Grey Seal Arrival - cute but watch those fingers

Although very sad, I was excited to admit a 3 week old male Grey seal pup last week; he had been found orphaned on a beach at Maryport in Cumbria. To ensure the parents were not around he had been monitored for more than 24 hours; his parents were nowhere to be seen so required help.

                                                   

On arrival, I took down all the necessary details with Max, including weight and transferred him across to one of our isolation cubicles where he could begin to settle after his traumatic ordeal.  Despite weighing in at 13kg he was still underweight for his age.  Next was a health check from the vet which involved checking for wounds and any nasal discharge.  Blood samples were taken and sent off for analysis.  His eyes appeared dry and so eye drops were given to restore their moisture and protection.  As with most wildlife that comes into Stapeley, he was dehydrated.  Lectade solution was tube fed initially - it was important we rehydrated him as quickly as possible.

He now gets blended herring added to the solution to make an appetising fish soup - I think I'll pass on that one!  His temperature is recorded daily at the moment - an important indicator to his well-being. 

As of yesterday he was bright and alert, but I am constantly being reminded by senior staff that behind those cute little eyes and apparent sweet nature lies an extremely nasty bite. All of this has been a wee taster for what is to come when I have my seal training in December across at RSPCA East Winch, I can’t wait :)

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