Dr. Cushing, a veterinarian from the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, came to visit Heather Bear at the Recovery Center. It has been a week since her rescue, and he wanted to see what progress she has made so far.

She still looks rather pathetic, but her exam was good.

She was sedated and carried to the Staging Area, where bears are prepared for release. It is well equipped for an examination.

Heather was weighed and the good news is that she has started to gain weight. When she arrived, she weighed 52.8 pounds; now weighs 56!

Dr. Cushing checked her many wounds and was pleased with her progress.

The cement used on her broken canine tooth has held. Her teeth look good.

She looks bad, but is actually healing, slowly.

While she was sedated, prints were made of her front paws and back feet.

Back in the Recovery Center, she left inky footprints everywhere!

We are relieved that Dr. Cushing and his team were pleased by Heather’s progress after a week. Hopefully she will continue to improve and grow stronger as the days go on.