Bridget Walker about Red Panda Thyroid Testing

On this week’s The Sci-Files, your hosts Chelsie and Danny interview Bridget Walker. Bridget is a third-year student in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at MSU. She began working at the Potter Park Zoo as a summer student under Dr. Ronan Eustace, the staff veterinarian and Director of Animal Health at Potter Park Zoo (PPZ), where she conducted a research project and zoo medical cases. She has been featured on The Sci-Files before for her research at PPZ with Doppsee, but this episode focuses on her research with the Red Pandas at PPZ.
Thyroid dysfunction has been reported in captive red pandas, however, there has been little research on the topic. The research project Bridget worked on validates a hormone test in red pandas that measure thyroid-stimulating hormones and can help to identify thyroid dysfunction. By having a valid test, thyroid dysfunction can be identified and further studied in red pandas.
To find out more about PPZ, ways that you can support the red pandas and the other animals at PPZ, you can visit their website.

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