The Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex opened at the Detroit Zoo in 2004.  This 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility includes special rooms for surgery, radiology, treatment and intensive care.  The laboratory has equipment that allows technicians to examine blood samples and fecal samples, and conduct other evaluations as well.  The Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex has space for holding animals new to the Zoo for necessary health quarantine periods as well as space for current Zoo residents in need of special care.  The facility also includes a conference room for meetings and the veterinary library of reference materials as well as a water quality laboratory.

The main treatment room is large enough to accommodate polar bears and gorillas.

A specialized radiology room contains equipment that allows detailed images of even very small patients.

The laboratory has equipment for immediate testing of blood and fecal samples.

The intensive care room is available to house animals that need to be kept under close observation in special environmental conditions, including baby animals that need intensive care.

A scale is built into the floor so that animals can be weighed as they enter the hospital.

The Zoo’s full-time water quality technician makes sure the water in the Zoo’s aquatic habitats  provides a healthy environment for animals.  The water quality technician conducts tests on water samples and keeps the filters and other water quality equipment running smoothly. 
 

Detroit Zoo veterinary staff assist in field programs as well.  Veterinary staff assist the Department of Natural Resources by performing exams on osprey chicks that are being raised by their parents in nests in Southeast Michigan.  Veterinary staff are able to determine if the chicks are doing well in the wild and identify health problems affecting the population.