Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Napanee’s Lennox and Addington Animal Hospital welcomed a wily patient into their operating room on March 31, performing major dental surgery on a wild coyote.
Originally brought to Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre, the coyote appeared to have been severely injured in a fight with a dog. He was in rough condition, suffering from mange while also emaciated and dehydrated. SPWC was able to treat some ailments but it soon became clear they’d need a veterinary surgeon to care for his teeth. That’s where Lennox and Addington Animal Hospital came in.
“The coyote had some very serious dental issues,” said Dr. Mark de Wolde, who performed the surgery along with Jenna Doner and Ashley Streicher. “It had a number of fractured teeth and it was pretty emaciated when it first came to Sandy Pines and likely had mange as well.”
The coyote was in rough shape when it first arrived at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre. Photo by SPWC.
Dental X-rays revealed five fractured teeth would need to be extracted. Without surgery, the coyote would have been unlikely to compete for food in the wild.
Though they share a lot of traits with the common dog, surgery on a coyote is a bit different.
“They’re a species that has a tendency to metabolize drugs much quicker and much more effectively, especially something like anesthesia,” said de Wolde. “We had to adjust our dosage to accommodate for that.”
De Wolde went into the surgery with quite a bit of experience working on exotic animals.
“I did spend a little bit of time at the Toronto Zoo way back in my history,” he said. “Locally here there’s been a number of animal sanctuaries in the past that I’ve looked after, some wild canids, wolves, coyotes as well as wild felines including lions, tigers, cougars, jaguars.”
The coyote’s surgery was deemed a success and he is now back at the Napanee wildlife centre recovering. SPWC plans to release him back into the wild when fully healed.
The coyote is recovering nicely since being left in the care of Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre. Photo by SWPC.
Normally a $1,800 procedure, Lennox and Addington Animal Hospital performed it at a fraction of the cost for $500.
SPWC, which is a non-profit organization, is hoping to pay for the surgery cost and other costs incurred from its treatment through an online Canada Helps Campaign at www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/sandy-pines-wildlife-centre-incorporated/campaign/Coyote-SurgeryandCare/.
As with so many charitable organizations, they’ve had to cancel several of their fundraising events, such as their popular Baby Shower, which means less funds available to continue their mission. There are plans for a ‘virtual Baby Shower’ in the works however.