FIRST SIX MONTHS    The calf and cow arrived at Mote's Dolphin and Whale Hospital at about 1930 hrs (7:30pm). They were transferred from the Marine Animal Rescue Society of Miami by staff of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution. The calf is alert but weak and the cow is very weak. Blood and cultures were taken from both animals, and an ECG was taken of the cow. The cow is exhibiting gastric stasis. Both have been given fluids via stomach tube. Blood tests reveal that the calf has very little wrong, but the cow appears to have the same condition that Hutch and Dana had last year. Both of those died shortly after arrival.

1/22 Both animals are supporting themselves in the water and making some attempts to swim. The calf actually nursed from the cow last night and we are regularly collecting milk from the cow to give to the calf. The stomach of the cow is responding to treatment.

1/23 Both animals seem ready to swim on their own. Will try this afternoon to allow them to swim. Cow seems to be improving.

1/24 Since both animals appear to be doing well, they have finally been named. The cow is Mia and the calf is Ami (since they stranded near MiAmi). Both are supporting themselves in the water almost all the time and are swimming on their own a majority of the time. Mia began eating some squid this morning. We are never optimistic about Kogias but we are hopeful they will both survive.

1/24PM Mia took a sudden downward turn this afternoon. She began arching and within 30 minutes she died. Blood tests from this morning indicated a rapidly developing electrolyte imbalance and an extreme neutropenia (severe depletion of white cells probably indicating a viral etiology). A necropsy will be performed tomorrow afternoon. Samples have been taken, and more will be taken during the necropsy, to attempt to isolate the viral agent responsible for the disease process. Ami continues to swim much of the time on her own and is receiving formula about every three hours around the clock.

1/25 Necropsy on Mia revealed mild erosions in the second (glandular) stomach, enlarged liver, and large numbers of parasites in the blubber, urinary bladder (probably from kidneys), lungs, muscle areas of the neck, stomach, and intestinal tract. Otherwise, necropsy was unremarkable. Final diagnosis awaits pathology report and virus isolation which will take about two to three months. Ami, the calf, continues to do fairly well. She is supporting herself and swimming most of the time. Chest radiographs (x-rays) revealed no pneumonia and her blood work continues to be good.

1/26 Very little change. Calf is taking more formula every day, but is still somewhat weak.

1/27 Ami now appears to be getting stronger by the hour. She is swimming around the entire tank and is initiating contact with some of the enrichment devices that are placed in her tank.

1/28 Ami continues to gain strength and swim more. A volunteer is in the water with her but she is seldom being held. She is now gaining weight (current weight from 1/27 was 46.5 kg = 102 lbs).

1/29 Ami gained another two pounds (1 kg) in the last two days. She is somewhat lethargic today, but is swimming on her own all the time.

1/30 Calf is less lethargic today. Her electrolyte levels that were down yesterday are increasing again.

1/31 The calf continues to get stronger each day with more active swimming each day.

2/1 No major changes today.

2/2 Ami's white count started up last evening so she was started on two different antibiotics, one oral and one injectable. This morning, she developed a lot of gastric gas and colic. We have initiated treatment but are guessing that it may be one ingredient in the formula that is not setting well. Will try modifying the formula to eliminate the problem.

2/3 Ami seems better this morning. White count has quit increasing so the antibiotics seem to be working.

2/4 Calf is showing a dramatic improvement. White count is down significantly and she is swimming more. Modification of the formula seems to have solved the problem.

2/5 Ami appears to be the strongest she has been since she arrived. Her white count has gone back up a little, so we have switched antibiotics, but overall, she looks better. Her swimming pattern is now similar to that of other calves that we have treated.

2/6 Getting stronger and more active every day.

2/7 Calf seems to be developing a stomach infection but it is responding to antibiotics. White count is coming down and she is feeling so good, she is getting to be a "handful" when it comes time to catch her.

2/8 Continued improvement.

2/9 Last night Ami finally made the connection between the feeding tube and nourishment and she is now coming to the feeder with her mouth open to accept the tube. She no longer must be held for her feed. She is more playful and is jumping over a rub-line that floats on top of the water.

2/10 Appetite is excellent and she is more playful every day. Although her weight gain had stopped for a few days, she is now gaining weight again.

2/11 Ami developed a little stomach cramping. We will be taking some samples in the morning to determine the cause.

2/12 Much less cramping today. More eager to eat. White count down.

2/13 Continued improvement.

2/14 Ami has some digestive upset today. We are concerned that she may be developing gastric ulcers.

2/15 New medication seems to be helping a lot. Not so much digestive upset. White count is normal and she has been taken off the antibiotics.

2/16 Back to some digestive upset again.

2/17 Taking 6 out of 8 feeds per day. Still gaining weight, but only a half pound a day.

2/18 Ami has a better appetite now. White count is staying normal and blood chemistries are all within normal limits. There are fewer digestive problems today.

2/19 Continued improvement. Now taking 7 out of 8 feeds per day.

2/20 More of the same.

2/21 We are making formula modifications to reduce gas problems. She is quite playful today.

2/22 Ami had some stomach problems last evening due to the Prevacid she had been given. We are switching her to Prilosec instead. All blood values are staying normal.

2/23 Prilosec seems to be doing the job. Appetite is much better.

2/24 Continued improvement.

2/26 Appetite is finally very good. She is taking all feeds and still wants more, so we are increasing the volume of formula in each feed. She continues to gain weight.

2/27 Ami is eating and playing and has been taken off most medications.

2/28 Ami is behaving like a healthy whale, eating everything we offer her. Her caloric intake is finally at the level that we want.

3/1 There appear to be less stereotypical swimming in circles and more interactions every day.

3/2 Doing very well today.

3/4 Ami continues to do well. Updates will now be every other day unless a major change takes place.

3/5 Exam this morning indicated that Ami is doing very well. She gained about 10 pounds in the last week (now weighs 54.5 kg or 120 pounds). Her blood values are all within normal limits. She has been off all antibiotics for about 2 weeks and was taken off antifungals this morning. The only problem we can find is some stomach irritation that she is being treated for with prevacid.

3/7 Ami is continuing to do very well. No changes.

3/9 Ami has not missed a meal in over 4 days. Looking very good.

3/11 Calf has developed a little diarrhea but is still eating very well. Behavior is great.

3/12 Ami has gained another 3 kg (6.6 lbs) in the last week. Blood values continue to be normal, and the stomach irritation seems to be greatly reduced.

3/13 Very active and playful. Doing great.

3/19 Ami continues to do very, very well. Exam this morning went well. Ami now weighs 62.0kg (136.4 lb) and is 152cm (60 in) in length. She is 33 pounds heavier and is 5.5 inches longer than when she arrived 58 days ago. 3/21 Continuing to do very well.

3/23 Not as hungry as on previous days.

3/24 Ami's appetite back to normal after about 12 hours.

3/26 Ami had diarrhea last night but is fine this morning. Weight this morning was 64.5 kg (142 lb) and exam went well.

3/28 No more diarrhea. We have raised the water level for her and she seems to be doing better in the deeper water. Appetite is great.

4/1 Occasionally Ami regurgitates a little formula during feed. Will plan to do gastroscopy to try to determine cause tomorrow during weekly exam. Otherwise, doing very well.

4/2 Weekly exam indicated Ami is still gaining weight (now 68.0 kg or 150 lb) and length (now 157 cm or 62 inches). Gastroscopy revealed several lesions in the lower esophagus and stomach that appear to be fungal infections. Biopsies and cultures were taken and new medication has already been started.

4/5 Ami had some discomfort this morning from intestinal gas (probably as a result of the gastroscopy procedure) but she seems to have passed all the gas and is behaving normally again. No other problems.

4/7 Doing well.

4/9 Weekly exam revealed improvement in fungal infection. She weighed 71 kg (156.2 lbs - up 6.6 lbs from last week) and her total length was 160 cm (63 inches - up one inch in one week!). Appetite is very good and she has started playing with whole dead squid. Hopefully, she will begin eating them soon. Examination of her right eye (the first time we have been able to examine it since she arrived) indicated that the eye may be reduced in size, but she seems to be able to at least see light from it.

4/11 Ami is doing very well. We have raised the water level again (now a little over 2 meters deep) and have installed a safety net over the top (to keep her from jumping out of the tank).

4/13 Ami has a little digestive upset this morning but seems to be minor. Doing well otherwise. Will be raising the dosage of prevacid.

4/16 Digestive upset lasted one day and she is back to her usual now. Exam went well with her current weight at 74 kg (163 lbs - up another 6.6 lbs from last week).

4/18 Continuing to eat well and be very playful.

4/20 No change in the last few days.

4/23 Weekly exam went well. Ami is now 76 kg (167 lbs). We plan to do a gastroscopy on Wednesday to evaluate the stomach.

4/25 Gastroscopy this morning revealed that the ulcers in the first stomach are completely healed and the yeast infection is almost completely gone. There appears to be a bacterial infection further down the tract and we have started her on antibiotics for that. Her length today was 165 cm (5'5", up two inches in only two weeks).

4/27 Ami is a little hesitant to eat today, probably caused by the gastroscopy procedure on Wednesday.

5/1 Exam yesterday was fine. Ami now weighs 79 kg (173.8 lb). Her medication has been changed and she is more active and eating well.

5/3 No change.

5/7 Exam was good this morning. Ami's weight is now 82 kg (180.4 lb) and length is 170 cm (5'7"). Intestinal problem seems to be resolving.

5/9 We have now raised the water in Ami's tank such that it is approximately 9 feet deep. This allows us to feed her from the side of the tank instead of inside the tank. Ami is a little slow to adjust to the change in feeding routine but is doing very well otherwise.

5/12 Ami continues to do well. She is now eating some squid in addition to her milk formula.

5/14 Doing very well. Weight this morning was 85.5 kg (188.1 lb) so weight gain is getting even better. We are hoping to take her off several medications for her stomach in the next few days.

5/16 Ami continues to do very well. She has been taken off most medications. She is eating more squid every day but is still receiving formula five times per day.

5/18 Continues doing very well. 5/21 Today's weight is 89 kg (195.8 lb) and she has grown another cm in length. She seems to be increasing in girth rather than length at this time. Appetite and attitude are great.

5/23 Continuing to do very well. 5/25 More of the same.

5/28 Ami continues to do well. Today's weight is 91.5 kg (201 lbs). Very playful.

5/30 Doing well.

6/1 No change. Today Ami became the second longest living orphan Kogia, surpassing Summer's 133 days.

6/4 Exam today revealed an area on the skin of her ventral abdomen that appears infected. Area was treated topically. Weight today was 94.0 kg (207 lb) and length was 179 cm (5/10.5").

6/6 Infected area is much better today. Doing very well.

6/8 Infected area continues to heal. Behavior is "normal".

6/11 Today's weight was 96.0 kg (211.2 lb). Infected area continues to heal well.

6/13 No change.

6/15 Still doing very well.

6/18 Yesterday Ami broke the record for the longest time in captivity of an orphan pygmy sperm whale (previously held by Juno). Today her weight was 100 kg (220 lb) and her length was 182 cm (6'). Infected area is healing well as it is now about one quarter its original size.

6/20 Infected area continues to heal quickly.

6/24 Continuing to do very well.

6/25 Exam this morning was good. Her weight is now 103.5 kg (227.7 lb) so she continue to grow. Infected area is almost healed.

6/27 Doing great, no change.

6/29 Doing well enough to tie the world Kogia record for time in captivity today (the record held by Inky).

7/1 Ami broke the record yesterday and is doing well today.

7/2 Today's weight is 107.5 kg (236.5 lb) and her total length is 188 cm (6'2"). She is obviously growing well.

7/5 Continuing to do well.

7/7 No change.

7/9 Ami continues to do well. She is still in the weaning process- taking 2 liters of an artificial formula and approximately 6 pounds of solid food (squid) each day.

7/11 No change.

7/13 Nemo is being placed into Ami's tank with her today to determine how they will get along.

7/14 Ami and Nemo are together and doing very well.

7/16 Both whales are still together but they seem to be ignoring each other. Ami's weight this morning was 110.5 kg (243.1 lb) and her length was unchanged.

7/18 Ami seems to be trying to interact with Nemo but he appears to not want to interact. Ami's appetite is good.

7/22 Ami continues to do well. Still very little interaction.

SECOND SIX MONTHS  

7/24 Ami is doing well but Nemo has been moved back into the other med tank until he is doing better.

7/26 No change with Nemo being removed from her tank. Doing well.

7/29 Continuing to do very well. 8/1 Ami continues to do well. Ami's length this week was 190.5 cm (6'3") and weight was 117.0 kg (257.4 lb).

8/3 Ami's appetite was off a little yesterday, possibly due to weather associated with Tropical Storm Barry, but is better today.

8/7 Ami is doing well.

8/9 Ami's appetite has been off a little for the last two days. Sed rate is high so we will begin antibiotics.

8/11 Ami's appetite is off a little, probably due to the antibiotics. Otherwise, doing well.

8/14 Ami is now refusing food completely and is vomiting frequently. Gastroscopy this morning revealed nothing abnormal in the esophagus or first two stomachs. Beginning a new medication to stop vomiting.

8/15 Ami is much better this morning than yesterday morning. She had to be taken off all medication and she is now eating and not vomiting.

8/16 Somewhat better but still somewhat lethargic.

8/18 Ami is more active and appetite is improving. She has been slowly becoming increasingly anemic (non-regenerative) and was given erythropoietin this morning to stimulate RBC production.

8/20 Ami is already showing a response to the erythropoietin but unfortunately her white count is going up as well. She was started on antibiotics this afternoon.

8/22 Ami's appetite is down and she has been vomiting. She is also less active so we are monitoring her more closely.

8/24 Downward trend continues- After results from gastric cytology and blood tests, Ami is now being treated for a presumed gastric ulcer/GI infection and a possible respiratory infection. Yesterday we also gave her a second dose of erythropoietin (EPO) with the hope that it will "jumpstart" her body's production of new red blood cells.

8/27 Ami has been vomiting occasionally and her appetite is up and down. Generally she appears better today. Another dose of EPO was given today and a new antibiotic has been started.

8/29 Ami is vomiting less and is hungrier than she has been for the last week.

8/30 Ami seems to be doing much better today. She has taken every feed that she has been offered and is starting to eat squid again. White count is back to normal.

9/1 A gastroscopy was performed yesterday and healing lesions were found in Ami's throat and upper esophagus. We have never seen this type of lesion before but assume it is either bacterial or viral. Cultures were taken and we should know more in a few days. In the meantime, treatment has been modified accordingly.

9/5 Ami is doing somewhat better. No vomiting for several days.

9/7 Ami's appetite is continuing to improve.

9/9 Ami continues to improve each day.

9/11 Ami is finally taking all of her meals again and has started gaining back some of the 5 kg weight that she had lost over the last month. Blood work continues to improve.

9/16 Tropical Storm Gabrielle had our electricity out for two days but we are back on line again. Ami came through the storm without any problems, except that after the storm was over she started vomiting again. Medication seems to have it under control again. She is again gaining weight.

9/18 No change.

9/20 Ami is improving and is back to behaving as she was a month ago. A problem with constipation seems to be resolving and appetite is very good.

9/23 Ami is back to her ravenous appetite and has been put back on solid food. She is eating it well and is keeping it down so far. She is also very playful again.

9/24 Ami's weight today is 114 kg (250.8 lb) and her length is 199 cm (6'6"). She is definitely back to growing again.

9/26 Ami continues to do well. She is eating more squid every day.

9/28 Ami is doing better each day. Blood values have improved, as well.

9/30 Still improving daily.

10/2 Continues to eat more solid food every day and is still gaining weight.

10/5 Very active and playful. Seems to be back to her normal behavior.

10/7 Doing very well. At this point, over 50% of Ami's calories are from solid food (shrimp and squid). She is well on the way to being weaned from the formula.

10/9 Ami's weight today was 120.5 kg (265.1 lb) and she is definitely becoming girthier. Appetite is excellent.

10/11 Stool softener is working amazing well at keeping Ami "regular" and keeping her appetite up. Getting very close to having her weaned, probably by next week.

10/13 Over 2/3 of Ami's calories are now from solid food. Looks like weaning by middle of next week. Weight this morning was 124 kg (272.8 lb).

10/16 Ami is now off of her formula (weaned as of 10am today). She is receiving about 14 lb of squid and 3.5 lb of shrimp daily. We weighed her again yesterday and she had gained another 2 kg (4.4 lb) in only two days. She is catching up quickly with the weight she lost last month.

10/19 Ami has been doing well except that she vomited a little last night and again this morning. Hopefully, just a little upset stomach.

10/22 Ami's vomiting has stopped but we are concerned that she may be constipated and that she may still have erosions in her esophagus (throat) that cause her to refuse solid food. We have seen improvement in the past two days on medications for both conditions (reglan, stool softener, mineral oil, pain and ulcer medications).

10/25 Ami had a couple more episodes of vomiting yesterday but none since. She seems to be slowly improving and has had some large "inkings" (defecations) that indicates that her GI tract is functioning better. She no longer seems to have a sore throat. Having had to put Ami back on a liquid diet, we are again gradually returning to an all-solid diet of squid and have discontinued the minerl oil. Meanwhile we are also pleased that Ami has learned to voluntarily swim into a stretcher which permits us to weigh her weekly without having to catch her. Frequent weight data is critical in monitoring the growth and health of young orphan calves.

10/27 Ami continues to slowly but steadily improve in appetite. In general she is playful and interactive, as a young animal should be. It has now been nine months since Ami stranded with her mom, and we would like to acknowledge the hundreds of volunteers whose heroic efforts, day and night, through heat and cold, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week have been so critical in bringing us to this day!

10/30 Ami has seemed just a little "off" in the past week despite the fact that she is eating well. Therefore, when we examined Ami yesterday and found that she had a possible bacterial infection (indicated in part by a rise in her WBC), we have begun treating her with an antibiotic. Meanwhile, we continue to increase the solid-food portion of her diet and will start to take her off some of the recent medications for her GI problems.

11/1 Ami continues to improve. She is now off all formula and is eating about 18 lb of squid per day.

11/3 Now eating about 20 lb of squid per day.

11/8 Appetite has been up and down over the last week, but has been impoving over the last two days.

11/11 Appetite continues to be variable, but generally good.

11/15 Ami continues to do fairly well. She now receives a little formula each day, primarily for the fluids to aid digestion.

11/18 Ami's appetite is back again and she is eager to eat anything that is offered to her.

11/19 Ami's weight is now 132.5 kg (291.5 lb) and her length is 208 cm (6'10").

11/21 Ami continues to have a voracious appetite, eating everything offered and begging for more.

11/23 Continues to do very well. Today's weight was 136.5 kg (300.2 lb).

11/26 Continuing to eat well, todays weight was 138 kg (303.6 lb).

11/29 Ami has not missed a single squid for almost 3 weeks. She continues to be interactive.

12/3 All bloodwork today was either the same or improved. Today's weight was 141.5 kg (311 lb) and length was 211 cm (6'11").

12/5 Still doing very well. No change.

12/8 Ami continues to be very active and eat well.

12/10 Today's weight was 144 kg (316.8 lb).

12/12 Ami has been taken off all antifungal medication and we plan to have her off all ulcer medication by this weekend. Doing very well.

12/14 More of the same.

12/17 Today's weight was 148.5 kg (326.7 lb) and her length was the same as last time.

12/19 Ami continues to do very well. We are currently trying to treat what appears to be a mild sinusitis via antibiotic nebulization.

12/21 Continuing to eat everything offered to her.

12/24 Weight today was 151.5 kg (333.3 lb). Sinusitis is improving.

12/26 Active and hungry.

12/28 Continuing to do well.

12/31 Weight is now 154.5 kg (339.9 lb) and her length is 215 cm (7'1"). Still some sinusitis but doing well otherwise.

1/2/02 Due to a rising white cell count, Ami has been put back on an antibiotic and an antifungal. Still eating well and active.

1/4 White count is going back down quickly and sinusitis seems much improved.

1/7 Ami's weight today was 158.5 kg (348.7 lb) and she continues to eat well.

1/9 Continuing to do well.

1/11 Ami has been constipated for the past week, but that situation is now resolved.

1/15 Ami's weight yesterday was 162 kg (356.4 lb) and her length was unchanged. She vomited a small amount last night and her white cell count is going up so she has been put back on antibiotics.

1/20 Ami's white count is coming back down but is still having some vomiting occasionally. Have taken her off solid food so she gets only formula for a few days.

SECOND YEAR   1/21 Today marks one full year that Ami has been at the Dolphin and Whale Hospital. During that time, she has gained about 260 pounds of weight and about 2.5 feet in length.

1/24 Ami's white count is back to normal and she will likely be taken off antibiotics tomorrow. She is now receiving a combination of squid and formula.

1/28 Ami's behavior seem to be back to normal for her. Decreasing formula and increasing squid. She has lost a little weight (160.5 kg) but is growing in length 217 cm (7'2").

1/30 Ami continues to have minor gastrointestinal problems. Planning to do gastroscopy on Friday to determine cause.

2/1 Gastroscopy this morning indicated small erosions and several raised areas in the first stomach. The raised areas are possibly parasite granulomas. Have started her on carafate and will use an anthelmintic for any parasites. Otherwise, she is still playful.

2/4 Ami has been showing some vomiting from the antibiotic and her appetite is down a little. Today's weight was 165 kg (363 lbs).

2/6 Appetite is better today and she has not vomited in 48 hrs.

2/8 Slowly improving every day.

2/13 Ami is doing much better. She is off antibiotics, at least temporarily, and her appetite seems to be back to normal.

2/15 Ami is the most playful she has been in the last few months. This usually indicates that she is feeling very well.

2/18 Ami's weight today was 163.5 kg (359.7 lb) and she appears to be gaining weight again. Appetite is very good.

2/20 Yesterday, Ami began to rub on the bottom of the tank and was abrading her abdomen but dexamethasone seems to have alleviated the problem. Appetite continues to be good.

2/22 Ami is becoming constipated again. She will be given a treatment for it in the morning. It seems to be from the squid so we may have to reduce even further the amount of squid she gets and at the same time increase the formula.

2/25 Doing well today. Weight is 165.5 kg (364.5 lb) and length is 221 cm (7'3").

2/27 Ami is active and appetite is good today.

3/1 Switched antibiotics yesterday and blood values have improved today. Doing well otherwise.

3/4 Continuing to do well.

3/6 More of the same.

3/8 Some vomiting and inappetance today, probably due to the antibiotic. Changed antibiotics again.

3/9 Ami seems much better today.

3/11 Today's weight was 167 kg (367.4 lb) and length was still 221 cm.

3/13 Ami continues to improve. No more vomiting or rubbing her abdomen. Since she is still not able to digest squid well, we will be trying to feed her some herring tomorrow to see how that works for her.

3/16 Ami is taking the herring very well and doing well on it, so far.

3/19 Ami generally doing fairly well. Yesterday's weight was 168 kg (369.6 lb).

3/20 Ami appears to be more interactive today. New enzymes may be helping with digestion.

3/23 Doing well, although she may be becoming slightly constipated again.

3/25 Today's weight was 169 kg (371.8 lb) and length was 223.5 cm (7'4").

3/28 Continuing to do well. Rubbing on the tank some, however.

4/1 Less rubbing and appetite good. Today's weight 173 kg (380.6 lb).

4/4 Appetite very good. Have started adding shark fillets to her diet, which she accepts well. Continuing on herring, as well.

4/11 Ami did not do well on the shark fillets. Over the weekend she developed vomiting and diarrhea and a stomach infection. Have put her back on antibiotics and antifungals and she is doing much better.

4/12 Ami continues to improve daily.

4/17 Ami's appetite is excellent and she is very playful.

4/21 Ami's weight is now 177.5 kg (390.5 lb) and her length is 227.5 cm (7'6"). She is now off antibiotics and antifungals.

4/24 Ami continuing to do well. She is digesting herring fillets well and will soon be taken off the formula.

4/26 No change, doing well.

4/29 Ami continues to do well. Today's weight was 182.5 kg (401.5 lb), obviously doing well on the herring fillets.

5/3 Ami again appears to have an ulcer causing occasional vomiting and decreased appetite. We have begun treating her and have put her back on a liquid diet temporarily.

5/6 Ami is feeling better and again is eating well, but she has lost a little weight this week- her weight is 181.5 kg (399 lbs) today. Ami's length is now 229 cm (7.5 ft). She is responding to ulcer treatment, and we are beginning to reintroduce solid food (herring fillets) into her diet.

5/8 Ami is doing well today. Yesterday she had GI problems again, perhaps aggravated by the solid food (herring). We will keep her on a liquid diet today and then slowly add squid back into her diet. What to feed Ami has been a real challenge because so little is known about the nutritional requirements of pygmy sperm whales. We know that they eat squid, but the deep water species that they catch may be quite different nutritionally from the commercially available "restaurant" variety we can offer. What we need are samples of the species of squid these whales normally catch to have analyzed, but these squid are difficult to acquire.

5/10 The not-so-little whale calf is doing well. Ami has been very playful and interactive. Meanwhile, we are gradually increasing the squid in her diet (2.5 lbs today).

5/13 Ami is again gaining weight; she gained 1 kg (2.2 lbs) this week. She is active and eating well. Her weekly exam shows that she is fairly stable and her ulcer is improving. We will continue to gradually increase the amount of solid food in her diet (now at 4 lbs of squid per day).

5/15 No change in the past two days- still doing well.

5/18 Ami continues to improve. She is now on a combination of squid and herring fillets.

5/20 Ami is doing well and gaining weight. She is almost back entirely on solid food.

5/24 Still doing well. She has now passed 16 months in captivity.

5/28 In general, Ami is doing quite well. She continues to grow and has been taken off all formula. Still some problem with a gastric ulcer, but no constipation.

5/31 Continuing to do well.

6/3 Ami is off all antibiotics again, is gaining weight, and doing well otherwise.

6/6 Still doing very well.

6/10 Weight and length continue to increase. Gastroscopy revealed that the ulcer is almost completely healed.

6/12 No change.

6/16 Appetite excellent, very playful. No constipation.

6/20 Still gaining weight and doing well.

6/24 Ami is now over 200 kg (440 lb) and over 236 cm (>7'9") in length. She is now off ulcer medication. It has now been over 18 months since Ami arrived at the DWH.

6/26 Still doing very well.

7/4 Ami appears to be the most stable that she has been since starting on solid food. Gaining weight well.

7/11 Ami continues to do well.

7/16 More of the same!

7/19 Ami is getting less attention with the arrival of the new calf, Simone, but continues to do very well.

7/23 Ami is still gaining weight, so much that we are reducing her calories.

7/27 Ami continues doing very well.

7/29 Ami seems to be developing an infection on her side. Started her on medication today for it. Still doing well otherwise.

7/31 Ami's bloodwork looks good today and infection seems to be improving.

8/2 Infection is much improved.

8/5 Ami had some vomiting over the week-end ("sour stomach"), but is back to normal today.

8/7 Ami still has occasional vomiting but blood and behavior appear normal.

8/9 No vomiting in last two days.

8/12 Seems to be back to normal.

8/16 Staff have recovered fungal elements from Ami's blowhole, indicating a fungal infection. Has been started on medication for that. Appetite continues to be good.

8/19 Ami had one vomiting episode over the weekend, but is better today.

8/21 Much better for the last two days. Medication seems to be working.

8/22 Today, Ami has been at DWH for 19 months and she is still going strong.

8/26 Ami is doing better each day and fungal infection is almost gone. She is now almost 500 lbs and over 8 feet long.

9/6 Ami is continuing to do well. She is active and playful.

9/10 Ami continues to do well. No changes.

9/17 More of the same.

9/23 Ami is still gaining weight and doing very well.

9/27 Ami is having an off-day today. Seems to be having gastric upset.

9/30 Ami's appetite is off and she has diarrhea. Performed exam this morning and collected samples for a diagnosis.

10/1 Ami is much better today, appetite is returning.

10/4 Whale was severely off again for two days, but appetite is better today. Appears to be another drug reaction. This species is so delicate that we have experienced severe side effects from about one-third of all drugs she has received. The confusing part is that she was not on any drug that she had not be on several times before!

10/8 Ami is still up and down but is somewhat better today.

10/10 Much better today. She was off all solid food for 3 days, but is back on squid today and appetite is good.

10/11 Ami is again vomiting all solid food, so she is back on liquids only again. Probably another gastric ulcer.

10/12 Ami has been going downhill very rapidly over the last 24 hrs. There is evidence of intestinal blockage. Outlook is not good at this point. We have started her on some medication to try to relieve any blockage.

10/12 pm. Throughout today Ami has been continually getting worse. At about 1930 hrs this evening, Ami died very quietly. A necropsy will be performed tomorrow to determine the cause of death.

10/13 A necropsy today revealed what is best described as an intestinal torsion. The mesentery and intestine had essentially "tied a knot in itself", thus shutting off the blood supply to the intestine. This caused the intestine to become necrotic, rupture, and cause the death of the whale. Unfortunately, there was nothing that could be done to treat it once it had occurred. We want to express our thanks to the many volunteers, interns, and staff of the DWH who donated so many hours over the last 21 months to keep Ami alive and enriched during her stay with us.