Boots, a 35-year-old harbor seal and fan-favorite at Oregon Coast Aquarium (OCAq), was recently revealed to have an ulcer in her esophagus thanks to medical testing administered by Oregon State University’s (OSU) Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
A super senior who has surpassed the normal life expectancy of her wild counterparts by more than a decade, Boots is prone to the normal ailments that come with age. Fortunately, the mammalogists at the aquarium are well-versed in geriatric care, utilizing a network of veterinary professionals dedicated to Boots’ well-being.
When she was experiencing difficulty eating and keeping food down in the spring, Boots received an ultrasound, X-rays and blood tests at the aquarium. When her behavior didn’t improve, the team reached out to OSU. Once a plan was in place, the 150-lb. harbor seal was transported to the university’s veterinary hospital in Corvallis.
Veterinarians Dr. Dan Lewer and Dr. Anna Wepprich worked with fellow OSU anesthesiologists Dr. Ron Mandsager and Dr. Andrew Claude to sedate Boots and conduct a CT scan. Boots was then seen by OSU assistant professor of small animal medicine Dr. Stacie Summers and small animal resident Dr. Yanick Coutoure, who conducted an endoscopy to look inside her throat. The procedure revealed a mass of necrotic tissue from which a sample was taken. Clinical pathologist and dean of OSU’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Sue Tornquist analyzed the tissue and determined that it was an esophageal ulcer.
“Ultimately this was good news: We found something we can treat in theory, and this animal will get relief because of the diagnostic capabilities at Oregon State,” said Lewer, an alumnus of OSU’s veterinary college. “It would not have been possible to make this diagnosis without the team in its entirety today —the imaging, anesthesia, internal medicine and clinical pathology teams all were vital in making this diagnosis.”
In addition to staff veterinarians, Lewer estimated that 30 veterinary students observed parts of the proceedings, allowing them to learn about the specific challenges of harbor seal care.
Because marine mammals need to stay warm in ocean water, their vasculature is buried deep beneath layers of blubber, making it tricky to place a venous catheter to deliver anesthesia, Mandsager said. For Boots, Wepprich had to insert the catheter into her vertebrae. Harbor seals also struggle to breathe on their own while anesthetized, Mandsager said, so Boots was on a ventilator during testing.
While this was Boots’ first trip to the hospital, in May, OSU cardiologist Dr. Kate Scollan brought a cardiology resident and a fourth-year veterinary student to Newport for hands-on experience with marine mammal medical tests on Boots’ fellow harbor seal, Skinny, who, at 48, is the oldest-living harbor seal on record. Both Boots and Skinny were found stranded as pups and deemed non-releasable, and have been at the aquarium since it opened in 1992.
Over the past 30 years, they’ve built strong bonds with the Oregon Coast Aquarium staff and visitors alike. A bit of a celebrity, Boots was featured on an episode of “Crikey! It’s the Irwins!” in 2019, and is one of the aquarium’s most popular symbolic adoption options.
“Boots definitely has the most personality of all our seals. She’s always looking out at people; she likes to wave her flipper at you,” keeper Ashley Griffin-Stence said. “A lot of our guests know her.”
Fourth-year student Maddie Barrett helped monitor Boots’ vital signs under anesthesia at the hospital. She did an externship at the aquarium in 2022 and, after graduating in 2024, will go on to an internship with Lewer at Wilvet South, which he owns.
“This is really cool for me. We don’t see a lot of nontraditional animals at the hospital,” Barrett said. “As someone who loves exotic animals and marine mammals in particular, it’s been really special to be a part of this.”
Hands-on training is a crucial part of veterinary college, Tornquist said. Students start labs in their very first term so they can begin practicing common procedures like drawing blood, placing catheters and conducting physical exams.
As for Boots, her treatment plan will include medicine in her fish, along with lidocaine- and barium-soaked squid to help heal the ulcer before it causes any more pain, Lewer said.
“It’s just really cool to have four teams mesh their superpowers together for the common good of a single patient — in this case, a very special harbor seal to all of us at the Oregon Coast Aquarium,” he said.
Note: This joint article features content from Oregon Coast Aquarium and OSU’s Molly Rosbach; photos featured in this article are courtesy of OSU/Jens Odegaard unless indicated otherwise.
About the OSU Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine: The college serves the needs of Oregon, the nation and the world by training the next generation of practice-ready veterinarians, providing state-of-the-art diagnostic and clinical services and supporting the continuing education of veterinary practitioners. Biomedical research conducted at the college increasingly expands the scope of veterinary medicine to address both animal health issues and the relevance of animal diseases to public health.
