Last Friday afternoon, when hay was brought out to Shirley, it was noted that she had an area of edema on her stomach. Edema is observable swelling from fluid accumulation in body tissues. Ventral (abdominal) edema occurs commonly among captive elephants in North America and has been treated in various ways. Noted in "Biology, Medicine and Surgery of Elephants" by Murray Fowler and Susan Mikota, the majority of cases are non-life threatening, and resolve without treatment.
Shirley was acting fine, eating and drinking normally, and didn’t seem to understand the fuss over her belly. Shirley's condition, possible causes, and plan of action were discussed with the Sanctuary's three veterinarians. Edema can be caused by many things ranging from parasites, physiological stressors (very high temperatures being a possibility), certain organ involvement, and some unknown reasons. Blood was taken and samples were sent out to help rule out certain possibilities. The blood work shows that Shirley’s organ function looks good and there were no infectious cells present in her sample. A remedy was prescribed and Shirley was put on an additional supplement, and was monitored closely.
Although the edema initially shifted with gravity, which happens, we are happy to say that, as of Tuesday, it is already decreasing in size. Shirley has shown no signs of discomfort, and has been cooperative with all of her testing and treatment. In fact, she seems intent on making sure that when you are visiting, you acknowledge other parts of her big frame, not just her belly. She has been receiving her grain in her bucket to ensure she is eating all of her food and getting all of her vitamins and supplements. This means no sharing with Tarra. Shirley is still happy and feisty, bathing, coating herself in mud, and thoroughly enjoying the slightly cooler temperatures, along with the rest of the girls. We will continue to closely monitor any changes, and pamper our grandma in any way we can. It seems there is always room for more pampering. Though Shirley is 62, she has no problem reminding us that she is a very strong lady in more ways than one.
