The expert team at Linnaeus-owned London Vet Specialists (LVS) in Hammersmith carried out CT scans on a trio of wobbly penguins from Whipsnade Zoo, near Dunstable.
Wobbly Penguins Ricky, Bobby And Elvis Back On Their Feet After Treatment At London Animal Hospital
18 hours ago 
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Vets at a top London animal hospital stayed ice cool despite having an un-egg-spected surprise while examining penguins from the UK’s largest zoo.
The expert team at Linnaeus-owned London Vet Specialists (LVS) in Hammersmith carried out CT scans on a trio of wobbly penguins from Whipsnade Zoo, near Dunstable.
All three birds – Ricky, Bobby and Elvis – were being scanned in a bid to discover why they were either lame or limping and the highly-trained LVS staff didn’t flap when one of the penguins laid an egg.
LVS hospital director and RCVS neurology specialist Emma Laws said: “It’s safe to say it was not a typical day for us here at LVS!
“We have an excellent relationship with Whipsnade Zoo and were examining three penguins which were experiencing issues with lameness and limping.
“We carried out full-body CT scans which meant we could look for both orthopaedic and non-orthopaedic causes of the lameness, such as joint problems and arthritis as well as renal problems or neurological disease.
“In the process one of the scans revealed that one of the penguins, Bobby, was carrying a large egg, which came as a bit of a surprise.
“It was even more of a surprise when she promptly laid the egg as she was waking up from her anaesthetic. I think I can safely say that it was a first for all of us!”
Emma teamed up with LVS head of anaesthesia Dr Andrew Foster, radiographers Zoe Mansfield and Liam Butler and patient care assistant Rowan Hall to carry out the scans.
The zoo’s own vets, Hannah Rowland and Shivananden Sawmy, were also present with vet nurse Karla Berry, to monitor the results of the scans.
All three penguins, Ricky, a 16-year-old male rockhopper, Bobby, a 27-year-old female black footed penguin and Elvis, a 23-year-old female black footed penguin, were all started on anti-inflammatory pain relief to help improve their lameness.
They are now back at Whipsnade where, as active and frequent swimmers, they have been doing their own hydrotherapy treatment. All three penguins continue to be monitored closely by the zoo’s dedicated keeping team.
LVS offers expert care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, neurology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, ophthalmology and soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery.
For more information about London Vet Specialists, and the services it offers, visit https://londonvetspecialists.vet/ or follow @londonvetspecialists on Instagram.
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