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SALT LAKE CITY — A 19-year-old polar bear at Utah's Hogle Zoo has been diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure.
Zoo veterinarians announced Saturday that they are beginning end-of-life care for Rizzo, after she was having trouble keeping food down and was quite lethargic, according to Hogle Zoo spokeswoman Erica Hansen.
"There's a difference between a sleepy bear and one that's not feeling well," said primary bear keeper Joanne Randinitis. "Just like your pet at home, they tell you without using words."
The renal failure, in which the kidneys cannot properly filter waste from the blood, was diagnosed through a blood test, abdominal ultrasound and an endoscopic exam of the bear's upper gastrointestinal tract. It is fairly common in older polar bears.
Dr. Nancy Carpenter, the zoo's director of animal health, said abnormalities and swelling was immediately apparent.
"Blood work showed her kidney values were extremely high," she added.
The average life span of polar bears is around 24 years.
Rizzo is being treated with anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory medications and plenty of fluids to flush her system and keep her comfortable. She will continue to be monitored to ensure the highest quality of life during her final days, Hansen said, adding that zoo keepers may ultimately be faced with a difficult decision.
Zoo staff had heavy hearts at the news Saturday.
Rizzo came to Hogle Zoo in 2012 upon the opening of the polar bear exhibit, Rocky Shores, which allows visitors to see what a polar bear looks like under water. The zoo had been without polar bears for nine years prior, but before that, had a long, successful history of caring for them, including more than 10 cub births from 1957 to 2003.
"We are so fortunate to have Rizzo at our zoo to be an ambassador for climate change and the struggles her counterparts are facing in the wild," Randinitis said.
Climate change is blamed for a loss of sea ice that aims to threaten the breed in the wild, though scientists believe reduction of greenhouse emissions in the next few years could save the bears from extinction.
Hogle Zoo will work with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Species Survival Plan program to decide how to go ahead with its Rocky Shores exhibit following Rizzo's death.
