Equine team performs life-saving surgery on Dante, an ailing zebra
Brown, a clinical assistant professor in emergency care and equine surgery, performed an operation on a two-year-old male zebra at the Smithsonian's onsite veterinary hospital.
Dr. Suzan Murray, chief veterinarian for the National Smithsonian Zoo, immediately called Brown on the morning of Aug. 26 to help save the life of Dante, one of the zoo's two Grevy zebras.
Marjorie Musick, public relations coordinator for the Equine Medical Center, said that after talking to Murray on the phone, Brown determined that Dante was experiencing "moderate colic." Colic is a potentially fatal condition experienced by the equine species, caused by intestinal displacement or blockage. According to their Web site, colic is one of the medical center's most commonly treated emergencies.
Accompanying Brown from Leesburg to Washington D.C. was Dr. Samantha K. Hart, surgery resident, Tina Cooman, licensed veterinary technician and fourth year veterinary student, Samantha Baglin.
When the Virginia Tech Medical Team arrived, the 605-pound zebra had already been sedated by the zoo's veterinarians. Because zebras are non-domestic animals, the potency of the narcotics is similar to that needed for an elephant or rhinoceros.
Brown said that the differences in operating on zebras and horses are minimal, if any at all.
"Once they covered his stripes up with my drape, I couldn't tell the difference between him and a horse," Brown said.
The surgery lasted 90 minutes. During that time, Brown performed an exploratory laparotomy in order to confirm the colic diagnosis. She discovered that the source of the illness was a twist to the large colon.
"Although they have a very similar gastrointestinal tract to horses, zebras are obviously exposed to different environmental and management factors," Hart said.
The displacement was successfully untwisted and there was not any significant damage to the intestines.
"It was an amazing experience to be able to perform colic surgery on a zebra," Hart said.
Ultimately, Brown and her medical team were very satisfied with how the surgery went, as well as with the help offered by the zoo's veterinarians, Hart said.
"We were grateful for all of the assistance and knowledge from the team at the zoo's hospital," Hart said.
Dante is currently on the mend, and Musick said that zoo officials report "he is once again happily greeting the more than two million visitors who flock to the park each year."
