A Busy and Worrisome Day for ABR and UTCVM

Thank you for your kind comments regarding the sudden passing of Flapjack Bear. Black bear rescue is a rollercoaster of emotions, good and bad, and this is very bad.

We don’t know what caused Flapjack to sicken so quickly, but the vets suspected it was contagious. Beginning yesterday morning, each of the five cubs who shared his enclosure was captured and transported to The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine (UTCVM) for examination and treatment. It took all day to take one bear at a time, using every carrier we own. Betsy Ross was the last cub to go, and she didn’t return to ABR until after 11 p.m. Thumper, our elephant cub, got out of his carrier and took off into Enclosure #3 so he’s going to UTCVM today.

All four tested cubs have severe pneumonia and we assume Thumper does too. Tamale is in the worst shape (blood oxygen level was only 65 at arrival). Betsy Ross is the sole cub with only a single lung infected. Most of the cubs have lesions in their throat that resemble strep throat, though the bacteria may not be strep.

What the vets did at UTCVM:

All cubs were intubated

All cubs received oxygen

They suctioned mucus from all cubs’ lungs

All cubs received nebulizer treatment to help break up and dry up mucus

Samples were taken: scat, urine, blood, mucus, throat lesions

Chest x-rays were taken

IV antibiotics were administered (Unasyn, which is Clavamox in IV form)

Fluids were administered

Blood oxygen, heart rate, and respiration rate were monitored throughout all the exams

Every bear was observed through recovery from sedation

UTCVM performed an emergency necropsy on Flapjack yesterday morning and sent all samples for testing.

What we know so far:

There is a bacterial infection going on. It appears to be a “single colony” infection (one kind of bacteria). The vets are doing cultures, but they don’t yet know the exact bacteria yet.

They don’t know if the bacterial infection is primary or if it is secondary to a viral or parasitic infection.

Where they are:

The cubs will be residing in various buildings while they remain under observation and take antibiotics.

Juggles Bear moved from Hartley House to The Recovery Center.

Tamale is in Hartley House 1

Burrito is in Hartley House 3

Martha Washington is in Cub House 1

Betsy Ross is in Cub House 2

Thumper is in Acclimation Pen 3 and will return to it after his treatment at UTCVM

We’ve never encountered anything like this in the 27 years of ABR’s existence. We’ve had single sick cubs arrive, but to have an infection spread so quickly through a group of healthy cubs is the stuff of nightmares. We owe it to Flapjack and all the cubs who will come after him to find out what happened and how to avoid it happening again.

The other cubs in residence seem fine, though they are being observed with a new intensity. We cross our fingers and hope that whatever this is will be confined to one enclosure and one group of cubs. Thank you for supporting our mission and our bears.

We thank Dr. Knafo, Dr. Swanepoel, and their team for devoting an entire day to helping our little bears. We are lucky to have access to such expertise.

Please consider donating to Appalachian Bear Rescue.

https://appalachianbearrescue.org/make-a-donation/