CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati aardvark's life was saved thanks to the quick action of zookeepers in Columbus and their contribution of a crucial element: aardvark blood.
Ali, an 18-year-old aardvark who calls the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden home, has a history of dental issues that are difficult to diagnose and treat, according to the zoo. Staff recently realized, with the help of a CT scan, that Ali was suffering from a severe tooth infection.
"Ali has a history of dental issues and, because of her jaw shape, monitoring tooth disease is very difficult without anesthesia and advanced imaging," said Jess Heinz, associate veterinarian with the Cincinnati Zoo, in a press release. "On a recent health exam, a CT revealed a severe tooth infection. We took her to Columbus to see Dr. Jamie Berning, a board-certified veterinary dentist at Veterinary Dentistry & Oral Surgery of Ohio, who has worked on everything from tiny slow loris teeth to large rhino teeth."
Because of Ali's long face and small mouth, Berning had to make an incision to check and surgically remove the affected teeth, taking care not to cause any more damage to the aardvark's jaw or sinuses than the infection had already done.
After her trip to the dentist, Ali was taken back to Cincinnati, but her battle didn't end there.
"Unfortunately, bloodwork at the time of her dental procedure showed recent nosebleeds related to the infection had caused her red blood cell level to become dangerously low and she needed a blood transfusion," said Heinz in the press release. "Ali was also very tired, would not eat and would not move around much because she was so weak from her low blood levels."
Because aardvarks are so unique, they can't receive blood transfusions of cat or dog blood — Ali needed aardvark blood.
Within just a few hours of receiving the call from the Cincinnati Zoo, the Columbus Zoo had taken action; Kiazi, a 9-year-old aardvark living there was given anesthesia and staff members were able to collect some of her blood for Ali.
Hours after that, staff at the Cincinnati Zoo performed the blood transfusion. When Ali awoke, the zoo said she was ready to eat, run and interact with her care staff once more.
"Ali still has a long road ahead of her," said Heinz in the press release. "She is still recovering from her dental procedure and will return to Dr. Berning for a second dental procedure in the future. But that would not be possible without having stable blood levels. Her red blood cell level is stable and slowly improving with the time bought with her transfusion from the Columbus Zoo."
The zoo said it isn't currently known whether aardvarks have conflicting blood types, so Ali was monitored closely during the transfusion to spot any signs of a negative reaction. Fortunately, none were seen and, weeks later, Ali appears to have tolerated the transfusion successfully, the zoo said.
Ali has been a staple of the Cincinnati Zoo for several years and has birthed and raised multiple babies over the years. In 2016, her offspring was nearly the first zoo baby of the year, but a penguin hatchling narrowly took that honor.
Aardvarks' average life expectancy is around 24 years in a zoo environment, so while Ali is certainly enjoying her golden years, she still has a few more to spend at the Cincinnati Zoo thanks to the transfusion.
