PULLMAN — Scientists at Washington State University used an MRI to discover brain lesions in a 3-year-old female grizzly bear that has been suffering seizures.
The bear named Lucy came from Montana Grizzly Encounter in Bozeman, Mont.
The bear was brought to the Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital on Thursday after suffering two grand mal seizures last week for no apparent reason. Since then, she has become more aggressive toward her handlers and lethargic at the same time, WSU said in a news release.
Veterinary doctors at WSU conducted an MRI evaluation under anesthesia of Lucy’s head and neck Thursday, looking for a cause. The magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple lesions in the brain of unknown origin, WSU said.
The owners elected to treat Lucy with antibiotics for the most common forms of brain infections, WSU said. The bear will also be dewormed, as there are parasitic worms which can infect the brains of bears, WSU said.
Lucy was in stable but guarded condition Friday and would be taken back to Montana, WSU said.
