louis and is a practicing gastroenterologist. Dr. Marshall has helped on a variety of cases over the years, particularly those involving endoscopy. His years of experience have helped the Zoo staff decide whether certain results indicate disease or more routine abnormalities. "Some of our challenges are the same as with dog and cat patients," explains Junge. It's hard, for example, to have an animal patient "relax and take it easy" if there's a broken leg. "We want to keep the animal as mobile and as unrestricted as possible." Leg fractures are therefore not often set with a cast, since many animals might chew off the cast. Rather, a pin might be surgically inserted so the animal can remain mobile. When asked what he enjoys most about his job (aside from the patients), Dr. Junge states, "I like working here because we're able to practice a high level of medicine for our Zoo animals, including those who represent critically endangered species." When an Asian elephant developed an infection, for example, the Zoo spared no cost in providing essential antibiotics to cure it quickly. The limitations of the dog-and-cat veterinarians to practice medicine are often set by the financial limitations of the pet owners. The Zoo's primary business is to see these animal species through to future generations. Thus, the Zoo's veterinarians continue to provide care at the best level possible. The doctor is in!
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