Neurological deficits in stranded California sea lions

• Published in: Veterinary record Vol. 185; no. 10; pp. 301 - 303
• Main Authors: Hoard, Vanessa F., Janech, Michael G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Limited 14.09.2019; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Acids; Age; Algae; Animal behavior; Animals; Atrophy; Euthanasia; Management decisions; Marine mammals; Medical prognosis; Mortality; Population; Rehabilitation; Sea Lions; Veterinary medicine; Mexico; Vallejo California; California; United States > US; San Miguel Island
• DOI: 10.1136/vr.l5400
• ISSN: 0042-4900

Sea lions that are candidates for relocation to managed care facilities range in age, but stranding events can occasionally be skewed such that very young animals comprise a greater proportion of strandings.5 Young animals can present a dilemma for rehabilitation centres because California sea lion pups less than one year old have the lowest survival rate in the wild, compared with more mature age classes,6,7 and are largely dependent on significant maternal investment.8 Although specific survival data is unavailable for neonates less than one week old, it is suspected that survival would be dramatically lower considering their complete dependence on their mother. Cronutt, a rescued California sea lion that was placed at a managed care facility (Six Flags, Vallejo, California) due to in utero domoic acid exposure In a study summarised on p 304 of this issue of Vet Record, Simeone and colleagues surveyed rehabilitation centres and managed care facilities to determine the mortality for stranded California sea lions placed in managed care.9 Approximately 27 per cent of the sea lions placed in managed care facilities were neonates at stranding. At present, there are very few guidelines that permit frontline decisions to be made regarding euthanasia or placement. [...]there is a need for effective tools that can provide a reasonable neurological prognosis to guide placement decisions and mitigate uncertainty for the managed care facilities.References 1 Laake JL, Lowry MS, DeLong RL, et al.