Whale Branch Animal Services – Seabrook, SC

April 24, 2014 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

44 dogs recorded (44 adults · 0 puppies).

• Pig (Jasper) thickened skin, hair loss, swollen facial folds

  At the pig facility, one pig, Jasper has very thickened skin on its rear legs, tail and face. There is hair loss on the face and the facial folds appear swollen. This skin condition needs to be diagnosed and appropriate treatment provided. Since this pig is routinely sedated for procedures, diagnosis can be started then. To be.

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April 24, 2014 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

167 dogs recorded (167 adults · 0 puppies).

• Several runs loose watery stools (Repeat)

  Loose watery stools are in several runs during this inspection, including runs 25, 35, 36, and 5.

• Dog 723 skin condition (Repeat)

  Dog 723 has a chronic skin condition, first noted by the caretaker in January. The skin of the forelegs is furless, slightly scabby, and is thickened and laying in folds. This condition is around her ears and there is some scratched raw areas below the left ear.

• Damaged benches

  Various materials are used for the benches in the dogs enclosures. In several runs (5,6,7,12,21,37) in the larger shelter building and 2, 10 in the smaller shelter building) there are holes in the canvas like material serving as a bench.

• Holes in concrete walls

  The concrete has eroded leaving holes in the top of the half wall between some runs (22-23, 24-25, 26-27, 29 to 37).

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July 22, 2015 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

170 dogs recorded (170 adults · 0 puppies).

• Cat (Fin) neck scabs, barbered fur

  Although no fleas were seen on her, The cat, Fin, has multiple small scratch scabs around her neck, and barbared fur over her tail head. This is usually an indication of flea allergy. The cats monthly flea preventative is due this week. This cat needs to be treated for these lesions and extra measures taken to prevent and/ or treat them in the future as soon as they occur. To be.

• Cat room items need cleaning or replacement

  Several items in the female cat room and in the male cats cages need to be replaced or removed and thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. These include the four tacked down area rugs on the metal shelves, the carpeted scratching post, the hanging towels and pillows in the male cats cages. To be.

• Clutter around cat building

  Since the last inspection, 10 cats arrived and are in a new sheltered building. Items around the building such as wood pieces, wire, branches, tall grass, rolls of tarp material need to be cleared away to prevent possible harborage for pests.

• Dirt and debris in cat room walls

  During the inspection, bottom boards were removed from the bottom two walls of the female cat room, allowing easier cleaning of the area between the boards and the wire wall at the bottom of the solid walls. This area has a collection of dirt, litter, and debris.

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July 25, 2016 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

206 dogs recorded (206 adults · 0 puppies).

• Cat rooms over 85 degrees

  The 8 cats are in wire cages inside a converted barn building which has a concrete floor and has mostly been walled in with plastic boards except for windows on two walls in each room. The two pair housed female cats are in one room and the six males are individually housed in the adjacent room. The temperatures in these rooms have consistently been over 85 degrees for the last two months ranging from 88 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature at 11:00 today was 88 degrees in the room, with 56% humidity and a heat index of 95 degrees. Outdoor temperatures for the last two months have consistently been in the 90s and 100s. The caretakers tried air conditioners in both rooms but due to the lack of insulation of the building the rooms were hotter than the multiple fans now in use. They have a sprinkler system which cools the roof at 14:00 each day. The caretakers report the cats showed signs of being hot when the air conditioners were trying to cool and the ventilation was low. They report the cats have not shown signs of being hot with the fans turned on them. The cats are not showing any signs of heat stress during this inspection. Although the caretakers at this point have done several things to bring the air temperature down in these cat rooms, it is still exceeding 85 degrees for more than 4 hours during these long hot summer days. Ambient temperatures in indoor and sheltered housing facilities are not to exceed 85 degrees for more than 4 hours when cats are present. Additional measures need to be taken to keep the temperatures lower. Plans are to make this an outdoor shelter and this will increase the ventilation further. To be.

• Chain link dividers have holes

  In the larger dog run area, there are several chain link divider walls with various size holes. … These areas include the wire between runs 9-10, 14-15, 15-16, 18-19.

• broken sharp wires

  Some of these were patched with sturdier panel type wire, but the old wire was left leaving broken wires with potential sharp points. These areas include the wire between runs 9-10, 14-15, 15-16, 18-19.

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August 4, 2016 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

36 dogs recorded (36 adults · 0 puppies).

• Rusted divider wires in dog runs

  The chain link divider wires between the above ground dog runs are excessively rusted in a few runs at the bottoms of the fencing. The runs affected are the fencing between 6A and 6B, and 7A and 7B. These areas are covered over with plastic strips to prevent the dogs from having contact with the rusted through wires. All structures must be free of excessive rust that prevents the required cleaning and sanitization, and all wiring must be structurally sound. The wires on these runs need to be replaced to allow proper cleaning and sanitization. To be.

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January 31, 2017 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

• Too much blood drawn from macaques

  Blood is collected from macaques at two week intervals to provide blood products to customers. A written standard operating procedure is in place at this site which states that no more than 10% of the total circulating blood volume of 65 ml/kg will be taken at each two week interval. Bleeding records for 141 primates over a period of three months were reviewed. Of the 812 bleedings during this time frame, at least 73 times the blood amounts removed were more than the 10% of blood volume. The excess amounts were closer to 1% of body weight. One primate was bled 10 ml more than 1% of his body weight. Hematocrits are taken at each bleed time and any animal with a hematocrit below 35 is not bled. Hematocrits appear to be remaining within normal ranges for most of these primates, with occasional non-bleeds due to lower hematocrits. At each bleeding iron and B vitamins are supplemented. Two older primates were euthanized during this time frame due to continued low hematocrits. To assure continued health of the animals, additional blood parameter testing may be needed to determine the primate’s blood is being regenerated appropriately. The written standard operating procedure is to be followed. To be.

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July 20, 2017 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

193 dogs recorded (193 adults · 0 puppies).

• 7 y/o Beagle ulcerated mammary mass (Direct)

  A 7 year old female beagle has a multi-nodular ulcerated mass one to two inches across in in her left rear mammary gland. The caretaker noted a mass on 5-9-17, then there are no notations until 7-4-17 where the notes state she is a surgical candidate. … Both dogs are in good flesh with no other obvious health issues.

• 11 y/o Beagle bleeding anal mass (Direct)

  A 11 year old male beagle has a large (almost one inch long) red nodular mass on its anal tissue. The caretaker’s notes state this dog was noted as a surgical candidate on 5-15-17 as there was light bleeding from the mass. Then on 7-10-17, the notes stated again there is a mass and the dog is a surgical candidate. Both dogs are in good flesh with no other obvious health issues.

• Kennel too hot

  Although the beagles are acclimated to this area’s climate, most of the dogs in the larger kennel are panting today around noon. The ambient temperature was around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. In the middle of this kennel aisle way at the level of the dogs, the temperature is 96 degrees Fahrenheit, 50-56 % humidity, and a heat index of 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Poor air movement

  Although the manager installed a small circular exhaust fan at the top end of one eave last summer, it apparently is only moving the hot air for a distance of three runs.

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November 22, 2021 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

• Cynomolgus macaque died during blood draw, inadequate monitoring (Critical)

  On June 23rd 2021, an adult male Cynomolgus macaque (ID #MB-996) died unexpectedly during a routine blood harvesting procedure while anesthetized. Upon initiating the procedure, the employee noticed the primate’s blood was darker than normal, alerting the licensee who was also present in the room. Chest compressions were initiated, but they were unable to resuscitate the primate. Immediately following, the employee expressed concern that MB-996’s demise was a result of oxygen deprivation due to improper placement on the transport cart prior to the procedure. When questioned about the positioning of the four sedated primates for this procedure, no malpositioning was identified by anyone present in the room, including the employee who voiced this concern. The facility conducted an internal investigation, interviewing all parties involved. Though the employee stated they began CPR after noticing MB-996’S dark-tinged blood, another technician present stated the employee was unaware the primate stopped breathing. It wasn’t until the technician brought it to the employee’s attention 5-7 minutes after the procedure began that chest compressions were initiated; blood was already drawn and collected in tubes by this time. The internal investigation concluded MB-996 was alive when placed on the employee’s processing table, and remained in the same position for several minutes before it was declared deceased. There was no overt evidence derived from direct observations by anyone in the processing room that observed MB-996 was in respiratory distress prior to its death. The inspector followed-up with the attending veterinarian during the inspection. They suspected the cause of MB-966’s death was not related to the transport cart conformation, but the lack of observation and monitoring in the processing room. Insufficient monitoring practices impede sound oversight of the nonhuman primates cared for, leading to circumstances that compromise the health and well-being of the animals. The dealer shall establish and maintain programs of adequate veterinary care that include adequate pre-procedural and post-procedural care in accordance with established veterinary medical and nursing procedures.

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November 8, 2023 — Routine inspection, USDA 56-B-0109

172 dogs recorded (172 adults · 0 puppies).

• Incomplete medical records

  Medical records were not complete for eleven dogs at the facility. Upon record review, the medical records provided descriptions of the concerns observed by the facility, but did not have an outlined treatment plan.

• Missing animal identities

  Additionally, two of the records did not state the identity of the animal for the observations recorded.

• Missing treatment dates

  Further review of the records identified two more records where eye care treatments were written, but the dates of administration were not recorded.

• Perimeter fence too short

  Various areas along the perimeter fence no longer stand at six feet tall. Upon today’s inspection, the fence line immediately to the left of the gate now measures 69 inches tall. The fence line along the south side of the facility measured 69 – 70 inches tall. Having a perimeter fence in place protects the animals in the facility by restricting animals and unauthorized persons from going through it or under it, permitting contact with the animals in the facility. Additionally, it serves as a secondary containment system for the animals in the facility. The perimeter fence must be of sufficient distance from the outside of the primary enclosure to prevent physical contact between animals inside the enclosure and animals or persons outside the perimeter fence. Non-dangerous animals housed in outdoor facilities require a 6-foot-tall perimeter fence around their enclosure and must be at least 3-feet away from any enclosures or buildings, unless an approved variance has been issued in writing by the Administrator. This is a 1st Re-License Inspection for a Class “B" license.

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