Photo from Manatee Herald-Tribune of beach rescue.

5 Mar 00.  Today, Hemingway, an old male offshore bottlenose dolphin came ashore on Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island.  He was pushed backed off the beach several times but returned each time, so it was decided to transport him to the Dolphin and Whale Hospital for rehabilitation.  He arrived at about 5 pm.  A blood sample and numerous bacterial cultures were taken after he was then placed in the 30 foot medical tank.  Hemingway ("the old man from the sea") is an old male with many wounds on his skin and his front teeth are very worn.  He is suffering primarily from intestinal problems, but appears to have inhales some sea water in the surf at the beach.  He is being treated with antibiotics, a diuretic and lots of oral fluids to correct the dehydration.  He is being supported 24 hours a day at this time although he has been able to swim for short periods of time.  He is eating well on his own.

6 Mar 00.  During the night, Hemingway had difficulty breathing and had to receive medication to ease his breathing difficulty.  His breathing is much improved today.  He is very interested in eating, although we will only give him small amounts at each feed because of the intestinal problems.  He will receive about 10 pounds to eat today (squid, capelin and mackerel) and will receive about 12 liters of fluids orally as well.  From his blood work, his white cell count is elevated as is his creatinine concentration (may indicate kidney problems as well).  He continues to be supported continuously.

7 Mar 00.  We are seeing what appears to be cardiac problems as well as possibly a bleeding ulcer.  The cardiac problems seem to be causing pulmonary congestion and edema.  We plan to do x-rays, EKG, and endoscopy tomorrow and then make a decision regarding continuing treatment or euthanasia.

8 Mar 00.  EKG indicated severe cardiac pathology of some type, probably old age changes that are irreversible.  The decision was made to euthanize the animal so as not to prolong the inevitable.  A necropsy will be performed this afternoon to determine the extent of lesions.

Necropsy Results.  The necropsy gave indication of right sided heart failure, severe ulceration of second (glandular stomach), heavy parasite (nematode) infestation of first stomach, pulmonary edema and hemorrhage, abnormal kidneys (diagnosis awaits histopathology), numerous enlarged lymph glands, enlarged adrenal glands as well as some incidental findings.  Samples were collected for virus isolation (because of the large number of offshore bottlenoses that have stranded in the eastern Gulf recently) as well as a complete set of samples for histopathology.  The results of histopathology will take 1-2 months.