The Lowcountry Veterinarian

I would like to introduce our veterinarian, Dr. Sharon Jansky.  She works at Ark Animal Hospital in Surfside, SC, but she also takes care of our animals when they are sick or injured.  Once a month, Dr. Jansky does a visual check on all of the animals.

Dr. Jansky (left) is drawing blood on one of our triplet otters during its second exam.  He was born in March 2011.

 Megan (zookeeper) telling Dr. Jansky about one of the white-tailed deer.

Many of our animals are potentially dangerous.  Our vet has to use skill and caution (and a good dose of bravery) to examine this bald eagle during it's annual exam.

Virginia opossum annual exam.

She is testing the pressure in this Great-horned owl's eye.  Many of our birds are injured wildlife from rehabilitation centers, and this bird has a history of eye problems. 

 

We are fortunate that our vet is a patient teacher.  The zookeepers are often curious about the medical treatments.  Here, she is teaching our new zookeeper Kevin how to do a blood draw on a raptor.

  

When Elliott the otter was found orphaned on property, he was extremely malnourished.  Dr. Jansky came in to treat him and is giving him one of his first bottles.

Most of our foxes are not this cooperative with their exams, but the zookeepers use positive training and conditioning to allow some animals to receive voluntary medical care.  This red fox had some irritation in one of his eyes.

We also use a large animal vet for our farm animals, but Dr. Jansky cares for all of the rest.  She has the ability to care for so many different species - from snakes to screech owls!