VITOR: AN EXAMPLE OF PATIENT

VITOR: AN EXAMPLE OF PATIENT

The chimpanzee Vitor, 11 years old, does not have his left arm ? it was cut off a few days after he was born. He lived 9 years of his life in a circus and used to be transported in a little trailer throughout the roads in Brazil. He ended up with a chronic infection in his left ear that annoys him frequently. A lot of treatments with antibiotics had already made his condition better, but the infection insists on coming back producing secretion and, probably, causing pain, because he usually complains with us knocking his head near the infected ear.
 
On Saturday, 19th July, we received a visit of a humane physician, an ear, nose and throat specialist, Dra. Anael Barbosa Marinho, who has offices in São Paulo and in Indaiatuba. Normally Vitor alows our veterinary, Dra Camila Gentile, and us to treat him. He lets us take some of the secretion to make laboratory exams and clean his ear. He also facilitates taking all the medicines that sometimes we have to give him.

Dra. Anael had never seen Vitor before, but quickly had empathy with him. She was not afraid of him and he received her with a smile, which made the treatment a lot easiquickly had empathy with him. She was not afraid of him and he received her with a smile, which made the treatment a lot easier. Dra. Camila put the otoscope into his ear and Dra. Anael was able to examine him. From this moment on she took command of the treatment. We just grabbed his head and asked him to put the ear in a certain position in order to make the application of the medicines, the process of cleaning and the cauterization of the wounded ear easier. Dra. Anael could not believe that Vitor was so collaborative and when she finished the process, he gave her a kiss goodbye.

From now on, according to the orientation given by Dra. Anael to the healing process and to the oral medicines, Dra. Camila will take care of Vitor, as it is possible to see on the pictures here presented.
 
Dr. Pedro A. Ynterian
GAP Project International