We shared earlier this month that our band of eight white-nosed coati babies had made it into their public-facing Rainforest Revealed habitat. Soon, however, it became clear that our smallest coati, 3-month-old Bailey, was experiencing some health issues, and she was brought behind the scenes. Our veterinary team is hard at work as they try to learn more about what she and her sister, Brandy, experienced.

Shortly after moving to the Rainforest habitat, Bailey’s animal care team saw her experiencing lethargy and unsteadiness and, eventually, a seizure. Initial bloodwork found that Bailey’s calcium concentrations were low, but her exam and other tests didn’t find any other issues, said Dr. Rachel Turner, one of our two staff veterinarians.

Despite calcium injections and seizure control medication, Bailey continued to have seizures. Bailey was hospitalized in our L3 Harris Animal Care Center with her littermate Brandy as a companion. Brandy had also started showing some of Bailey’s symptoms – stumbling and unsteadiness on her feet.

Because of her persistent seizures, Bailey was brought to Rockledge Regional Medical Center for an MRI. Thank you, Rockledge Regional Medical Center! While we have a CT onsite, an MRI can give us a more detailed look at soft tissues like Bailey’s brain. The MRI was read by a board-certified radiologist, and no significant abnormalities were found.

Our veterinary team has sent bloodwork from Bailey and Brandy to test for multiple infectious diseases while also treating them both with antibiotics and antiparasitic medications. Those results came back negative, however, Brandy has shown improvement.

It’s always hard when one of our animal residents is sick, especially when there isn’t a clear cause. We’re dedicated to providing the best possible care for each of our animal residents.  Our focus going forward is going to be optimizing seizure control and focusing on quality of life for Bailey. We’re hopeful that the sisters will eventually rejoin the rest of their siblings in Rainforest Revealed.

Special thanks to Flammio Financial Group, Stifel-Garvin Wealth Management Group, Artemis IT, and Jim and Darleen Barfield. Their generosity makes our work possible! 

Brevard Zoo is an independent, not-for-profit organization that receives no recurring government funding for our operating costs. Your generous support enables us to continue to serve our community and continue our vital animal wellness, education and conservation programs.