Update from the Mobile Vet Clinic - August 2023

CMU Vet Staff at the National Elephant Conference

The Chiang Mai University mobile veterinary unit had a busy month in August! The vet team was able to attend the 2023 National Elephant Conference in Lampang. Elephant nutrition, the EEHV situation in Thailand, how to care for orphaned baby elephants, and blood donation in elephants were among the topics covered in lectures and informational sessions for elephant health by veterinarians.

 
The Center recently depleted their blood plasma collection due to recent cases of EEHV. Blood plasma is very beneficial to have on hand for elephants who have low blood protein (hypoproteinemia), low blood albumin (hypoalbuminemia), ascites, loss of protein from any other issues, and blood loss (like in the case of EEHV). So, the search was on for an elephant donor! Thankfully, the Baan Chang Elephant Park
gave permission to collect the blood from an elephant donor named ParnWaad. This elephant reached all the criteria for an ideal blood donor. The team was able to collect 12 bags of blood that was then separated into plasma. Unfortunately, that afternoon they received a call for use of these plasma bags on a current patient with liver problems, severe low blood protein, and low albumin.

ParnWaad the elephant, donating blood

The CMU team received a call about a two month-old calf who fell down a hill and refused to take her medicine! They had to improvise to combine topical painkillers, walking restrictions, and laser therapy to minimize the inflammation. The calf was difficult to treat with laser therapy since she couldn’t stay still for very long. The calf’s symptoms were substantially better and almost back to normal after 1 week of
treatments.

 

The two month old calf

Later in the month, they received a call from an owner to see an elephant that presented chin and ventral edema. The vet performed a physical examination and mild ventral chin swelling was found. But, the ventral abdominal swelling was not obviously seen. They collected blood to check and to rule out the problem of hypoproteinemia (low levels of blood protein). The blood result was in normal range. The mahout was instructed to make a hot herbal pressure for the area. She was getting better and then recovered in a week!

Chin Edema

In total, the CMU Mobile Veterinary Unit received about 11 cases in the month of August spanning from musculoskeletal issues to wound care.

YOU can help support the CMU Mobile Veterinary Clinic to continue supporting elephants in need of medical care by donating to Asian Elephant Support at:
www.asianelephantsupport.org/donate or via Venmo @asianelephantsupport.

Update from the Mobile Vet Clinic

The Chiang Mai University (CMU) Mobile Vet Clinic answered a call regarding a young female elephant with a broken tush (in female Asian elephants, their small tusks are referred to as a tush or tushes). The owner explained that the elephant likes to use her tushes to strip off tree bark. Upon examination, the veterinary team noticed a bad smell coming from the tush area with some swelling. They also noticed that the remaining part of her broken tush was pointy which was rubbing the soft tissue of her tusk cavity (or sulcus), which was the reason behind the swelling. The veterinary team flushed the sulcus with hydrogen peroxide, rinsed with saline, and administered pain medication. The veterinarians also filed down the remaining tush so that it was not as sharp anymore. The team came back to visit three days later to make sure the elephant was improving. They were happy to see that the swelling had gone down!

ParnWaad the elephant, donating blood

YOU can help support the CMU Mobile Veterinary Clinic to continue supporting elephants in need of medical care, just like this young female with a broken tusk, by donating to Asian Elephant Support at: www.asianelephantsupport.org/donate or via Venmo @asianelephantsupport.

Update from the Mobile Vet Clinic - July 2023

Beginning in 2020, Asian Elephant Support committed funds to support the ongoing work of the Chiang Mai University Mobile Vet Clinic. This unit travels throughout northern Thailand to provide both preventative and emergency care for elephants in need. The staff from the unit regularly participates in educational opportunities to exchange knowledge with colleagues working to care for Asian elephants. We hope you continue to enjoy the updates we receive from our partners from the Mobile Vet Clinic and their work to uphold our mission to care for and conserve elephants in Thailand and across Asia. 

The Chiang Mai University’s Mobile Vet Clinic, including Dr. Eye and other veterinary staff were on the move as usual during the month of July.

The veterinary staff from various organizations conducting the health checks for the elephants of Chiang Mai

The crew worked with the Chiang Rai Provincial Livestock Office and the Thai Elephant Alliance to perform health checks on 42 elephants in five camps in the Chiang Rai province. Of the 42 elephants, all were reported to have excellent body condition, due to a seasonal abundance of food. The team did take additional time to treat several elephants, including a bull with a damaged tusk and infection. In this region, there are veterinarians from the Department of Livestock Development that will be able to provide follow-up care as prescribed. 

Veterinarians & mahouts work together to treat an elephant with a tusk infection

 This trip was followed by more health checks on a group of 11 elephants living in the Hauy Pak Kood village of the Mae Jam district.

All of the elephants were found to be in excellent health and the veterinary team only needed to provide preventative treatments for deworming and supplemental vitamins. While there, the team was excited to find a very cute surprise - a one-month old elephant calf!

 One-month old elephant at Hauy Pak Kood Village

During the first week in July, the CMU Mobile Clinic team followed up with a few elephants in the Mae Wang area that they treated back in June. The two elephants who were treated, one for an abscess on the trunk and the other for a wound on the belly, were both completely healed. After the follow up exam, the crew went to check on an elephant in the Mae Tang area that was suffering from lameness in her left front leg for one to two months. A thermal camera was used to look for areas of inflammation, which was found around the metacarpal (wrist) joint. The veterinarians performed laser therapy to the area and herbal massage, which is an effective traditional treatment. 

 Laser therapy being performed to help reduce inflammation & lameness for this elephant in Mae Tang

Later in the month, the veterinary team traveled to treat an elephant in Mae Wang displaying symptoms of abdominal pain. For four days, the owner said that the elephant’s feces had been smaller than usual, and the elephant was open mouth breathing and consistently standing up and sitting down. Upon examination, the doctor heard stomach sounds consistent with gastrointestinal issues, and the elephant was dehydrated.

Fluids were given as well as a pain reliever, vitamins and an enema. After an enema and examining the feces, the team suggested the elephant go directly to the hospital due to the hard dry fecal matter that was produced. They were concerned that the elephant couldn’t chew its fodder well and were afraid the hard feces was blocking the intestinal tract, which can be life-threatening and require continuous care and treatment. This is the fourth time she has experienced these issues. The prognosis for this elephant is guarded, but with the expert support of this veterinary team, we know they will do all they can to care for her.

An enema is performed at the elephant hospital to remove impacted feces in an effort to relieve pain & potentially save this elephant's life 

The CMU Mobile Vet Clinic wrapped up July by visiting a four-year old elephant calf in Mae Wang district who was suffering from diarrhea and not eating hay. The team was initially concerned these symptoms were indicative of Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) a deadly disease that impacts one in five young Asian elephants and can take their life within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Thankfully upon examination, the calf was not lethargic, nor did she have a fever or any hemorrhagic signs of EEHV. There were internal parasites seen in the feces, and the calf was interested in eating bamboo and drinking water. The veterinary team administered pain relievers and Vitamins B and C to stimulate her immune response. The following day, the calf’s mahout reported the elephant was feeling better!

As the year rolls on, so does the crew of the Chiang Mai University Mobile Vet Clinic, tirelessly providing life saving care to northern Thailand’s elephants. To show your support for this team, please donate so they can continue their invaluable work at www.asianelephantsupport.org/donate or via Venmo @asianelephantsupport. Thank you.

Visit to Dr. Kushal and Elephant/Tiger Workshop in Kerala

February 1st-4th, 2016, Asian Elephant Support’s president, Linda Reifschneider, attended the Regional Asian Elephant and Tiger Veterinary Workshop at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Pookode, Wayanad, Kerala, India.  This event was hosted by the Centre for Wildlife Studies, Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, in collaboration with Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation, Forest and Wildlife Department, Government of Kerala, and Asian Elephant Support.  The workshop is supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Asian Elephant Conservation Fund.

All workshop participants

Veterinary expertise is crucial to conservation efforts, and this workshop provided the opportunity to share experiences regionally, provide practical training, build local and regional capacity in elephant and tiger veterinary care, and enhance veterinary expertise needed for effective conservation.

The workshop looked at wildlife health from the ecosystem perspective and afforded the opportunity to discuss topics such as disease spillover from humans and/or livestock to wildlife, emerging diseases and/or disease prevalence, as well as reducing stressors in the environment.

In addition to meeting and hearing from some experienced elephant veterinarians previously unknown to AES, it was also very interesting to listen to those veterinarians working with tigers in range countries. It makes one stop to think that this majestic creature is now facing yet another challenge as habitat loss brings domestic canines into proximity, offering up the very real threats of distemper and rabies.

Dr. Arun Zachariah, one of the veterinarians in India AES has funded, co-chaired this event with AES consultant Heidi Riddle.  In addition, Dr. Zachariah presented on emerging diseases in Asian elephants and a second presentation on post-mortem techniques in Asian elephants and tigers.  You may find the official report here:  https://gallery.mailchimp.com/6008a9e8fff086bcf7caed1f8/files/AES_Elephant_Tiger_Workshop_Kerala_2016.docx

Dr. Christopher Stremme presented on the work he is doing in Sumatra (work AES continues to help fund) and also participated with Dr. Dennis Schmitt in a demonstration of ultra-sonography in Asian elephants.  Dr. Khajohnpat Boonprasert (“Dr. Yeaw”) who has helped us help wildlife department veterinarians in Vietnam, recounted the work being done at The Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Thailand.  And Dr. Zaw Min Oo, who AES has worked with in Myanmar, also presented.

Dr. Meenakshi Nagendran, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, discussed the global population status and conservation of programs for both Asian elephants and tigers and Sri. Ajay Desai, IUCN Asian Elephant Specialist Group, discussed human/wildlife conflict relative to Asian elephants and tigers and a second presentation on the ecology and evolution of Asian elephants.

The papers session ended with an evening showcasing amazing demonstrations of sand art, followed by a traditional fire dance.

The workshop ended with a planned field visit to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, which has wild tigers, elephants, and other wildlife.  Dr. N. Kalaivanan led the field visit to the Mudumalai elephant camp, sharing camp management protocols with workshop participants from outside the area, as well as introducing us to camp staff and some of the camp elephants.  Dr. Kalaivanan also gave a presentation during the workshop on the chemical immobilization and translocation of Asian elephants.

Learning…..sharing…..networking…..  It is efforts such as this that grow long past ‘the event’.  Having not only another email address, but knowing the face and the expertise of that new contact to share ideas with and ask questions of – this is what helps move the care and conservation of Asian elephants – and tigers! – forward.  Your support well invested and for which we thank you most sincerely!