Challenges ahead for weaned pups
Dec/15/10 08:59 PM
The winter months pose many challenges for weaned pups struggling to survive. When our seal pup Doc was onshore for a day with blood around the mouth and some sustained coughing episodes, we sent video to WDFW’s marine mammal research biologist for input. We were afraid that the pup had possible lungworm issues and that was confirmed. As Dyanna Lambourn explains, lung worm infection is very common in pups this age.
Every single pup deals with parasites to some extent because the majority of worms (lungworms, tapeworms, roundworms, etc) come from the food they eat. Once ingested, the parasite settles into the host animal, grows and reproduces. Because these parasites are foreign to the body, the pup begins to build up an immune system to combat them. The body’s cells fight the intruders, trying to kill them off or at least reduce them to a level that is manageable. The situation becomes much more serious when combined with a virus. Sometimes the worm load is so heavy in the lungs and trachea that the pup can’t hold his breath for a long enough time to fish effectively. Low body weight suppresses the immune system, making the pup more susceptible to viruses or bacteria. Worse, the seals of Puget Sound have a high contaminant load which also compromises the immune system and compounds the situation. If a pup’s immune system is too suppressed, he will not be able to survive the infection, which often escalates into pneumonia. However, if the pup is able to gradually build up a tolerance and immunity, he can live quite successfully with lesser (and common) levels of parasites obtained from his daily food source. Yet another reason to make sure that if a pup is on our shore, we need to give him space to rest and build up strength. We are hopeful that Doc will be able to fight off this bout of parasites.
On a brighter note, we have a couple of healthy looking pups that are hauling out at Jack Block Park.
Every single pup deals with parasites to some extent because the majority of worms (lungworms, tapeworms, roundworms, etc) come from the food they eat. Once ingested, the parasite settles into the host animal, grows and reproduces. Because these parasites are foreign to the body, the pup begins to build up an immune system to combat them. The body’s cells fight the intruders, trying to kill them off or at least reduce them to a level that is manageable. The situation becomes much more serious when combined with a virus. Sometimes the worm load is so heavy in the lungs and trachea that the pup can’t hold his breath for a long enough time to fish effectively. Low body weight suppresses the immune system, making the pup more susceptible to viruses or bacteria. Worse, the seals of Puget Sound have a high contaminant load which also compromises the immune system and compounds the situation. If a pup’s immune system is too suppressed, he will not be able to survive the infection, which often escalates into pneumonia. However, if the pup is able to gradually build up a tolerance and immunity, he can live quite successfully with lesser (and common) levels of parasites obtained from his daily food source. Yet another reason to make sure that if a pup is on our shore, we need to give him space to rest and build up strength. We are hopeful that Doc will be able to fight off this bout of parasites.
On a brighter note, we have a couple of healthy looking pups that are hauling out at Jack Block Park.
