Primate Health

Veterinary care is vital to the good health of your monkey and to satisfy the public that your monkey is healthy and disease free. Your veterinarian can draw blood and run a New World or Old World blood panel to verify your monkey's good health. The extracted blood will be sent out to a lab for these tests. Your vet can run CBC and fecal tests in his clinic. These tests will show general good health.

Vaccinations help assure your monkey the same protection and continued good health as vaccinations do for human children. NHP'S receive vaccinations for MMR II (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), Tetanus, Rabies, and a TB test. Some caretakers have their vet take x-rays as a back up verification for TB and have rabies protection titers run. A CBC taken when your NHP is healthy serves as a normal base for comparison if your monkey suddenly becomes ill.

If your NHP exhibits signs of illness it is important to act immediately as nature tells them to hide illness. Monkeys on good diets kept in a clean environment are generally very healthy. Just as in humans, a poor diet can and does contribute to poor health. It is important to feed a good nutritious diet of monkey chow, vegetables, fruit and nuts.

You should maintain a file of all medical records and carry a copy of shot records and a health certificate when traveling with your monkey out of state.

ALB = "Albumin" = Liver function

ALKP = Alkaline phosphatase = Liver function

ALT = (also SGOT) = "Alanine Aminotransferase" = Liver (Detects hepatitis)

AMYL = "Amylase" = Pancreas

BUN = "Blood Urea Nitrogen" = Kidneys

Ca = "Calcium" = Bones, heart & muscles

CHOL - Cholesterol = Vessels, heart

CREA - kidney function ("Creatinine" )

GLOB = "Globulin" = Health of blood cells

GLU - sugar ("Glucose")

PHOS = "Phosphates" = Bone & skeletal muscle. (Helps absorption of 

calcium & other electrolytes)

TBIL = "Total Bilirubin" = Liver

TP = "Total Protein"

And on another test: This is the blood count below.

HCT = "Hematocrit" = Measures percent of red blood cells in the plasma

HGB = "Hemoglobin" = Oxygen carrying blood cells

MCHC = "Mean corpuscle hemoglobin concentration" = Used when looking for type of anemia

WBC - White blood count (Total white blood cell count)

GRANS = "Granulocytes" = One type of white blood cell % grans = "Percent of granulocytes to total white blood cells present"

PLT = "Platelets" = Blood clotting factors (If too low, the person/animal would bleed to death)

RETICS = "Reticulocytes" = Immature red blood cells (Still young cells)