Last week we had an urgent call from one of our
very
regular
and favourite clients, Mr Claus. He
brought in one of his working reindeer, Rudolph. Rudolph had been suffering for
some years with a very itchy and sore nose.
Now many people who have met him thought this red nose endearing (or should that be enDEERing),
even to the point of making up songs about ‘Rudolph the red nose reindeer’. Unfortunately,
his nose is not just a bright light with which to
light the way, but in fact a common problem found in reindeer.
When
reindeer forage for food in the winter, they have to break through the ice
covered snow with their nose. This
can lead to some irritation to the nose and can make them prone to infection with fungal or bacterial
problems, and in some cases even a parasite that sits in the nose!
<click
to enlarge>
We carried out several investigations and came up with no obvious cause,
so we consulted three wise men and they suggested we take some swabs of the nose. These revealed a nasty
bacterial infection.
Using
a special antibiotic and a strict diet of holly and Christmas pudding, we
cleared the infection quickly. He is
now a more comfortable and happier reindeer.
Unfortunately you may notice this year that Mr.Claus has had to put
headlights on his sleigh!
