Patient Update: July 12th

Patient Update: July 12th

Seals:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charles “Charlie”-Charlie (above left) has made three more significant steps in his rehabilitation! First, he has shown us that he is able to haul himself out of the water, which will be vital for him when he is released. Second, he is now being “mass fed.” This means that he does not need any assistance with feeding; we throw the fish in the pool and he is able to catch and swallow them with ease. Third, because of the two previously mentioned steps, he has been moved into the largest sized pool we have in our hospital, known as DJF! Since this pool is much larger and deeper than any others he has been in, it will allow him to further develop and strengthen his muscles. This is also the pool in which he will gain the appropriate amount of weight for release. We are very excited with how well Charlie is doing, and we have found no changes in his health!

Parker– Parker (above right) has also been taking the same significant steps in her rehabilitation! She has already showed in previous weeks that she is strong enough to haul out. But, just like Charlie, Parker is now being mass fed! She can catch the fish by herself and swallow them without any trouble. Due to this, she has also been moved into DJF! Just like Charlie, this is where she will become stronger and gain weight. Since they are both mass feeding in the same pool, this will also teach them how to compete with each other for food—something they will need to know in the wild. Nevertheless, we always try to ensure that they are getting an even amount of fish per feed. Parker has not displayed any changes in her health and we are very excited that she has completed these steps!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar-Sugar was quiet and seemingly inactive during the week. Staff attempted to combat that by adjusting her salt and this seemed to improve her behavior and energy. She still has an opacity in her right eye and we have noticed her squinting that eye more throughout the day so we are continuing to monitor it closely. Despite these challenges, she is excelling with feeding! She has passed the stage of assist feeding and we are working on tong feeding. This is an exciting step in her rehabilitation and we hope she continues to make improvements!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jones-Jones is facing another health problem, as it has been confirmed that he has the same middle ear infection that Bear was diagnosed with last week, known as otitis media. After noticing discharge on Sunday morning, our staff and veterinarian performed a canalography that confirmed his ear drum had ruptured and he had the infection. Staff was able to swab the ear and a slide will be sent to microbiology to identify the organisms causing the infection. Jones will be started on a treatment plan similar to Bear’s in order to manage the infection. He still has the opacity in his right eye and we have noticed a blotchy opacity in his left eye during rounds this past week. Both eyes are continuing to be treated with Terramycin. In regards to feeding, Jones did so well with assist feeding that we are now beginning to tong feed him! We are hoping he excels quickly and we can move him up to mass feeding in the next two weeks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piscataqua “Cat”– Cat is doing well and continues to stay clear of any health issues so far in her rehabilitation. Staff continues to work with her on assist feeding and we are hoping she will be able to start tong feeding in the next week! She has been moved back into Pod 1 by herself, as she is becoming too large to swim in a kiddie pool in Dry Holding. As always, she absolutely loves being in the water and she has already showed us that she can haul out! This is an exciting step in her rehabilitation and we hope she continues to excel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicopee-Chicopee is learning how to operate with one functioning eye, as her right eye ruptured and remains sunken and red in color. We are still giving her medication to help with the pain, but despite these challenges she is doing well. She is learning how to operate with one functioning eye, and we are closely monitoring her left eye and treating it with Terramycin to ensure that nothing happens to it. In regards to feeding, she is easily able to follow the fish during fish school with her left eye and she is definitely interested to eat. She is still in the Pup Room and absolutely loves to swim around the pool throughout the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magalloway “Maggie”-Maggie also suffered from a ruptured right eye, so she is still learning how to behave with only one that is functioning. But, she seems to be adjusting well and we will monitor her left eye to ensure that it stays healthy and intact. She is still doing well with assist feeding and we are hoping to move her up to tong feeding in the next few days! She loves swim time and has shown us that she is able to haul out! We will continue to monitor her progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allagash “Allie”-Allie is still battling the opacity and ulcers in her eyes but they seem to be improving! We will continue treatment with Terramycin and monitor them closely. She did very well with assist feeding and we have now started to tong feed her. She is very eager to catch the fish and she is able to swallow them with ease! We are hoping she will be eating fully on her own in the next few days. She very much enjoy swimming in the pool, as she stays in there for a majority of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moose-Moose’s respiratory symptoms are resolving, as we have noticed a reduction in the amount of sneezing and coughing. He has achieved an exciting step in his rehabilitation, as he has already moved past tong feeding and is now onto mass feeding! He is doing extremely well and he is always eager to eat and catch the fish in the water! He has also been moved into Pod 2, along with his roommate Nemi. Moose thoroughly enjoys swimming throughout the day, and he has now shown us several times that he is able to haul out! We are excited with his progress and we cannot wait to see how he does in the next week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nemasket “Nemi”-Nemi has significantly excelled over the past week! He did very well with assist feeding and tong feeding, so he has now moved up to mass feeding! He is always eager to eat, and now that he is in Pod 2 with Moose, they are both learning how to compete for fish. We have not seen any changes in his health and we are pleased with the progress he is making!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear-Bear is still battling the left-sided otitis media that she was diagnosed with last week. We have continued her treatment plan, which still seems to be helping her condition as she is on the last dose of the ointment today! She will be reevaluated next week to determine the progression of the infection. On a better note, staff has started to assist feed her and she seems to be doing well with it so far! Hopefully she will continue to excel and can begin tong feeding soon. She, along with Andy, have been moved back into the Pup Room. She loves to swim in the pool and rarely wants to get out; this will help develop her muscles and prepare her for a larger pool further into her rehabilitation!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Androscoggin “Andy”-Andy has shown mild bi-lateral lesions in both of his eyes. We are monitoring them closely and treating them with Terramycin throughout the day to prevent them from worsening. Other than this, he is not battling any significant health problems. Staff has also began assist feeding him and he is doing very well with it! We are hoping he will continue to progress and we can begin tong feeding him soon! In the meantime he has become must feistier and never wants to be taken out of the pool!

 

Turtles:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gunst, Etta, Bruiser– All three of our Kemp’s ridleys in house are doing well; each of them are eating well and swimming as they please. Our veterinarians are still waiting for the final reports from their CT scans in order to determine the next step for their rehabilitation.

 

Posted by Gabriella N. 

Gabriella is a second semester intern who recently graduated from Roger Williams University with a degree in Marine Biology.