Cecilia Bear (#250) had done so well that the curators were ready to release her into a Wild Enclosure.  But then they noticed a swelling on the side of her face.  They took high definition photos and sent them to Dr. Sullivan, who said she needed to be seen right away.  He suspected that she had an abscess.  When she was checked at UT by Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Morrison, the diagnosis was confirmed.  Cecilia Bear had an abscess between her cheekbone and skin; a cat-scan proved it.   Dr. Morrison drained and then flushed the abscess and sent her back to ABR where she will have to spend a day or two in the pen in the Cub Garage, taking her antibiotics and recovering from the surgery.  We have photos of her exam and surgery.

Cecilia Bear gets a cat-scan. Isn’t it amazing that they can do this to a bear?

Cecilia’s cheek was shaved, and the abscess was exposed.

Dr. Morrison drained the abscess.

After the surgery, which went well, Cecilia is left with a bald patch on her cheek.  Her fur will grow back to cover the evidence.  By the way, her appetite was not diminished in the least – she resumed eating and drinking bear milk replacement with meds.  The vets weighed her while she was sedated.  She has gained 4 pounds since her arrival a week ago!

The surgery was successful. The incision was left to heal without stitches.

We are forever indebted to the veterinarians at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, who are always available to offer medical attention to our bears as needed.

We’ll end today’s post with a shot of some of the healthy, big yearlings who have gained enough weight to survive in the wild and will no doubt be returning to their natural habitat before much longer.

These bears illustrate what we mean by “chubby cubbies,” although they are now they are yearlings, not cubs.

Derby and some other residents of Wild Enclosure #2 are ready to return to the wild!