89. Saving Sea Turtles

Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Gregory Scott, Associate Veterinarian at Georgia Aquarium about one of the first reported cases of diabetes in an asian small clawed otter. Tune in to learn how he and his team diagnosed this disease and the novel approach they are using for treatment. And stick around until the end to hear about the great ways Dr. Scott is engaging his community to increase diversity and opportunities within the field of aquatic veterinary medicine. As a special note, this episode is dedicated to Rev Dr Jacquelyn T. Dove, Dr. Scott’s mother who passed away after recording this episode and who constantly inspired and encouraged him to pursue his dreams and help others to do the same. 

Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Tamara Kruse, Director of Animal Health at the San Antonio Zoo. In this episode, Dr. Kruse shares her experience of becoming a diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM). The ACZM is an accredited board of veterinary specialists who maintain the highest standards of practicing zoological medicine. Becoming an ACZM diplomate requires years of meticulous preparation, clinical experience, research, and culminates in passing a two-day exam. Tune in as Dr. Kruse shares some tips and tricks for organizing material, forming study groups, and persevering through this rigorous process.

Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Jen Flower, clinical veterinarian at Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment. In this episode, Dr. Flower highlights some of her research and current conservation efforts working with wild sea turtles off the east coast of Florida. It’s a great story about collaboration, conservation, research and fantastic medicine!

Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Matt Allender, director of conservation medicine and science at the Brookfield Zoo Chicago and director of the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois. In this episode, Dr. Allender discusses the important research that he and his colleagues are completing studying infectious and non-infectious disease of reptiles and amphibians. Importantly, he highlights ranavirus infection in turtles, a deadly disease that has huge impacts on individual and population health.

To round out our 4th season of Aquadocs Podcast, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Cara Field, medical director for The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito California. Tune in to hear incredible pinniped rescue stories as well as learn about some of the amazing research being completed by Dr. Field and her team.

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.