StemCell Therapy

A pair of endangered African penguins were returned to their colony this week at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh after being hospitalized for months.

While Dottie was recovering her mate, Stanley, was moved to the ICU with her to help encourage her.

According to the National Aviary, Dottie became ill in October. She was admitted to the aviarys intensive care unit where it was discovered she had pneumonia and a mass in her chest.

"In the face of this stunning diagnosis, a team of experts in veterinary care, penguin behavior, and husbandry was formed to collaborate on her care. Human-grade antibiotics and nebulizers, respiratory medicines, oxygen treatments, and intensive nursing brought Dottie through the worst of her illness. She received nebulizer treatments every four hours, twice-daily medications, and daily fluids. Dottie regained her strength, overcame setbacks, and made strides towards a recovery.

Penguins are colony birds, used to living in close proximity. The National Aviarys team knew that beyond needing intensive physical care, Dottie needed companionship to make a full recovery."

Her lifelong companion, Stanley, who is named for the Stanley Cup and is one of the aviarys original four African penguins, was brought to the ICU for visits.

In the beginning, Stan visited for an hour a day. As she became stronger, Stan would stay longer. He also helped to encourage her to eat, according to Dr. Pilar Fish, the National Aviarys Director of Zoological Advancement and Veterinary Medicine.

Stan worked in tandem with the team who visited throughout the day to encourage Dottie to eat. While our penguin experts would feed Dottie, Stan would sit right next to her, vocalizing and grooming her. When Stan ate, Dottie would take a bite," she said.

Stan is the mate of Dottie, an endangered African Penguin, at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. Stan helped Dottie recover from a serious illness that her in the ICU since October. The couple returned to Penguin Point this week. (Photo provided by the National Aviary)

When returned to Penguin Point, Dottie and Stan immediately reclaimed their usual cave in the rocks.

Fish said that Dotties recovery is a miracle.

Dotties recovery is a miracle that largely happened behind the scenes, and this happy moment, watching her dive into the water at Penguin Point, is the result of prioritizing both her physical health and emotional wellbeing. From our incredible veterinary team, to our penguin experts bringing Stanley to be at Dotties side, to the members of our extended Aviary family who donated to help ensure Dottie received the highest possible level of care, Dotties recovery was possible through many acts of caring and generosity at each stage.

The National Aviary will reopen to the public on July 1 after being closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

READ MORE

Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.

Excerpt from:
Penguins mate helps her recover from serious illness at National Aviary - PennLive

This entry was posted on June 15, 2020 at 6:49 am and is filed under Veterinary Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |