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Glossary

A-G

ABDOMINAL TYMPANY. Bloating or gas in the abdomen.

ACANTHOCEPHALIDS. Thorny-headed or spiny-headed parasitic worms of animals from the phylum Acanthocephalia.

ACIDOSIS. A pathologic condition resulting from accumulation of acid in, or loss of base, from the body.

ACIDOTIC. Pertaining to or characterized by acidosis.

ALVEOLAR. Pertaining to an alveolus (a small saclike dilation) in the mammalian lung. The alveolus is the primary gas exchange structure of the lung.

ANOREXIA. Lack or loss of the appetite for food.

ANAPHYLAXLS. An unusual or exaggerated allergic reaction of an organism to foreign protein or other substances which may produce shock.

APLASIA. Lack of development of an organ or tissue, or of the cellular products from an organ or tissue.

ARRHYTHMIA. Any variation from the normal rhythm of the heart beat.

ARTERIAL FIBRILLANON. Arterial arrhythmia characterized by rapid randomized contractions of the arterial myocardium, causing a totally irregular, often rapid ventricular rate.

ASCITES. Effusion and accumulation of serous fluid in the abdominal cavity.

ASPIRATION. The act of inhaling. The removal of fluids or gases from a cavity by the application of suction.

ATAXIA. Failure of muscle coordination; irregularity of muscle action.

ATELECTASIS. Collapse of the adult lung.

ATRIAL. A chamber affording entrance to another structure or organ, usually the heart.

ATROPINE. An alkaloid in the form of white crystals soluble in alcohol and glycerine; used as an anticholinergic for relaxation of smooth muscles in various organs, to increase heart rate by blocking the vagus nerve, and as a local application to the eye to dilate the pupil and to paralyze ciliary muscle for accommodation.

AUSCULTATION. The act of listening for sounds within the body, chiefly for ascertaining the condition of the lungs, heart, pleura, abdomen and other organs, and for the detection of pregnancy.

AUTOLYSIS. The spontaneous disintegration of tissues or of cells by the action of their own autogenous enzymes, such as occurs after death and in some pathological conditions; the destruction of cells of the body by its own serum.

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM. The portion of the nervous system concerned with regulation of the activity of cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands.

AXILLARY. Pertaining to a small pyramidal space between the upper lateral part of the chest and the medial side of the arm, and including, in addition to the armpit, axillary vessels, the bronchial plexus of nerves, a large number of lymph nodes, and fat and loose alveolar tissue. The term often refers to the transverse plan through the chest at the level of the armpits.

BILIRUBINURIA. Presence of a bile pigment in the urine.

BRADYCARDIA. Slowness of the heart beat, as evidenced by slowing of the pulse rate to less than 60 beats per minute.

BRONCHOSPASM. Spasmodic contraction of bronchial muscle in the lungs.

BULLAE. Plural for bulla, a sac.

BULLOUS. Pertaining to or characterized by bullae.

CAPTURE MYOPATHY SYNDROME. Muscle damage caused, in part, by lactic acidosis resulting from extreme exercise or exertion such as occurs when animals are chased or physically restrained during capture.

CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIAS. Any variation from the normal rhythm of the heart beat, including sinus arrhythmia, premature beat, heart block arterial fibrillation, arterial flutter, pulsus alterans, and paroxysmal tachycardia.

CARDIOMEGALY. Cardiac hypertrophy; enlargement of the cardiac muscle.

CATECHOLAMINE. Any of a group of amines that act upon nerve cells as neurotransrnitters or hormones. Adrenaline, norepinephrine, and doparnine are catecholamines.

CATHARTIC. An agent that causes evacuation of the bowels by increasing bulk and stimulating peristaltic action.

CEPHALIC. Pertaining to the head or the head end of the body.

CEPHALEXIN. An oral cephalosporin used in the treatment of pneumococcal and Group-A streptococcal respiratory infections and infections of the urinary tract, skin, and soft tissue.

CESTODES. Any parasitic tapeworm or platyhelminth of the class Cestoidea, especially those of the subclass Cestoda.

CETACEANS. Any of an order (Cetacea) of marine mammals including whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

CHLORAMPHENICOL. An antibiotic substance originally derived from cultures of Streptomyces venezuelae, and later produced synthetically. It occurs as fine, white to grayish or yellowish white, needlelike crystals or elongated plaques, and is used as an antibacterial and antirickettsial.

CLONUS. Alternate muscular contraction and relaxation in rapid succession.

COLONIC IRRIGATION. Flushing of the colon with warm water or fluid to raise body temperature.

CORTICOSTEROIDS. Any of the steroids produced by the adrenal cortex, including cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, etc.

CREPITATION. A sound like that made by rubbing the hair between the fingers, or popping.

CYANOSIS. A bluish discoloration, applied especially to such discoloration of skin and mucous membranes due to excessive concentration of reduced hemoglobin in the blood.

DECUBITAL ULCERS. An ulceration caused by prolonged pressure in an animal allowed to lie still on a flat surface for a long period of time.

DEHYDRATION. The removal of water from a substance. The condition that results from excessive loss of body water.

DEXAMETHASONE. A white, odorless crystalline powder used as anti-inflammatory adrenocortical steroid of the glucogenic type.

DIARRHEA. Abnormal frequency and liquidity of fecal discharges.

DIAZEPAM. An off-white to yellow crystalline powder used as a minor tranquilizer, and also as a skeletal muscle relaxant. This drug is commonly referred to as valium.

DIURESIS. Increased secretion of urine.

DIURETIC. Increasing the secretion of urine, or an agent that promotes urine secretion.
DYSFUNCTION. Disturbance, impairment, or abnormality of an organ’s function.

DYSPNEA. Difficult or labored breathing.

EDEMA. The presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid in the body’s intercellular tissue spaces; usually applied to demonstrable accumulation of excessive fluid in subcutaneous tissues.

EMACIATION. Excessive leanness; a wasted condition of the body.

EMESIS. The act of vomiting.

EMPHYSEMA. A pathological accumulation of air in tissues or organs; applied especially to such a condition of the lungs.

EPIDERMIS. The protective outer skin layer of vertebrate animals covering the sensitive dermis.

EPISTAXIX. Nosebleed; hemorrhage from the nose.

ERYTHROCYTE. Red blood cell.

ENTERAL. Within, by way of, or pertaining to the small intestine.

EVOS. Abbreviation for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

FATIGUE. A state of increased discomfort and decreased efficiency resulting from prolonged or excessive exertion; loss of power or capacity to respond to stimulation.

FECES. The excrement discharged from the intestines, consisting of bacteria, cells exfoliated from the intestines, secretions (chiefly of the liver), and a small amount of food residue.

FELINE PANLEUKOPENIA. A viral disease of cats, characterized by leucopenia and marked by inactivity, refusal of food, diarrhea, and vomiting.

GLUCOCORTICOIDS. Any corticoid substance which increases gluconeogenesis, raising the concentration of liver glycogen and blood sugar.

GLYCOGEN. A polysaccharide, the chief carbohydrate storage material in animals. It is formed by and stored in the liver and to a lesser extent in muscles, being depolymerized to glucose and liberated as needed.

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Glossary

H-M

HAIR FOLLICLES. A cavity or sac in the body in which hair is produced.

HEMATOPOIETIC. Pertaining to or affecting the formation of blood cells.

HEMOCULT TEST. Bacteriological culture of the blood.

HEMODIALYSIS. The removal of certain elements from the blood by virtue of the different diffusion rates through a semipermeable membrane.

HEMORRHAGIC GASTROENTERITIS. Bleeding and inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

HEPATOENCEPHALOPATHY. A degenerative disease of the brain, usually occurring secondarily to advanced liver disease but also seen in the course of any severe disease.

HISTIOCYTOSIS. A condition marked by the abnormal appearance of histiocytes in the blood.

HYPERCAPNIA. Excess of carbon dioxide in the blood.

HYPERKALEMIA. Abnormally high potassium concentration in the blood, most often due to defective renal excretion.

HYPERPHOSPHATEMIA. An excessive amount of phosphates in the blood.

HYPERPLASIA. The abnormal multiplication or increase in the number of normal cells in normal arrangement in a tissue.

HYPERTHERMIA. Abnormally high body temperature.

HYPERTRIGLYCERIDEMIA. An excess of triglycerides in the blood.

HYPERVENTILATION. A state in which an increased amount of air entering the pulmonary alveoli (increased alveolar ventilation), results in reduction of carbon dioxide tension and eventually leads to alkalosis; deep and rapid breathing.

HYPOALBUMINEMIA. An abnormally low albumin (a type of plasma protein) content of the blood.

HYPOGLYCEMIA. An abnormally diminished glucose content of the blood, which may lead to tremulousness, cold sweat, piloerection, hypothermia, and headache accompanied by confusion, hallucinations, bizarre behavior, and ultimately, convulsions and coma.

HYPOREFLEXIA. Weakening of the reflexes.

HYPOTHERMIA. An abnormally low core body temperature.

HYPOXIC TISSUES. Low oxygen content or tension; deficiency of oxygen in tissues.

IMMUNOSUPPRESSED. Artificial prevention or diminution of the immune response.

INTERSTITIAL. Occupying the small, narrow spaces or interstices of tissue.

INTRAGASTRIC LAVAGE. The irrigation or washing out of the stomach.

ISCHEMIA. Deficiency of blood supply due to functional constriction or actual obstruction of a blood vessel.

ISOTONIC. Having the same osmotic pressure.

JUGULAR. Pertaining to the neck; a jugular vein.

LARYNGEAL. Pertaining to the larynx.

LAVAGE. The irrigation or washing out of an organ, such as the stomach or bowel.

LEPTOSPIROSIS. Infection by Leptospira. The infections are transmitted to man from dogs, swine, and rodents or by contact with contaminated water, as in swamps, canals, or ponds.

LEUKOCYTE. White blood cell.

MEDIASTINUM. The mass of tissues and organs separating the two lungs, between the sternum in front and the vertebral column behind, and from the thoracic inlet above to the diaphragm below.

MELENA. Dark, tarry stools.

METABOLIC ACIDOSIS. A disturbance in which the acid-base status of the body shifts toward the acid side because of loss of base or the retention of noncarbonic, or fixed acids.

MYOCLONUS. Shock-like contraction of a portion of a muscle, an entire muscle, or a group of muscles; restricted to one area of the body or appearing synchronously or asynchronously in several areas.

MYOCARDIUM. The middle and thickest layer of the heart wall composed of cardiac muscle.

MUSTELIDS. Members of the family Mustelidae: weasels, stoats, badgers, otters, polecats, martens.

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Glossary

N-Z

NARCOTIC. Benumbing, deadening: an agent that produces insensibility or stupor.

NASOPHARYNGEAL MEMBRANES. Membranes of the part of the pharynx which lies above the level of the soft palate.

NAUSEA. An unpleasant sensation, vaguely referred to the epigastrium and abdomen, and often culminating in vomiting.

NECROPSY. Examination of the body after death; autopsy.

NEMATODES. Any of a class or phylum of slender, unsegmented, cylindrical worms, often tapered near the ends. Parasitic forms such as the hookworm, pinworm, and trichina belong to this group. Nematodes are commonly called roundworms.

NEPHROTOXIC. Toxic or destructive to kidney cells.

NEUROLEPTANALGASIA. A state of quiescence, altered awareness, and analgesia produced by the administration of a combination of a narcotic andalgesic and a neuroleptic agent.

OSHA. Abbreviation for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Government.

OLIGURIA. Excretion of a diminished amount of urine in relation to the amount of water intake.

OPHTHALMIC. Pertaining to the eye.

PAH. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon or petroleum aromatic hydrocarbon.

PALPATE. To examine by the hand; to feel.

PARAFFINIC HYDROCARBON. An organic compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen and is found in petroleum: any of a group of saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons characterized by a straight or branched carbon chains.

PERICHOLANGRITIS. Inflammation of the tissues that surround the bile ducts.

PERITONEAL DIALYSIS. Dialysis through the peritoneum.

PHARYNGEAL. Pertaining to the pharynx.

PHC. Petroleum hydrocarbon.

PHOCID. Pertaining to marine mammals of the order Carnivora and family Phocidae; the true seals (i.e. harbor seals).

PHOTOPHOBIA. Abnormal visual intolerance of light.

PINNIPEDS. The group of aquatic mammals including seals, sea lions, and walruses.

PNEUMONITIS. Inflammation of the lungs.

POSTMORTEM. After death.

PROLAPSE OF RECTUM. Protrusion in varying degree of the rectal mucous membrane through the anus.

PROPHYLACTIC. Tending to ward off disease or an agent that tends to ward off disease; administered or performed to prevent disease.

PULMONARY EDEMA. Abnormal, diffuse, extravascular accumulation of fluid in the pulmonary tissues and air spaces due to changes in the hydrostatic forces in the capillaries or to increased capillary permeability.

PURULENT. Consisting or containing pus; associated with the formation of, or caused by, pus.

RADIOGRAPHY. The making of film records of the body by exposure of film specially sensitized to x-rays or gamma rays.

RECTAL TENESMUS. Painful, long-continued, and ineffective straining at stool.

RHINITIS. Inflammation of the mucus membranes of the nose.

SALMONELLOSIS. Infection with certain species of the genus Salmonella, usually caused by the ingestion of food containing the organisms or their products and marked by violent diarrhea attended by cramps and tenesmus and/or paratyphoid fever.

SEIZURES. The sudden attack or recurrence of a disease.

SELENIUM. A poisonous nonmetallic element resembling sulfur. In small amounts, it is an essential element in the diet.

SEPSIS. The presence in the blood or other tissues of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins; the condition associated with such presence.

SHOCK. A condition of acute peripheral circulatory failure due to derangement of circulatory control or loss of circulating fluid. It is marked by hypotension, coldness of skin, usually tachycardia, and often anxiety.

SINUSITIS. Inflammation of a sinus. The condition may be purulent or nonpurulent, acute or chronic.

SLOUGH. Necrotic tissue in the process of separating from viable portions of the body.
STUPOR. Partial or nearly complete unconsciousness.

SUBCUTANEOUSLY. Under the skin.

SUBCUTANEOUS EMPHYSEMA. The presence of gas or air in the subcutaneous (beneath the skin) tissues of the body.

TACHYPNEA. Excessive rapidity of respiration; a respiratory neurosis marked by quick, shallow breathing.

TENESMUS. Straining, especially ineffectual and painful straining at stool or in urination.

THERMOREGULATORY. Controlling or regulating body temperature.

THORACIC. Pertaining to or affecting the chest.

THYMICOLYMPHATIC INVOLUTION. Degeneration or retrograde change of the thymus and the lymphatic glands.

TOXOPLASMOSIS. A protozoan disease of man caused by Toxoplasma gondii. Congenital toxoplasmosis is characterized by lesions of the central nervous system, which may lead to blindness, brain defects, and death.

TRIGLYCERIDES. A compound consisting of three molecules of fatty acid esterified to glycerol; it is a neutral fat synthesized from carbohydrates for storage in animal adipose cells.

ULCERATION. The formation or development of an ulcer.

VASONCONSTRICTION. The diminution of the caliber of vessels, especially constriction of arterioles leading to decreased blood flow to a part.

VENTRICLE. A small cavity, such as one of the several cavities of the brain, or one of the lower chambers of the heart.

VENTRICULAR FIBRILLATION. Arrhythmia characterized by fibrillary contractions of the ventricular muscle due to rapid repetitive excitation of myocardial fibers without coordinated contraction of the ventricle; an expression of randomized circus movement, or of an ectopic focus with a very rapid cycle.

VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA. An abnormally rapid ventricular rhythm with aberrant ventricular excitation which is commonly associated with atrioventricular dissociation.

ZOONOSES. A disease of animals that may be transmitted to man.

quiz

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Certification Quiz

The following test is designed to qualify an individual to be an OSHA-Certified Wildlife Responder.

The following 50 questions are from the online training modules. Questions are drawn from chapters 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 14. It is also recommended that you read the Personnel Manual and review the Natural History of Sea Otters and the Tour of the Emergency Facilities.

Select the best answer(s) to each question and hit submit at the end. To qualify to register as an OSHA-Certified Responder, you must answer at least 70% of the questions correctly. After the last question, you will see the results. If you answer at least 70% of the questions correctly, your name and email address that you entered will be sent to IWR. In addition to taking the quiz, you must also register for the course. You may retake the quiz as many times as you wish.

Please login to take the quiz

If you do not have an account, you will have to register for the course.
We will email your login details to you.

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Appendices

Appendix 1

Appendix 1 – Average Values for Physiological, Hematological and Morphological Parameters

Appendix 2

Appendix 2 Form A – Gross Necropsy Report
Appendix 2 Form B – Tissue Checklist
Appendix 2 Form C – Sea Otter Capture
Appendix 2 Form D – Capture Boat Animal List
Appendix 2 Form E – Animal Transporter’s Log
Appendix 2 Form F – Admission and Washing
Appendix 2 Form G – Chemical Restraint and Treatments
Appendix 2 Form H – Physical Examinations
Appendix 2 Form I – Critical Care
Appendix 2 Form J – Husbandry
Appendix 2 Form K – Daily Food Consumption for Individual Otter Pens and Pools
Appendix 2 Form L – Daily Food Consumption for Multiple Otters
Appendix 2 Form M – Sea Otter Pup Care
Appendix 2 Form N – Transfer Summary
Appendix 2 Form O – Daily and Weekly Animal Count
Appendix 2 Form P – Release
Appendix 2 Form Q – Admission and Final Disposition Summary

Appendix 3

Appendix 3 Figure A – Serum Glucose Concentrations
Appendix 3 Figure B – Serum Sodium and Chloride Concentrations
Appendix 3 Figure C – Serum Calcium and Phosphorous Concentrations
Appendix 3 Figure D – BUN and Potassium Concentrations
Appendix 3 Figure E – Serum Alanine Aminotransferase and Aspartate Aminotransferase
Appendix 3 Figure F – CPK and LDH Activities
Appendix 3 Figure G – Blood Hemoglobin Concentrations Concentrations
Appendix 3 Figure H – Red and White Blood Cell Concentrations

Appendix 4

Appendix 4 Figure A – Rehabilitation Facility – Arrival Dock and Cage Cleaning Room
Appendix 4 Figure B – Rehabilitation Facility – Triage and Sedation Room
Appendix 4 Figure C – Rehabilitation Facility – Drying and Critical Care Room
Appendix 4 Figure D – Rehabilitation Facility – Veterinary Suite and Nursery
Appendix 4 Figure E – Rehabilitation Facility – Necropsy Room
Appendix 4 Figure F – Rehabilitation Facility – Administrative Areas
Appendix 4 Figure G – Rehabilitation Facility – Service Area
Appendix 4 Figure H – Rehabilitation Facility – Food Preparation Area
Appendix 4 Figure I – Rehabilitation Facility – Shop and Service Areas

Appendix 5

Appendix 5 – Rehabilitation Facility – OSHA Regional Offices

Appendix 6

Appendix 6 – Equipment for the Capture, Handling and Treatment of Oiled Sea Otters