Chiang Mai University Mobile Vet Clinic Update

June for the Chiang Mai University (CMU) Mobile Vet Team was another month of tending to some of Thailand’s most vulnerable elephants, calves. This month in addition to the adults with gastrointestinal issues, eye irritation, and tetanus vaccinations there were several cases concerning calves. One calf was unable to nurse from its mother. A naughty little calf presented with a steel rod stuck in her throat. And, unfortunately, EEHV claimed the life of yet another young calf from a camp already impacted by EEHV just a month earlier.

An owner called to consult about a mother and a calf living in Mae Tang with a case of Agalactia. (Agalactia is a condition of decreased or the absence of the production of breast milk). She said that the baby often cried, had decreased feces, and attempted to suckle for milk but he preferred only the left side mammary gland. His mother had quite a bit of shrinkage of the left mammary gland while the right was still enlarged. The owner was so worried about the lack of milk consumption she started milking the rightside mammary teat of the mother and was able to bottle-feed the baby. When the vets arrived, they examined mom and calf, recommended restricting the access of the baby to only nurse from the right side so he could nurse efficiently, and prescribed Domperidone to stimulate the secretion of the hormone prolactin to help with mom’s milk production.

Calf attempting to nurse on mom’s left side

Late in the afternoon on another day, the vets got an emergency call from the owner of a 16-month-old elephant. The owner said that there was a rod of steel obstructing the young elephant’s mouth. The team rushed to aid the calf, considering the very likely possibility of having to sedate the calf.  Thankfully, the baby could eat and drink throughout the morning until the afternoon she presented signs of vomiting but she wasn’t depressed. When a stick of sugarcane fell out of her mouth the mahout noticed a 5.5-inch-long steel rod stuck sideways in her mouth. Fortunately, the little calf didn’t swallow it. The mahout was able to remove the rod before the CMU team arrived and, once they were there, the vet did a thorough exam to make sure the calf had no internal injuries to the mouth and throat or bleeding.

Naughty calf with her junior caretaker and steel rod compared to a ballpoint pen

Unfortunately, EEHV reared its head again in Mae Wang when the CMU team was called to see a 4-year-old elephant when the mahout noticed that she was depressed. One young elephant from this camp got sick from an EEHV type 1 infection in April, was treated at the TECC hospital, and went back home in May. The vet performed a physical examination and found the calf already had petechial hemorrhage starting to present on her tongue, mild facial swelling, and a high fever, so the calf was immediately referred to the TECC hospital.

Calf receiving treatment for EEHV

Before the 3-hour trip from Mae Wang to the hospital in Lampang, the calf received antipyretics, Vitamin C, and antiviral drugs. A blood sample was also collected for hematology and EEHV diagnosis. When the truck arrived at the hospital the TECC vet team stood by to start the intensive treatment for her. The next day, results from CMU EEHV lab revealed that she was infected with both EEHV type 1 and 4. Sadly, despite all their efforts, she could not overcome the infection and passed away at 7 p.m.

Thank you to the CMU Veterinary Team for their outstanding commitment to Thailand’s elephants! And thank YOU to all who help support their work through AES!

Chiang Mai University Mobile Vet Clinic May Update

Sad news this month from Thailand. In the afternoon of May 16, the chief mahout of camp in Mae Wang called our vet about a 3-year-old calf who got facial swelling.  A mahout had noticed that the young male calf presented mild swelling on his jaw but was still acting normally; eating well, sleeping, urinating, and defecating. The CMU team immediately asked the mahout to send pictures and some videos for evaluation. The team rushed to see the calf for a physical evaluation and referred the calf to the TECC hospital for emergency treatment. The calf was depressed. He had mild to moderate facial swelling, especially at both jaws and the area above the eyes. His tongue presented the purple spots consistent with hemorrhaging. He also had a fever and a mild watery diarrhea with quite a bad smell. Many EEHV symptoms were present. At the same time the TECC team was working hard to find suitable blood donors to immediately start a blood transfusion when the calf arrived.

Calf was lethargic upon the team’s arrival

The veterinarians gave an antiviral drug and vitamin C to the elephant. The calf also received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the fever from infection and the inflammatory process. At the hospital he got a platelet-rich plasma transfusion that night. The next day he got a second blood transfusion. The TECC team provided extreme treatment against EEHV. The EEHV test from CMU showed that the calf tested positive for type 1 and 4 co-infection. Unfortunately, he couldn't be saved. He passed away on day 3 of the intensive care.

Veterinarian draws blood to match for plasma donation

This case reminds us just how important our work is and how much fundraisers like Pizza for Pachyderms can help impact the care of elephants in Asia. This little calf’s treatment was funded in part through AES and donations from people like you. We are extremely grateful to the teams from the CMU mobile vet unit and thee TECC for their efforts to treat this calf and others affected by EEHV.

  Thank you to the CMU Veterinary Team for their outstanding commitment to Thailand’s elephants! And thank YOU to all who help support their work through AES!

CMU Mobile Vet Clinic April Update

April was a busy month for the CMU Mobile Vet team! In addition to routine health checks and blood draws there seemed to be many calls concerning wounds of all types this month along with some musculoskeletal concerns.
 
Early in the month the team checked in on two geriatric cows who had not been seen by vets in a couple years. At 50 and 60 years old, both cows were deemed to be in good health and body condition. They received parasite control, tetanus vaccines, and blood work all showed normal conditions. The vets also visited three other elephants for blood work a few days later. And later in the month, the vets visited a small, 5 member herd with a new owner who wanted to ensure the health of all including a 1.5 month old calf. All seemed happy and healthy and the team educated the owner and mahout on preventative care and EEHV. 

Geriatric cow getting a check up

Newest member of the small herd to get a check up

There were several wounds that seemed to be the result of minor interactions. One cow had a small wound with swelling under the eye after being hit inadvertently by her young son’s small tusk, which healed well a few days later. Another case presented an elephant who had knife wounds in the right shoulder area and right rear leg. The vets were able to flush necrotic tissue from the area, removed pus, dressed the wound with instructions on how to continue cleaning and dressing for the mahout. She also received antibiotic treatment and pain medication. On her second follow up they found the wound had dried and closed up. In one wound case, a young elephant at a festival managed to slice her tongue and lip on broken glass. The mahout was able to stem the bleeding and vets later cleaned the wound, administered pain medications and a tetanus shot upon assessing the wound condition. The little cow was still able to eat well and healed up nicely.  

Mom with a swollen eye

Elephant from festival getting tetanus vaccine

In several of the cases involving wound or musculoskeletal issues the vet team was able to use laser therapy to help with inflammation. One 30-year-old female presenting with stiffness in her forelimbs received laser therapy after the CMU team was able to utilize a thermo-scanning camera in order to detect the area of inflammation. In addition to the laser treatment, she also received painkillers and a prescribed hot oil massage. Laser treatment was also used in another case. This female had a history of nail rot and during a recent foot care session 2 new fistula wounds had occurred under the nail. The vets swabbed the wound for bacterial culture and then were able to apply laser therapy using the stick laser probe which was inserted into the holes in the nail.

Using a camera to find inflammation on a thermal scan

Inserting laser probe into nail to treat wound

Thank you to the CMU Veterinary Team for their outstanding commitment to Thailand’s elephants! And thank YOU to all who help support their work through AES!
 

EEHV Working Group Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Presenters and attendees at 5th Asian EEHV Working Group Meeting

The 5th Asian EEHV Working Group Meeting 2023, was held at Chiang Mai University, on November 13. This event gathered around 70 people from many countries around the world. Sixteen presenters were country representatives who updated attendees about the EEHV situation in each region with the number of cases, the availability of laboratory spaces and equipment, and the gaps and needs of their region’s efforts to combat EEHV. Some of them still need a budget to set up their laboratories. However, this event was a great opportunity for connection and collaboration among EEHV researchers and practitioners. In addition, there were interesting presentations from subject matter experts updating on diagnosis and treatment, updates on immune response, and advancements in vaccine development (which many participants were eager to hear about). In addition to the individual presentations, there was a group session for brainstorming on the topics of diagnosis, treatment, and research in order to exchange knowledge and share discoveries. AES is grateful that the elephant community had such a wonderful opportunity for participants to meet with each other to collaborate against EEHV, a devastating obstacle in the way of elephant conservation.