L A Dierauf, S A Dougherty, L J Lowenstine
Of 29 neonatal harbor seals that had been abandoned, separated from their mothers, or stranded in the wild, 22 succumbed during hospitalization at the California Marine Mammal Center in the spring of 1982. Compared with standard reported harbor seal pup measurements, 8 of the nonsurviving pups were premature (ie, creamy-white lanugo coat, early pupping season birthdate, and decreased body size [6 to 10 cm shorter and 2.3 to 4.5 kg less than normal]). The premature pups and the young pups (less than or equal to 10 days old) had at least two of the following findings: jaundice, emaciation, labored respiration, hyperbilirubinemia, hypoglobulinemia, or leukopenia...
November 1, 1986: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association