Misha, one of the bears living at our zoo, has allergic rhinitis. Some time ago, her keepers saw that she had a dry ‘truffle’ - the name given to the wet tip of the nose of some animals. Her nose was often blocked, and her breathing was hoarse. The zoo’s vets, working with specialists, anaesthetised her and diagnosed her with allergic rhinitis.
Initially, our bear responded well to the elimination of allergens, along with oral therapy and injections. However, as is the case with both people and domestic animals, allergies evolve and can be difficult to control, and this is what happened with Misha. For this reason, she receives constant care, and her keepers give her medication to eliminate the excess of mucus and to alleviate her rhinitis.
The treatments being used include nasal hydration (vapour inhalation), the elimination of excess mucus, and nasal rinses, together with topical anti-inflammatory therapies. All this is possible because her keepers have gained Misha’s confidence and collaboration thanks to their dedication and professionalism. She has lots of curiosity and is interested in everything, although she gets scared quite easily too. With lots of care every day, she’s become more confident and playful. It must be because she’s always hoping for a little treat, such as a spoonful of honey!
As well as her treatment, Misha also has time for some recreation each day. The bears at the zoo enjoy lots of games and activities organised by their keepers every day. In Misha’s case, anything that could cause any kind of irritation (burlap sacks, spices like pepper, menthol, etc.) has been eliminated and replaced with more neutral elements, such as traffic cones, buoys, excrement or hair from herbivores, or paper bags for example. Her favourites are the cardboard boxes with pieces of fruit, meat, or pâté hidden inside. Her diet has also been reviewed to ensure it meets her needs.
We’re starting her on an innovative stem cell treatment
The lack of response to the usual therapies led us to look for alternatives, and a few days ago, thanks to the collaboration of Equicord , a leading company in the field of advanced veterinary therapies, Misha has received an innovative stem cell treatment for her rhinitis. The Equicord team processed a sample of Misha’s adipose tissue to obtain mesenchymal stem cells, which are a good option for the treatment of diseases of allergic origin thanks to their immunosuppressive function, as well as their ability to repair tissue, and the secretion of different biological elements that are beneficial for this type of disease.
The welfare of the animals is always a priority for the zoo, and we wanted to explore new ways of helping to treat this chronic condition our bear suffers from. We hope it works!
Situation of the brown bear
Misha is a brown bear (Ursus arctos) who’s about 20 years old. She was abandoned and rescued when she was a cub. She arrived in Barcelona from Bojnice Zoo (Slovakia) at the end of 2000 with her companion, Matjo, and is part of a European conservation programme. Her species lives in the forests of Europe, Asia, and North America, but constant persecution by man has driven them to the furthest reaches of the natural world. They are still common in some of the Northern regions, but in many other places, such as in our country, they are in serious danger of extinction. The Spanish state has two brown bear populations, one in Cantabria, which is divided between two isolated nuclei but still comprises more than two hundred animals, and the other in the Pyrenees. This second group has almost disappeared, but recently numbers have been boosted by introducing animals from Eastern Europe. It seems that this second population is gradually recovering, and currently there are around fifty animals.
