Big Cat Vets
Some Doctors still make house calls. Dr.
Stacie Wadsworth DVM,owner of Carrollwood Cats, and Dr. Elizabeth
Wynn DVM, of Ehrlich Animal Hospital, are always on call for their
big cat clientele.
Dr. Wadsworth doesn’t discriminate the 8-pound tabby tiger on
your couch from the 800-pound tiger, Shere Khan. Cats are cats, and
that’s what she does best. Dr. Wadsworth has long been
the on-call professional Big Cat Rescue has entrusted with the veterinary
care of our sanctuary’s residents. She never knows
what to expect when the Big Cat Rescue van pulls up to her office.
Yet she always drops whatever she is doing to come to the rescue of
our cats in need. How fortunate we are to have a veterinarian
with this expertise only a few minutes away!
Our cats have not one, but two excellent veterinarians to rely on.
Dr. Wynn has joined our volunteer team and devotes almost every minute
of her free time to the care of our cats. To have a veterinarian
on staff would cost the sanctuary over $100,000 year, something we
just can’t afford. Dr. Wynn is a tremendous asset to us.
She truly understands each of our animals’ personalities - their
likes and dislikes as well as their idiosyncrasies. Since she
spends so much time at the sanctuary, the animals trust and know her,
too. She handles most veterinary services that our animals require
on-site as well as their flea and heartworm control, medications, etc. On
her days off, you will find her cleaning cages, feeding cats, guiding
guests or handing out enrichment treats, just like every other senior
keeper here. Some days she may be found doing landscaping work
or manning booths for us at special events or even soliciting specialized
medical equipment from suppliers. We have been incredibly lucky
to have such a wonderful addition to our Big Cat Rescue family.
As an accredited rescue facility, we are faced with daunting issues everyday.
When a cougar is rescued, starving, covered in mange and on the brink
of death, where do you turn? When you don’t want to add
to the overpopulation of captive lions and tigers, who are you going
to call? When you are begged to rescue a bobcat that has just
been struck by a car and you only have minutes to respond, who can
handle this emergency? Luckily, with the help of both of these talented
veterinarians, we always know who to call and that our animals are
in the safest hands possible.
The cat in the following two photos is Bagheera, a black leopard, often
referred to as a black panther. She had a hematoma (huge swelling)
on her ear caused from a yeast infection in the ear canal. Tumors
were discovered, removed and analyzed and fortunately found to be benign. Bagheera
was too large and too wild to transport without possible injury, so
Dr. Stacie Wadsworth (referred to those who know her as Dr. Stacie)
came out and did the operation in the comfort of the cat’s own
home. She has recovered nicely, although Dr. Stacie warns that
the condition is chronic and will have to be monitored closely.
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In
the following photo, Dr. Stacie is repairing a declaw job on a cougar
that arrived here in January 2000. The previous veterinarian did not
sufficiently remove the bone. The cat was having recurrences of limping
and an open oozing wound on the top of her paw. This cat was five years
old and had apparently suffered this agony for the five years of her
life prior to arriving at Big Cat Rescue. She has healed well and should
have no further occurrence.
PLEASE VISIT EITHER OF OUR WONDERFUL VETERINARIANS FOR YOUR PET’S NEEDS, TOO!
DR. STACIE WADSWORTH
CARROLLWOOD CATS
13305 Orange Grove Drive
Tampa, FL 33618
(813) 963-6612
DR. ELIZABETH WYNN
EHRLICH ANIMAL HOSPITAL
8009 Gunn Highway
Tampa, FL 33626
(813)
920-0566
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