MMSC Mourns the Loss of Injured Brigantine Seal

The Marine Mammal Stranding Center gave a sad update on Tuesday about the grey seal they have been nursing since early April.

Grey seal #25-049 was found off the coast of Brigantine with a severe left flipper injury.

The large animal field service from the Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at Rowan University worked closely with MMSC’s veterinarian, Dr. Paluch, on the seal's injury, providing diagnostic imaging and assisting in guiding treatment plans.

The Brigantine Seal's Injury Treatment

According to the Facebook post, the seal's X-rays showed a possible crushing injury to the tarsal bones, but there were signs of the bones beginning to heal.

At first, there didn't seem to be any bone infection near the wound, but doctors were concerned about a possible infection of the tissue close to the wound.

As time passed, scans showed inflammation near the wound, and the infection continued to spread.

Amputation Surgery Was Needed on the Seal

With all other medical options exhausted, surgery to amputate the injured flipper was seen as the only option to stop the infection from spreading and prevent sepsis.

On Monday, November 3rd, a team of six veterinarians, including Dr. Paluch, two surgeons from the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine, two anesthesiologists from the University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center, and a veterinarian from Nautilus Avian & Exotics Veterinary Specialists, gathered at the Marine Mammal Standing Center to perform the surgery.

Unfortunately, during the procedure, the seal died under anesthesia. Despite the veterinary team’s extraordinary efforts, they were unable to resuscitate the seal.

The staff at the MMSC and the team performing the surgery were saddened by the death of the seal.

This is always the hardest part of wildlife rescue. While we know we can’t save them all, every loss is felt deeply by our team.

It was decided to perform a full necropsy on the seal, and the original surgery was performed on the seal's body in the lab as a teaching tool for the veterinary students of the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine.

Although we are deeply saddened by the outcome of this case, it is comforting to know that this patient will still have a chance to teach the next generation of veterinarians.