Panda Yuan Zai’s First Health Check. Doctors “Like” Its Eyes and Teeth Condition.
Yuan Zai, a female panda, had her full-body health checkup in late March – the first time since her birth. The examination included the basic physical, imaging, clinical pathology and other tests. The professional medical team also customized high-quality comprehensive procedures for her, conducting dental impression, transesophageal echocardiography and other precision examinations. The various results showed that Yuan Zai is in good health, and her good teeth condition also earned dentists’ praise for the good care the care team has provided.
The panda, who is about to turn 7 years old, just had her first full-body health check. The care workers reduced the portion of food and drinking water the night before the checkup. Since she has been properly trained, she easily gave in to the examination, and veterinarians were able to complete the induction of anesthesia without her noticing at 9:30 am in the morning.
In addition to the basic examinations which included auscultation, palpation, blood pressure, blood drawing, ophthalmology, and oral cavity, kidney, liver, gallbladder and reproductive system examinations, the medical team from National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) added transesophageal echocardiography to check the function and structure of the heart. Considering the unique dietary habits of pandas and the importance of dental health, the zoo also invited a professional dental team to construct a dental mold and conduct a 3D dental scan during the effect of anesthesia to prepare her in her early stage of full tooth development and for better dental health.
With the collaborative efforts of many doctors in various specialties, Yuan Zai’s first full health checkup was successfully completed within 2 hours. According to the results of various test reports, Yuan Zai’s overall health condition is good. Different from her mom, Yuan, who has congenital enamel hypoplasia, Yuan Zai is fortunate to have good white teeth. Her care personnel have also spent time to help her in her oral health, enabling Yuan Zai to maintain the status of zero tooth decay good enough to serve as a role model for clean teeth.
The veterinary medical team of Taipei Zoo greatly values the preventive medicine perspective of “Prevention is better than cure.” The health examination of panda Yuan Zai was a collaborative effort of Professor Liu Chen-Hsuan from the Wildlife Health Care and Medical Team, Professor Sun Wei-Jen from the Department of Anesthesiology of NTUH, Dr. Huang Chi-Hsiang from NTUH, Professor Lin Chun-Pin, Dr. Li Cheng-Che, Dr. Li Ming-Shu, Dr. Lin Chien-Ju and Dr. Hsieh Ching-Yao from the School of Dentistry, College of Medicine, NTU; Dr. Chen Mei-Chou from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of NTUH, Professor Wang Han-Tsung from the Department of Animal Science and Technology of NTU, Professor Chi Chao-Hua, Professor Lin Chung-Tien and Professor Su Pi-Ling at the School of Veterinary Medicine of NTU, former Director Chin Shih-Chien and former executive secretary DVM. Chang Chi-Hua of Taipei Zoo, who visited the site in person to complete the mission. The seamless collaboration of the team wrote a new page in the history of wildlife conservation and health care.
