International Giant Otter Studbook Husbandry and Management

successive feedings, health problems or/and formula failure may exist. If problems persist,
deadly health problems could soon arise. Vet attention must be sought immediately. If
defecation occurs too frequently, the formula might not be fully digested/assimilated into the
body and the formula may not be adequate or other health problems may exist.
Otters should not strain to defecate or urinate, if they do, this can indicate serious health
problems. Constipation can also cause bloating (i.e. a tight distended abdomen), abdominal
cramping, flatulence, and digestion problems, and if continued and severe, possibly death. For
example, small lumps of powder in the mixed liquid formula could cause
intestinal/stomach blockage, prevent defecation, and result in death. (All lumps must be
removed before feeding. See Section 6). If cubs do not urinate along with defecation, this
could indicate dehydration or other medical problems (i.e. urinary blockages etc.). Urine should
be yellow in color and eliminated in ample amounts (in relation to fluid amounts offered).
Animals must be well hydrated at all times. Dehydration can occur from health problems
such as heat stress, severe respiratory diseases, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea (esp. when severe
and/or constant) and from inadequate amounts of fluid within/in addition to the formula/diet
(esp. during weaning or when milk formula dilution is too strong) etc. (Merck 1986).
Dehydration can also worsen constipation and lead to a rise in body temperature if severe
enough.
Dehydration is evident when the cub’s skin is tight to its body, the elasticity of the skin is
decreased, its eyes are sunken in and its body looks shrunken, the nictitating membrane
(common name: third eyelid) covers part of the eye, it urinates infrequently and/or in small
amounts, or it has dark yellow urine. The cub’s gums can also be dry or sticky and the eyes can
also look dry. To test for dehydration, the skin over the cub’s shoulders or back should be used
to conduct the test. The skin over the neck should not be used, as it may give a false reading. A
piece of skin should be grabbed firmly between the handrearer’s thumb and forefinger and it
should be pulled upwards away from the cub’s body. (The skin should be shaped like a small
tent and it should not be pulled hard.) The skin should then be released. If the skin does not fall
fairly quickly (i.e. nearly immediately) and smoothly back to the otter’s body (i.e. it is not
elastic), the cub is probably dehydrated. The more dehydrated the cub is, the more slowly the
“tent” will return to a flat position. If the skin stands and does not fall back to the body, severe
dehydration is probable.
Often cubs are dehydrated when handrearers first receive them. Cubs that are
dehydrated must be hydrated with at least water (or electrolyte solutions for general use if
health conditions permit) before they are fed diets/formulas. If a cub has severe and
continued diarrhea with a particular formula, and prior formula dilution hasn’t reduced diarrhea
and no other health problems are causing diarrhea, the cub should be given at least water or an
electrolyte solution, for at least one feeding. This will let the stomach and digestive system rest
as well as replace fluids lost from diarrhea. The formula that has caused this problem should be
discontinued (i.e. not fed any longer) and a new formula (i.e. by diluting it with water or an
electrolyte solution if cubs are still experiencing health problems) should be slowly introduced.
Amounts of food fed can also be temporarily reduced to help relieve the stress on the stomach.
(The administration of antibiotics is not recommended, if the problem is only caused by the
formula.)
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