WACO, Texas — One of Baylor University's two American black bears is recovering from a surgical procedure she had to remove a mass she had on her spinal column.
Judge Lady, 18, had surgery Friday at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station. She was taken to the hospital for an evaluation after her Baylor Bear Habitat caregiver noticed she was moving less. That's when Judge Lady's medical team conducted an MRI and found the mass.
She was moved into surgery from the MRI. According to a release from the school, the surgery went "smoothly" and had "minimal complications."
Initial diagnostic tests to determine the nature of the mass were inconclusive, but more results are expected in the coming week.
"This sort of response time and access to world-class medical resources is unparalleled and I'm so grateful we have the chance to care for our bears at this level of excellence," Dakota Farquhar-Caddell, who oversees the Baylor Bear Habitat in his role as the Robert Reid Director of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce and Associate Director of Student Activities, said. "We have kept Lady's health and comfort the priority. I am hopeful as ever that Lady will do what Lady does best and that is recover swiftly and continue to thrive with her sister here in Waco."
Judge Lady will spend most of her time in the privacy of her personal living space recovering. When she's able to return to the public section of the bear habitat, visitors may notice her spending more time resting and irregular hair patterns on her back as a result of needing to shave around the surgery incision location.
Lady was previously diagnosed with a benign cranial mediastinal mass, or thymoma, in her chest, found during a routine wellness examination with veterinarians in June 2019. The mass is not believed to be related to the previously found thymoma mass.
She received a series of radiation doses called TomoTherapy in late 2019 – a treatment that is believed to be the first of its kind done on a bear.
In May 2020, Lady's veterinary team traveled to Waco to conduct an examination on Lady's chest, taking radiograph images of her thymoma to monitor its size and check for potential growth.
The initial report suggested that Lady's growth had not expanded. A follow up visit to the veterinarian earlier this month showed a 20 percent reduction in the thymoma mass.
"I am grateful for the collective support we have received this week," Matt Burchett, Director of Student Activities, said. "Baylor University is committed to providing as many good days as possible for her and this week has demonstrated the high quality of responsive care we have developed at Baylor. We will continue to offer support to our caregivers and veterinary team as stewards of this significant responsibility."
