Improving Animal Health and Welfare
Research into the health of individual animals is critical for ensuring their welfare, aids in conservation of wild populations, and provides insight into ecosystem health. We are developing innovative diagnostic methods such as MRIs, endoscopy and sonography, genome mapping of species, disentangling and rehabilitating individual animals. We are also developing cardiac and blood profiles for health assessments, and ecosystem screening for oncoming disease.
Projects and Recent Papers
Assessing cardiac function in otariid seals as a diagnostic tool for assessing animal health (partner: NSERC) [webref_pretty title=”Cardiac examinations of anesthetized Steller sea lions ({iEumetopias jubatusi}), northern fur seals ({iCallorhinus ursinusi}), and a walrus ({iOdobenus rosmarusi})”] [webref_pretty title=”The genome of the Steller sea lion ({iEumetopias jubatusi})”] [webref_pretty title=”Reference ranges and age-related and diving exercise effects on hematology and serum chemistry of female Steller sea lions ({iEumetopias jubatusi})”] [webref_pretty title=”A nutrigenomic approach to detect nutritional stress from gene expression in blood samples drawn from Steller sea lions”]