The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee engages a diverse team of professional
health care providers to provide a unique
integrative healthcare program for the
elephants residing at the Sanctuary. Integrative
medicine is "practicing medicine in a way
that selectively incorporates elements
of complementary and alternative medicine
into comprehensive treatment plans alongside
solidly orthodox methods of diagnosis and
treatment" (Rees 2001).
The healthcare team at The Elephant Sanctuary supports the American
Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines
for Complementary and Alternative Veterinary
Medicine and the following AVMA statement:
"The foremost objective in veterinary medicine
is patient welfare. Ideally, sound veterinary
medicine is effective, safe, proven, and
holistic in that it considers all aspects
of the animal patient in the context of
its environment."
Over the next few months we hope to formalize our healthcare program
and develop a written document that explains its many facets.
Susan Mikota DVM
Consultant
Dr. Steven Scott, DVM
Imagine being the only large animal veterinarian in your county when
you learn that an elephant sanctuary is
moving into town. Dr. Steven Scott had
just such an experience. A graduate of the University of Tennessee
College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Scott admittedly knew nothing
about elephants, but he was willing to learn.
Since 1995, Dr. Scott has provided his
services and has proven to be a sound
medical advisor for our elephants. In addition to the routine medical
procedures of blood work and fecal analysis, Dr. Scott oversees annual
trunk washes required by the USDA, takes x-rays, examines feet, tusks,
teeth and any other body part necessary.
When Dr. Scott was requested to assist with the trunk washes, he
was silent. Once we assured him that the
caregivers would do the actual procedure
of pouring sterile water into the elephant's
trunk and then retrieving it, he looked
quite relieved. Here he examines Bunny's
pad. Her progress has been nothing short
of life saving. When Bunny arrived in 1999
her prognosis was bleak. She had suffered from a debilitating foot
disease for over 20 years, the same disease that kills three out of
every 4 elephants that die in captivity. Fortunately, Bunny was moved
to the Sanctuary which provides an environment
that supported her recovery. In less than
one year Bunny's feet
had healed completely.
Dr. Scott was on hand when Jenny arrived
at the Sanctuary in 1996. Like everyone,
he was concerned with her injured leg.
He participated in Barbara's tooth surgery, a first for all of us,
including Barbara.
 With
his portable x-ray machine, he was able to take pictures of Bunny's
jaw to evaluate the condition of an old abscess.
And when he made an emergency visit to the Sanctuary to examine a
strange development on Tarra's bottom,
we were prepared to hear the worst. With
the seriousness of a surgeon, Dr. Scott
examined Tarra's bottom, paused for a moment
and stated, "She
has a hemorrhoid." And,
without the slightest hint of a smile,
he recommended Preparation H. We all broke out
into laughter.
But a very sad occasion brought Dr. Scott
to the Sanctuary on May 19, 2001. No
one close to Barbara, including Dr. Scott,
was spared from the heartbreak when she
passed away. He conducted her necropsy
with sensitivity and reverence, which was greatly appreciated
by all. In memory of Barbara, Dr. Scott
generously waived his necropsy fee in Barbara's memory stating, "You
are doing a good thing out here, a really
good thing."
Visit Dr. Scott's website.
Susan
Mikota, DVM
Co-founder & Director of Veterinary Programs
& Research
Elephant Care International
www.elephantcare.org
Susan Mikota obtained her DVM from the University of Illinois.
She spent much of her career at the Audubon
Zoo in New Orleans where she was Director of Veterinary Services.
In 2000, she resigned her position as the Director of Veterinary Research
and Animal Health at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered
Species to move to Sumatra to initiate a healthcare and conservation
program for elephants, supported in part by a Guggenheim Fellowship.
She is a member of the Asian Elephant Specialist Group. She just completed
her second book on elephant healthcare (with
co-editor Murray Fowler DVM). She created and maintains
the world's largest elephant bibliographic
database on elephant healthcare and with
Donald C. Plumb, Pharm D. has published the first elephant formulary.
Dr. Lori Tapp, DVM
Asheville, NC
Homeopathic Veterinarian
Dr. Lori Tapp graduated from the University of Florida in 1986 then completed a Master's Degree in Veterinary Science. For several years she practiced conventional medicine.
In 1992 she completed a year of training with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society (IVAS) and was certified in veterinary acupuncture. In 1993, she attended the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy's (AVH) year-long course and continued her homeopathic education with a 2-year internship focused entirely on homeopathy for animals. She is certified by the AVH in veterinary homeopathy.
Over the years she has attended courses on homeopathy in many places, including India, and has continued to further her understanding of homeopathy, healing and health. She has also trained in small animal nutrition. Since 1996 her practice has exclusively been homeopathy and nutrition and she has had the opportunity to treat many different animal species. Currently, she is also teaching several courses in the Veterinary Technology department at Asheville- Buncombe Community College in Asheville, NC.
Years ago, when the Elephant Sanctuary began its work, Dr. Tapp was put in touch with Carol Buckley and Scott Blais and worked with them through the first several years as they grew from just a few elephants to 8 elephants. She took a hiatus from practice for several years to further other areas of study and is thrilled to be back with the Elephant Sanctuary and to be meeting all of the fortunate elephants that have joined the Sanctuary in the last few years.
Homeopathy is a healing practice based on the principle that "like cures like." This principle has been used to treatment of all sorts of medical and emotional issues since the time of Hippocrates. A German physician named Dr. Samuel Hahnemann formalized the practice in the 1700s and physicians and veterinarians around the world have been using it to treat people and animals ever since. It is particularly handy for treating elephants at the Sanctuary because the medicine can be given without restraint or discomfort, in a small amount of water administered in the mouth or trunk.
If you would like to learn more about using to homeopathy to treat animals, visit the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy website: TheAVH.org
The Elephant Sanctuary Respiratory
Protection and Infection Control Plan
This protocol was developed a result of
collaboration with the Tennessee State
Veterinarian, Tennessee State Department
of Health, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources
Agency prior to the arrival of the Hawthorn
elephants in January 2006.
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