August 20, 2010

Progress on the Pup Poop

Good news so far regarding the pup poop.  The geneticists HAVE been able to extract DNA from the pup scats.  This approach to obtaining DNA is always a challenge.  So far the geneticists have been able to determine that they have DNA from 4 of the 5 pups.  The workers will now analyze a second batch of scats in hopes that they can identify the 5th pup.

August 11, 2010

Post-Ellesmere progress

We have been trying to catch up on office work that accumulated while we were on Ellesmere. However, we have not forgotten our important follow-ups to the Ellesmere adventure, and we've made some progress.

Recall that Brutus had an enlarged spleen when he died. Parts of that spleen are now being examined by a Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and we eagerly await the results. The dog literature indicates that about 75% of dogs with enlarged spleens suffer from hemangiosarcoma, a form of cancer. Although this condition has not been reported in wolves, few wolves as old as Brutus have been necropsied. One of the cancer's effects is to curb an animal's appetite. Is this why Brutus died from starvation?