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Sea otter uses an inhaler for asthma
A Seattle sea otter has been trained to use an inhaler after she became the first ever otter to be diagnosed with asthma.
Mishka, a female Northern Sea Otter, was found as a young pup tangled in a remote Alaskan village in July 2014. She was hand-reared by Alaska SeaLife Centre and soon was healthy enough to be transferred to Seattle Aquarium to live – this is because otters that have had contact with humans cannot be returned to the wild.
But a few months after she arrived, the vet noticed Mishka was having trouble breathing and was diagnosed with asthma. Although asthma is actually quite common in animals, Mishka is the first sea otter to be diagnosed. Like humans, Mishka must use an inhaler and take medication twice a day.
With the help of an animal trainer and some food, Mishka was soon using the inhaler with ease.
“We try to make it as fun as possible,” aquarium biologist Sara Perry said. “Any time you’re training a medical behaviour, you want to make it nice and positive.”
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