Aquadocs

On this week’s episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Erica Palmer, a veterinary technician at Mystic Aquarium, about her journey becoming an aquatic veterinary technician. From years of hard work, self-studying, and not being afraid to ask for help and advice from friends and colleagues, she has paved the way to providing high class care for her patients. Plus, stick around to the end to hear her upcoming adventures completing health assessments on Amazon River dolphins.

How do you complete a hearing test on a baleen whale? On this episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Craig Harms, professor of aquatic, zoo and wildlife medicine at North Carolina State University, about his fieldwork studies in Norway collecting hearing data on minke whales. The non-invasive hearing tests were conducted by placing sensors on the surface of the whale's skin that allowed a multi-national team of researchers to record the whale's brain waves when it heard a sound. The goal of this research is to better understand the impact of human induced noise on these whales and eventually establish regulatory guidelines to protect these animals.

How do you administer antibiotics to wild whales? On this week's episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Martin Haulena, Executive Director of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society and Vancouver Aquarium Staff Veterinarian about his work rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals. Tune in as he highlights the amazing work he and his team do to disentangle sea lions as well as some of his field work with sick and injured killer whales and gray whales.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Natalie Mylniczenko, staff veterinarian at the Walt Disney Company about all things elasmobranch. Tune in to learn more about Dr. Natalie’s research looking into the stress response and reproductive physiology of these amazing animals.

Honoring the life of a beloved pet with a paw print is a beautiful way to remember them. But what happens when your patients have fins and scales? On this week’s episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Eric Littman, staff veterinarian for Adventure Aquarium about his novel approach to science communication and art. Tune in to learn about Dr. Littman's artistic process and the way in which he honors both the animal and the teams that have worked so hard to care for them over the years.

On this week’s episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Greenfield-Feig, interviews Dr. Lara Croft, veterinary scientist over scientific grants programs at Morris Animal Foundation, about the different ways she has positively impacted aquatic animal health within and beyond clinical work. Tune in to learn about the review process for scientific grants. And make sure you stick around to the end to learn about an interesting case where Dr. Croft and her colleagues developed a special milk formula for emaciated manatees.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, we are discussing all things penguin. SeaWorld San Diego recently successfully hatched a baby emperor penguin for the first time in over a decade. Tune in as Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Jennifer Russell, staff veterinarian at SeaWorld San Diego, about her experience working with Pearl, the baby penguin, as well as her research studying the ocular anatomy of penguins.

On this episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Jay Sweeney, co-owner and chief veterinarian of Dolphin Quest, about his history in the field of aquatic animal medicine. Tune in to learn about the origins of diagnostic imaging and sampling in marine mammals. And stick around to hear about the unique preventative medicine techniques Dolphin Quest employs as a means of providing high-quality medical care for their animals.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. John Griffioen, Assistant Director of Animal Programs and Conservation at the Fort Worth Zoo, about his recent study evaluating the hematologic and biochemical values in Japanese spider crabs (Macrocheira kaempheri). In this episode, we also discuss Dr. Griffioen's AAZV presentation about the wellbeing of non-domestic animal veterinarians. Some of the key takeaways from this presentation include the high levels of stress and burnout in this industry and our collective inability to say "no" when opportunities arise. This is an important conversation but can be intense at times, so we wanted to be clear about what this episode will include. We hope you'll listen, but if this topic is not for you, we’ll catch you next time on Aquadocs. Spider Crab Research Article

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Kei Hayashi professor of surgery at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. This episode highlights the collaborative effort that often occurs throughout the veterinary profession. Dr. Hayashi, then surgeon at the University of California, Davis, was asked to consult on a case of osteomyelitis (infection of the bone) in a sea lion pup at The Marine Mammal Center. After an amputation surgery, some further supportive care, and rehabilitation, the pup was successfully released back into the wild. Interested in collaborating with Dr. Hayashi or have other questions, feel free to email him at kh528@cornell.edu.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Alissa Mones, Associate Veterinarian at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. Dr. Mones recently published a study about best methods for humanely euthanizing blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). She specifically looked at potassium chloride, ivermectin, and lidocaine hydrochloride as potential options. You'll have to tune in to find out which she found was best. And stick around to the end to hear about Dr. Mones's experience completing the North Carolina State Residency program in the American College of Zoological Medicine. She'll discuss the basics of the program and her tips on submitting a strong application. Blue Crab Research Paper

What happens when a stranding response team gets a call about a stranded animal? On this week's episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Sarah Callan, animal rescue program manager at Mystic Aquarium, about her work completing necropsies on large whales and rescuing and rehabilitating stranded seals and sea turtles. From training a full team of volunteers, organizing colleagues with large machinery, traveling to often hard-to-reach locations, and beating the impending weather, there is never a dull moment when it comes to stranding response. Plus, stick around to the end of the episode to hear the inspiring story of local favorite Shoebert the seal.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Jim Kinsler, aquarium curator at SeaWorld Orlando, about his work saving coral. An unprecedented coral disease event -- stony coral tissue loss disease -- has been ravaging the Florida reefs since 2014. Jim, his team at SeaWorld, as well as many partner organizations including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Disney's Conservation Fund, have come together to develop the Florida Coral Rescue Center whose goal is to rescue, repopulate, and restore Florida's coral reefs. This is certainly not an easy task, so get ready to listen to an inspiring story of how aquatic professionals are trying to restore an entire ecosystem. Cornell Wildlife Health Center Event Registration

Hello and welcome to season 4 of Aquadocs. We've got a great season for you starting up next week October 3rd. This season we’ll be discussing topics including the new Florida Coral Rescue Center, the ins and outs of a marine mammal stranding team, ethical means of euthanasia in blue crabs, the well being of exotic and zoological veterinarians, and so much more. Some other season 4 highlights: we are very excited to announce our new partnership with the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, thank you to Cassandra Demola for serving as our social media intern for the past two years, and welcome to Casey Dunbar as our new social media intern. We are so excited to bring you a new season filled with lots of knowledge and stories from colleagues in the aquatic animal industry. So be sure to follow us and subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify or whoever you listen to podcasts. And as always feel free to follow us on social media (@aquadocspodcast) and reach out if you have any questions or you’d like to be featured on an episode. Thank you again for all of your continued support! Hope you love season 4!

Is it possible to monitor, and even predict, a dolphin's health just by looking at recordings of its vocalizations? On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Brittany Jones, the Deputy Director of Conservation Biology Sound and Health at the National Marine Mammal Foundation about her research studying bottlenose dolphin vocalization patterns. Dr. Jones and her team are developing a model to classify the health status of a dolphin based on its whistles. In this way, they will be able to classify disease states just from voice recordings and monitor the health of these animals remotely, and potentially even predict diseases prior to clinical signs developing. This is an extraordinary project with huge implications on the future of aquatic animal health! And a huge congratulations to Michelle Greenfield on her upcoming graduation from veterinary school and her wedding to Aquadocs executive editor and co-producer Zach Feig.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Sarah Kienle, assistant professor at Baylor, about her experience conducting remote field work with pinnipeds in Antarctica. Tune in as we talk about the process of sedating and collecting samples from these incredible creatures and highlight the importance of training veterinarians to support remote field expeditions. Dr. Kienle's Lab: https://www.sarahskienle.com/

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Amanda Ardente, veterinarian, nutritionist, and owner of Ardente Veterinary Nutrition about her work with aquatic and zoological nutrition. Dr. Ardente discusses the importance of nutrition in the care for animals in managed care facilities. A simple fix such as lowering the sugar content of a diet or serving whole fish instead of fish fillets could make a huge difference for an individual. AZA Nutrition Advisory Group Comparative Nutrition Society

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. James Bailey, a board certified veterinary anesthesiologist who specializes in zoo and wildlife animals, particularly marine mammals. Dr. Bailey describes the start of marine mammal anesthesia and how far we have come since its origin (like completing a successful 9 hour anesthetic procedure with an animal receiving a CT and bilateral cataract surgery). This episode is jam packed with zebra mussel clam research, the mechanics of marine mammal anesthesia, and fun facts you definitely don't want to miss.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Eddie Haigh, veterinarian at the Haigh Veterinary Hospital in Washington, USA. Tune in as Dr. Haigh discusses a fascinating case about oyster Herpesvirus. And stick around to hear about his pursuit of aquaculture medicine while working for his family's small animal practice. It's all about taking extra classes, asking the right questions, and having the USDA's number on speed dial. For students interested in reaching out to Dr. Haigh, feel free to contact him via email: eddie.haigh@gmail.com or visit Haigh Veterinary Hospital.

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Lance Miller, Vice President of Conservation Science and Animal Welfare Research with the Chicago Zoological Society Brookfield Zoo. Tune in as we discuss a paper Dr. Miller and his colleagues published last year about the welfare of cetaceans in accredited zoos and aquariums. This paper and subsequent phone app developed as part of the study are truly shaping the future of how we will work with cetaceans in managed care facilities. Info on Welfare Study Cetacean Welfare Study Publication