Patient Update: August 9th

Patient Update: August 9th

Seals:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charlie, Parker, Moose, Nemi-All four of our seals in DJF (in order from the top: Charlie, Nemi, Parker, Moose) are doing very well, as they have all reached the weight necessary for release, and they have remained clear of any health problems. We are able to confirm that, after passing their pre-release exams, all four of them have been approved for release! They will be released Thursday, August 16, 2018! For more details, check out our website or any of our social media pages! In the meantime, the four of them are enjoying their fish and are continuing to build their muscles to prepare them for their return to the wild.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allagash “Allie”-Allie had a great week, after confirming that she will be released on August 16^th! She passed her pre-release exam and was approved for release! She has gained the proper amount of weight, has built up the muscles necessary to be released, is able to eat fish on her own, and is clear of any health problems! We are so excited that she has made it to this final step and cannot wait for her to return to the wild this coming week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Magalloway “Maggie”-Maggie had an exciting week as well, as she will be joining the other five seals for release this week! She was approved for release after passing her pre-release exam and has completed all of the necessary steps to reach this point! We are very pleased with how well she did during her rehabilitation with us, and we cannot wait for her to return home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar-Sugar has been doing alright this past week, with no significant changes in her health. We are still monitoring the opacity and squinting of her eye, and we have noticed some redness and hair loss around that eye. So, we are continuing with treatments and hoping to see some improvements soon. She is still doing very well with eating on her own, and she has definitely become more and more eager to eat! She is gaining weight at a steady rate, and we have decided to move her, along with Jones, into the Pup Room. This will allow them to eat and swim in a deeper pool and develop the necessary muscles for sustained exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jones-Jones had a somewhat hard week, as he was seemingly weak, lethargic, and flat. We are monitoring his behavior to ensure it does not worsen, but since his move to the Pup Room he has seemed more active and eager to swim. He is still doing well with eating on his own, even in a deeper pool. He is still battling an ear infection and a ruptured ear drum; so we are continuing with the third treatment plan until we reevaluate his condition next week and determine any changes that need to be made. He does not care for the ear treatments, understandably, which presents some difficulty when administering the medication. But, we are hoping that this treatment plan helps his condition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piscataqua “Cat”-Cat is still doing well, with no newly identified health problems. She is doing well with eating on her own, though she still needs more practice eating larger fish and perfecting that eating skill. Other than this she is thoroughly enjoying the larger pool, as we notice her constantly swimming and playing with the EEDs (Environmental Enrichment Devices). She is definitely gaining weight as well, currently weighing-in at 19.8kg (about 44lbs)! We are very pleased with how well she is doing and hope that she will be considered for release in the next couple of weeks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Androscoggin “Andy”-Andy had a good week, with no newly identified health problems. His eye has not worsened, but we are continuing to monitor is closely. He is doing very well with eating on his own, and he is still showing us how eager he is for food. It is due to his eagerness that he has already reached 20kg (about 44lbs)! He is very close to the weight required for release, which will help in the consideration of his release in the next few weeks. He definitely enjoys having more space in the larger pool, and we always see him swimming around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicopee-Chicopee did well this past week, with no significant changes in her health. She has been very active lately, constantly swimming around the Pod and enjoying more space after Bear was moved to the Pup Room. In regards to feeding, she has now moved up a step and is being tong fed! With that being said, she still needs assistance positioning the fish in her mouth and getting it far enough down her throat so that she can swallow. Nevertheless, we are happy with her progress and have noticed that she is more eager than ever to eat! She is also gaining weight at a steady pace, and it is clear that her muscles are getting stronger to sustain her amount of exercise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear– Bear is doing well, with no significant changes in her health. She is still battling her ruptured ear drum, so we are continuing with the third treatment plan. We will reevaluate its condition next week with another canalography and determine the next steps that need to be made. We are having some difficulty with the ear treatments, as she does not particularly like them—understandably so. But, we are hoping that they begin to help her condition and improve her health. In regards to feeding, she started to shred fish and eat small chunks on her own earlier in the week. As the week progressed, she was able to start tong feeding! We are very excited that she has reached this step in the feeding process, though she definitely needs more practice with it. For these reasons, she has been moved into Pup Room with the hopes that is will aid in her progress. In addition, we do know that she is gaining weight, as her last weigh-in revealed that she is 19.9kg, about 43lbs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pawcatuck “Tuck”-Tuck has been doing well this past week, though he is still battling some health problems. We are happy to say that he is off pain medications and that the wound on his hind flipper has healed. The swelling around his left shoulder abscess has gone down significantly, but he is still refraining from using that flipper. For that reason, he is still receiving anti-inflammatory medicine in addition to antibiotics. We have noticed some nasal discharge and squinting of the right eye, so we are monitoring those changes closely to ensure they do worsen. He is still doing well with eating on his own and we have even given him a larger kiddie pool and eat and swim in! He definitely loves having more space and he has no problem getting in and out of the larger pool, despite his resistance to use the left front flipper. We are eager to get him into one of our larger pools once his health improves.

 

Turtles:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gunst, Etta, Bruiser– All three of our Kemp’s ridleys in house are doing well. Our vet has reviewed the CT scans for each of our turtles and has determined that Gunst and Bruiser are release candidates! Currently, we are in the process of determining future release details, so stay tuned for those! Unfortunately, it was also determined that Etta is a surgical candidate due to osteolytic lesions in her front left flipper. Our vet has been in contact with the New England Aquarium team and they will likely schedule Etta’s surgery within the next month.

 

Posted by Gabriella N. 

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