Doctor Trish Arrives for a Closer Look

Doctor Trish, our US veterinarian, is here and has been taking time to reacquaint herself with everyone. She has years of elephant experience and she is one of the vets we consult with whenever there is a medical issue we want an outside opinion on. Her observations bring a perspective that is beneficial to long-term care, especially in the case of geriatric elephants like our residents, who have experienced emotional and physical trauma and often have complex care needs.

Mara’s progress and the increase in her appetite pleasantly impressed Trish. Last time Trish was here, Mara was dealing with a particularly delicate phase of her gastrointestinal issues. Mara was undergoing the first round of medications, as we tried to narrow down exactly what might be wrong. In those days, Mara was barely eating first thing in the morning. She might have one piece of fruit every few minutes until it seemed like her appetite would jump start. Some days it is hard for us to believe how much improvement that Mara has made when we look back, but it is wonderful for Trish to see a different Mara – one who eats a whole crate of food for breakfast and asks for more.

Because Lady’s foot issues have shifted, Trish is observing her foot soaks and treatments, looking at the state of her feet now and talking about different possibilities on where we might go from here. Trish was a part of Lady’s rescue and knows the critical condition her feet were in when she arrived, so she has a unique perspective on how things have changed since then. We’ve had long discussions and Lady has been good about allowing us to look at her feet a number of times. As we’ve said before, we must be careful about how we proceed. We need to balance addressing her issues to try and heal them, without doing so much that it causes a substantial level of discomfort or damage.

While Rana is always so good with her caregivers here, she has been known to test new people in the past. Trish isn’t exactly new, but she is not part of Rana’s daily team, so Rana has been demonstrating her typical defiant behaviors. She is generally very loving and demonstrates calm behaviors around us, but as Trish said, there is “obviously a lot going on in there,” as far as what Rana is thinking.

Perhaps the biggest change Trish has witnessed is with Bambi’s demeanor. Trish went to the zoo for Bambi’s rescue and her behaviors were pushy and pretty much all over the place. Compared to those early days, Bambi is much more relaxed and present. We have witnessed that in the last couple of weeks, Bambi has become increasingly grounded and settled and connected to what is going on around her – and her interactions with human caregivers are continuing to improve. So, with Bambi, Trish sees a completely different elephant that is growing as she becomes more comfortable at sanctuary.

Maia hasn’t made much of an appearance so far, but Trish will evaluate her and give her independent advice and observations soon. Our time with Trish is always very valuable and helps us see how we can continue to care for the elephants in the healthiest way possible.

Photo of Bambi with Rana in the background

Comments(19)

Audrey says
May 25, 2021 at 3:34 pm
❤️❤️❤️???
Nannette Stone says
May 25, 2021 at 3:39 pm
Welcome back Dr Trish. I hope there is more you can suggest for Lady’s foot care. Bambi must be a big surprise of how she is now. All the lady’s are incredible considering their past lives
Ellen Bollinger says
May 25, 2021 at 3:39 pm
Umm My Rana being difficult?? Arw you sure? Lol
Cintia Abney says
May 25, 2021 at 3:52 pm
Oh.. Rana is not Miss congeniality when its about strangers huh? Could never guess that coming from the Welcoming lady ?
I hope Trish can suggest something game-changer for Lady ❤️???‍♀️??
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  Sara says
  May 25, 2021 at 4:47 pm
  Trish has been part of our care team since Lady’s arrival. But it is good to have her look at Lady’s feet, too.
Sunny says
May 25, 2021 at 4:13 pm
Excellent news so far… About Bambi, is she good weight now?
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  Sara says
  May 25, 2021 at 4:48 pm
  Bambi has put on about 600 pounds (270 kilos) since her arrival.
Julie says
May 25, 2021 at 4:15 pm
Thank you, Dr. Trish, for traveling so far to help ESB! Your help is much appreciated by all of us in this elephant-loving community!
Beji says
May 25, 2021 at 4:46 pm
Bambi is winking…
Carol says
May 25, 2021 at 4:47 pm
Thank you, Trish. We are most grateful for your knowledge and experience so our ladies receive the most beneficial treatments.
Sue says
May 25, 2021 at 5:46 pm
So glad you are at Sanctuary, Dr. Trish, and that you can observe and discuss all the girls with Kat and Scott. I am sure it is extremely helpful for them, whenever you are there! Great little story on Rana, lol, no doubt just making sure all her sisters are safe ? Looking forward to more follow-ups! Thank you everyone – love and hugs ❤️?❤️
Alejandra Enquin says
May 25, 2021 at 7:39 pm
Los cambios que vio la Dra Trish en Mara❤?tan positivos nos llenan de felicidad,ella come muy bien y esta feliz,y Bambi es el dia y la noche??tan alegre de vivir y compartir con sus amigas del alma cada momento ,ella sano su espiritu en el Santuario al ser tan amada?.
Carey says
May 25, 2021 at 8:53 pm
Thank you Dr Trish for your expert care, and very happy to hear of Mara, Bambi and Rana, I hope Maia continues to be well, and all good wishes for Lady
Sallie says
May 25, 2021 at 10:40 pm
THANK YOU, DR. TRISH! YOUR VISITS ARE SUPER APPRECIATED BY WE OBSERVERS, THE GSE STAFF AND THE FABULOUS ELEPHANTS YOU VISIT AND TREAT. EACH GIRL HAS HER ISSUES, AND I AM POSITIVE THAT THEY LOVE TO SEE YOU TO SHOW OFF HOW MUCH THEY HAVE IMPROVED!
SHEILA says
May 26, 2021 at 4:08 am
OH MY! NOT GOOD NEWS THAT THE MATRIARCH ❤️?❤️RANA IS MISBEHAVING❗️FOR TRISH THE VET EXAM! I WONDER WHY RANA WAS OBSTINATE❓ WELL NICE TO HEAR BAMBI❤️? HAS CHANGED HER BOSSY WAYS WHEN SHE WAS GETTING TRAINED FOR CRATE AT THE ZOO SHE WAS RESCUED FROM! BAMBI I BELIEVE HAS RELAXED BECAUSE SHE HAS LOVE AND COMPANIONSHIP FROM MARA AND RANA! SOMETHNG SHE WAS SO DESIRING FROM MADISON AT THAT ZOO WHICH WAS NOT A GOOD RELATIONSHIP!
NICE TO SEE MARA? WAS A GOOD GAL FOR VET TRISH AND SHOWING THE GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN HER HEALTH? VERY GOOD TRISH CAME TO EVALUATE AND OBSERVE SWEET ❤️?LADYs FOOT SOAKS AND HER FEET INFECTIONS TO SEE IF ALTERNATIVE THINGS CAN BE DONE! I PRAY?? LADY WILL BE PUT IN ANTIBIOTIC SALVE AND MEDS PLUS A SMALL AMT OF PAIN MED. SHE SUFFERS SO MUCH SWEET LADY. PERHAPS VET TRISH HAS ALOT OF GREAT PROCEDURES TO ADD TO DEAR LADIYS FOOT HEAL REGIME? GOOD LUCK SWEET LIL LADY❤️?❤️
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  Sara says
  May 26, 2021 at 11:52 am
  Rana’s past is complicated, like all of the other girls, and her trauma causes behaviors like this at times. It is not a new thing. Trish has been among those who we have consulted about Lady’s health, so she is very aware of the state of her feet all along. But it is nice to have her here to see things in person.
John says
May 26, 2021 at 7:39 am
Wow! I read Sara’s comment about Bambi putting on 600 pounds since September. That’s incredible, and something the staff was trying to accomplish I’m assuming.
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  Sara says
  May 26, 2021 at 11:48 am
  Yes – Bambi was very underweight when she came to sanctuary, so this is a very good thing.
Wim says
May 26, 2021 at 12:17 pm
All Elephants will agree thank god there’s a Dr. Trish.
??❤️

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