A small Harbor seal pup had been observed on a beach in Egegik, Ak for over 24 hours. With permission from ASLC staff, the pup was rescued from the beach, and cared for until a flight to Anchorage could be found. Upon arrival in Anchorage the pup was triaged, and found to be female, non-responsive, severely dehydrated, and in very poor body condition. She was so dehydrated, Veterinary staff decided to place a catheter intravenously so as to administer fluids continuously. A full physical exam also revealed several puncture wounds on her back flippers. 

Our newest patient has been looking a bit more lively today, moving her head and physically hopping around her tote. While she is still in very critical condition, these are signs that she is starting to feel a bit better.

The seal pup has had a consistenty low blood glucose reading. In order to raise her glucose, her IV fluids will jnow include glucose, and we are adding extra glucose to her tube feeds. We hope to increase her energy level and her body's ability to fight infection by giving her this extra energy.

The seal seemed uncomfortables and appeared very bloated yesterday. When this bloated appearence didn't improve overnight, vet staff decided to put her on medication for gas. The seal is now recieving IM injections to help with the gas and discomfort.

Over the weekend the little girl was very busy! She was dusted for lice, had x-rays taken that revealed she has minor megaesophagus, and started eating fish! We are feeding her smaller pieces of fish so that they are easier to swallow, this should help with the megaesophagus. 

 Staff observed the pup, named Kullat, swallowing air today, which can cause increased GI distress, especially with her megaesophagus. We will watch her closely for signs of discomfort.

 Staff have been swimming the seal in progressively colder water to prepare her to move to a condo outside! We have also dropped her 4 am feed.

Part of megaesophagus involves difficulty swallowing and keeping down food. Today our seal vomited some partially digested fish chunks after a feed. This is very typical of a megaesophagus case, but vet staff will try adjusting her medication so see if we can keep things moving through her GI system enough that vomiting is not a problem.

Today Kullat was moved to ODL 1. This enclosure has a much larger and deeper pool which will be great for encouraging her to dive. This enclosure also make it more difficult for her to see the people feeding her, which will help sharpen her hunting instincts, and remove any association of people with food.

Staff have increased the amount of fish being offered to the seal as she lost a little bit of weight this week. Otherwise she is doing great!

The little girl has been doing so well, staff have decided to move her into ODL 5, our largest pool. Staff call this the "Graduation Pool" because it is the last step before seals can graduate to a release! She had a blood sample taken yesterday as part of a pre-release checkup, and she seems to be adjusting very well to the larger space.

Earlier this week Staff flipper tagged the female seal pup. Her tag number is ASLC 129, and this will be our way of identifying her should she be spotted up close in the wild.

Kullat's release has been scheduled for next month! Many thanks to ConocoPhillips for picking a great name, and for your support of the Rehabilitation department at the ASLC. Kullat is the Babylonian name for the brightest star in the Pisces constellation.

The pup did very well overnight, maintaining her temperature well and defecating well. She was very feisty when we tried to tube her fluids earlier today! Because she is a slightly older pup, we decided to see if the Ringed seal would eat fish. Staff offered some live salmon and pieces of herring and she ate them right up!

We are so sorry to report that the Ringed Seal has passed away. A full necropsy will be performed at an external facility to attempt to determine cause of death.