By Kate Hruby, Communication and Education Coordinator
Every summer, the calls of harbor seal pups emanate from the SR3 Rescue Center. From May to September, harbor seal mothers are giving birth out in the wild and nursing for 4-6 weeks. During that time, human disturbance can cause the mother to abandon her pup before the pup is ready to survive on their own. In cases like this, SR3 can help.
Griffin was our first patient of the 2024 pupping season, arriving at the Rescue Center on May 12th due to malnutrition, a sign of maternal abandonment. The beginning of his care was standard: electrolytes and harbor seal formula, an intake exam, medication on the site of his umbilical cord, and short swims.
Griffin at the beginning of his time at the Rescue Center, nestled into a pillow in his personal enclosure.
After a week of regular meals, animal care staff began to notice that something was wrong. Griffin was bloated, gassy, and hunching his abdomen - a sign of discomfort - and he had trouble swimming due to the extra gas in his body.
On June 3rd, he was given another examination, this time with x-rays as one of the added procedures, and the images that came back were not promising. Griffin had a condition called megaesophagus.
An x-ray of Griffin from June, with the red arrow pointing to his enlarged esophagus visible through his ribs and spine.
Megaesophagus is a disorder in which the esophagus (the tube between the mouth and the stomach) dilates and loses its ability to move food. This condition is not well-studied in seals, and its cause in these animals remains unclear. Symptoms include regurgitation, bloating, and sometimes secondary aspiration pneumonia. For domesticated dogs, there is a specialized chair to sit in after a feed that keeps the esophagus vertical, which helps gravity push the food down past the enlarged esophagus and into the stomach. This mechanism is something we have used with seal patients, but it is not a long-term solution. Historically, seals with megaesophagus would not be able to survive in the wild, nor be a candidate for relocation to a zoo or aquarium, and SR3 humanely euthanized them due to a lack of treatment options.
At the time of Griffin’s diagnosis, SR3’s veterinarian Dr. Michelle Rivard was at the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine conference in Ireland, listening to a presentation by our colleagues at Vancouver Marine Mammal Rescue Society about the successful treatment of two harbor seals with megaesophagus. Seeing the potential to contribute to this new study and rehabilitate a patient, SR3 began Griffin’s treatment: Viagra twice a day to loosen the muscles at the base of his esophagus so food could pass more easily into his stomach.
An x-ray of Griffin from October, with the red arrow pointing to his resolved esophagus.
For three months, along with the Viagra, Griffin was on a course of medication to help his bloating. "We saw improvement in Griffin's regurgitation and overall condition within a few weeks of starting medications, though he remained significantly bloated for about a month,” said SR3 veterinarian Dr. Michelle Rivard. By the end of July, he finally began to gain weight and was able to dive down to the bottom of his pool - though the gas in his system still prevented him from staying at the bottom for longer periods of time.
“Fortunately, with continued supportive care, Griffin's bloating resolved and he was able to swim and forage like a normal seal," said Michelle. At the beginning of October, when he reached his release weight of 50 pounds, he was imaged a second time, and it was confirmed that Griffin’s esophagus had returned to a normal size.
After 152 days at the Rescue Center, Griffin had recovered from malnutrition, maternal separation, and a condition that once would have made it impossible for him to recover at SR3 and return to the ocean. Overcoming every challenge, he now swims wild and free.
Griffin’s first moments back in the ocean after his time at the Rescue Center.
A map of Griffin’s locations from his release on October 11th to when the data was last downloaded on November 5th. Since the 5th, we have continued to get updates on his location.
Griffin was outfitted with a satellite tag to track his movements after release, and we’ve been getting updates on his location along the Washington outer coast for the past month.
Griffin is one of three patients with megaesophagus that we have treated this year. Elf, a harbor seal pup who came to the Rescue Center in June, also had this condition. With medication, Elf’s megaesophagus resolved, and he was outfitted with a satellite tag and released to the wild on October 9th in Bellingham Bay. We are continuously getting updates on his location around his release site and in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Naga, a pup who arrived in August, is still receiving treatment at the Rescue Center.
Studies like this ensure we’re continuing to improve care for the patients that come to SR3, along with patients at other organizations across the country, the continent, and the world. Not only is this story a success for Griffin, who got a second chance in the wild, but it is a success for the marine mammal rehabilitation community and for all the future patients we will be able to help.