Comments on Husbandry of a Killer Whale Calf
IAAAM Archive
Jay C. Sweeney, VMD; Rita G. Harper, MD
Veterinary Consultants Service, San Diego, CA

Notes

  1. Normal values for postpartum pH and blood gases of the newborn killer whale are needed.
  2. Metabolic acidosis is first compensated by using up HCO3-. By the time respiratory compensation is needed to blow off CO2, the animal is usually terminal.
  3. How long can a newborn go without food? Human babies with no nourishment live 18-20 days. A cetacean could probably live 14 days.
  4. Evidence of suckling - feces is yellow. If not suckling, feces tend to be green and contain mucous.
  5. A non-suckled female will not dry up for weeks postpartum.
  6. Newborns have a high white blood cell count with many segmented neutrophils when less than 2 weeks of age.
  7. Newborns normally have a low total protein.
  8. Killer whales have a poor white blood cell response to disease. Cetaceans do not have a splenic reservoir of leukocytes so they don't show an elevated leukon on stress as seals do.
  9. Starving babies should be started on D5W, then slowly worked up to a higher calorie diet.

    Gradually get them onto formula by starting with 5%, then 10%, then 25% and up to 50% formula and so on.

H20

 

Protein

Fat

CHO

KCal/L

Standard Seal Formula

75.3

7.75

15.2

0.86

1690

Killer Whale Infant

74.5

9.2

14.8

0.92

1710

Speaker Information
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Rita G. Harper, MD

Jay C. Sweeney, VMD
Veterinary Consultants Service
San Diego, CA


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