Abstract
Severely malnourished Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus; NFS) pups strand yearly in California and often succumb to hypoglycemia within hours or days of rescue. Intravenous access for timely delivery of life-saving dextrose to these otariids can be difficult due to poor perfusion, hypovolemia, and seizures. Fravel et al. (2016) determined that intraperitoneal (IP) dextrose bolus administration to yearling California sea lions resulted in blood glucose levels comparable to a single intravenous bolus.1 This IP dextrose (25%) administration technique is now part of The Marine Mammal Center’s (Sausalito, CA; TMMC) established emergency protocol for otariid pups and yearlings demonstrating signs of severe hypoglycemia (i.e., emaciated, minimally/nonresponsive, seizing). We reviewed the outcome of NFS pups/yearlings admitted to TMMC between 2014 and 2022 that received ≥1 boluses of IP dextrose. A total of 25 NFS (7 female, 18 male) pups with an average admit weight of 5.53 kg received IP dextrose. Eleven of these 25 were ultimately released following rehabilitation, while nine died and five were euthanized. Animals in hypoglycemic crisis that survived to release received their first dose of IP dextrose earlier in care (on average 1.1 days after rescue) compared to animals that died or were euthanized (on average 3.3 days after rescue), but the difference was not significant (F(1,23)=2.78, p=0.11). Of the ten cases that had necropsies, five survived ≥1 day after IP dextrose administration; one patient had evidence of omental congestion. Further investigation of treatment outcomes for emaciated young otariids is underway and will help guide future effective treatments.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the volunteers and staff of The Marine Mammal Center who facilitated the rescue, treatment, and care or necropsy of these patients. The work was conducted under NOAA permit #18786-04.
*Presenting author
+Student presenter
Literature Cited
1. Fravel VA, Van Bonn W, Gulland F, Rios C, Fahlman A, Graham JL, Havel PJ. Intraperitoneal dextrose administration as an alternative emergency treatment for hypoglycemic yearling California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). J Zoo Wildl Med. 2016;47(1):76–82.