Background
Pulmonary disease is a major reason for morbidity and mortality in cetaceans, and rapid treatment initiation is crucial for a successful outcome.
However, pulmonary disease is challenging to diagnose in cetaceans, as these animals are skilled at masking symptoms. Moreover, localising a suspected inflammation and diagnosing pulmonary pathology using well-established methods present varying difficulties in cetaceans.
Since some years, dolphins at Kolmården Wildlife Park have experienced seasonal coughing. The cause has not been investigated, partly due to the lack of tools to assess functional changes related to respiratory issues —changes that can be evaluated using spirometry, which is a non-invasive test of respiratory health.
Aims
To evaluate whether lung function testing reveals correlations between spirometry variables and coughing frequency in bottlenose dolphins.
