Aquadocs

Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig

Aquadocs is the #1 podcast on aquatic medicine and a Top 50 Life Sciences podcast. Each week host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews veterinarians and animal health experts about their roles in the aquatics community. If you are looking for a fun easy way to learn more about marine mammals, aquaculture, fish/exotic private practice, science communication and policy, new research, and more, this is the resource for you! Episodes are available on your favorite podcast streaming services (Apple/Spotify/Google) and at www.aquadocspodcast.com. Edited by Zach Greenfield-Feig. read less

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Play Trailer

Season 4 Trailer

Season 4 Trailer

Hello and welcome to season 4 of Aquadocs. We've got a great season for you starting up next week October 3rd. This season we’ll be discussing topics including the new Florida Coral Rescue Center, the ins and outs of a marine mammal stranding team, ethical means of euthanasia in blue crabs, the well being of exotic and zoological veterinarians, and so much more. Some other season 4 highlights: we are very excited to announce our new partnership with the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, thank you to Cassandra Demola for serving as our social media intern for the past two years, and welcome to Casey Dunbar as our new social media intern. We are so excited to bring you a new season filled with lots of knowledge and stories from colleagues in the aquatic animal industry. So be sure to follow us and subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify or whoever you listen to podcasts. And as always feel free to follow us on social media (@aquadocspodcast) and reach out if you have any questions or you’d like to be featured on an episode. Thank you again for all of your continued support! Hope you love season 4!

Episodes

82. Fish Prints

82. Fish Prints

Honoring the life of a beloved pet with a paw print is a beautiful way to remember them. But what happens when your patients have fins and scales? On this week’s episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Eric Littman, staff veterinarian for Adventure Aquarium about his novel approach to science communication and art. Tune in to learn about Dr. Littman's artistic process and the way in which he honors both the animal and the teams that have worked so hard to care for them over the years.

81. Creating a Positive Impact

81. Creating a Positive Impact

On this week’s episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Greenfield-Feig, interviews Dr. Lara Croft, veterinary scientist over scientific grants programs at Morris Animal Foundation, about the different ways she has positively impacted aquatic animal health within and beyond clinical work. Tune in to learn about the review process for scientific grants. And make sure you stick around to the end to learn about an interesting case where Dr. Croft and her colleagues developed a special milk formula for emaciated manatees.

80. Baby Emperor Penguin

80. Baby Emperor Penguin

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, we are discussing all things penguin. SeaWorld San Diego recently successfully hatched a baby emperor penguin for the first time in over a decade. Tune in as Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Jennifer Russell, staff veterinarian at SeaWorld San Diego, about her experience working with Pearl, the baby penguin, as well as her research studying the ocular anatomy of penguins.

79. Dolphin History Lesson

79. Dolphin History Lesson

On this episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Jay Sweeney, co-owner and chief veterinarian of Dolphin Quest, about his history in the field of aquatic animal medicine. Tune in to learn about the origins of diagnostic imaging and sampling in marine mammals. And stick around to hear about the unique preventative medicine techniques Dolphin Quest employs as a means of providing high-quality medical care for their animals.

78. Wellbeing of Non-Domestic Animal Vets

78. Wellbeing of Non-Domestic Animal Vets

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. John Griffioen, Assistant Director of Animal Programs and Conservation at the Fort Worth Zoo, about his recent study evaluating the hematologic and biochemical values in Japanese spider crabs (Macrocheira kaempheri). In this episode, we also discuss Dr. Griffioen's AAZV presentation about the wellbeing of non-domestic animal veterinarians. Some of the key takeaways from this presentation include the high levels of stress and burnout in this industry and our collective inability to say "no" when opportunities arise. This is an important conversation but can be intense at times, so we wanted to be clear about what this episode will include. We hope you'll listen, but if this topic is not for you, we’ll catch you next time on Aquadocs. Spider Crab Research Article

77. Collaboration is Key

77. Collaboration is Key

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Kei Hayashi professor of surgery at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. This episode highlights the collaborative effort that often occurs throughout the veterinary profession. Dr. Hayashi, then surgeon at the University of California, Davis, was asked to consult on a case of osteomyelitis (infection of the bone) in a sea lion pup at The Marine Mammal Center. After an amputation surgery, some further supportive care, and rehabilitation, the pup was successfully released back into the wild. Interested in collaborating with Dr. Hayashi or have other questions, feel free to email him at kh528@cornell.edu.

76. Ethical Blue Crab Euthanasia

76. Ethical Blue Crab Euthanasia

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Dr. Alissa Mones, Associate Veterinarian at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. Dr. Mones recently published a study about best methods for humanely euthanizing blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus). She specifically looked at potassium chloride, ivermectin, and lidocaine hydrochloride as potential options. You'll have to tune in to find out which she found was best. And stick around to the end to hear about Dr. Mones's experience completing the North Carolina State Residency program in the American College of Zoological Medicine. She'll discuss the basics of the program and her tips on submitting a strong application. Blue Crab Research Paper

75. Marine Mammal Stranding Response

75. Marine Mammal Stranding Response

What happens when a stranding response team gets a call about a stranded animal? On this week's episode of Aquadocs, Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Sarah Callan, animal rescue program manager at Mystic Aquarium, about her work completing necropsies on large whales and rescuing and rehabilitating stranded seals and sea turtles. From training a full team of volunteers, organizing colleagues with large machinery, traveling to often hard-to-reach locations, and beating the impending weather, there is never a dull moment when it comes to stranding response. Plus, stick around to the end of the episode to hear the inspiring story of local favorite Shoebert the seal.

74. Restoring an Entire Ecosystem

74. Restoring an Entire Ecosystem

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Dr. Michelle Greenfield-Feig interviews Jim Kinsler, aquarium curator at SeaWorld Orlando, about his work saving coral. An unprecedented coral disease event -- stony coral tissue loss disease -- has been ravaging the Florida reefs since 2014. Jim, his team at SeaWorld, as well as many partner organizations including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Disney's Conservation Fund, have come together to develop the Florida Coral Rescue Center whose goal is to rescue, repopulate, and restore Florida's coral reefs. This is certainly not an easy task, so get ready to listen to an inspiring story of how aquatic professionals are trying to restore an entire ecosystem. Cornell Wildlife Health Center Event Registration

Season 4 Trailer

Season 4 Trailer

Hello and welcome to season 4 of Aquadocs. We've got a great season for you starting up next week October 3rd. This season we’ll be discussing topics including the new Florida Coral Rescue Center, the ins and outs of a marine mammal stranding team, ethical means of euthanasia in blue crabs, the well being of exotic and zoological veterinarians, and so much more. Some other season 4 highlights: we are very excited to announce our new partnership with the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, thank you to Cassandra Demola for serving as our social media intern for the past two years, and welcome to Casey Dunbar as our new social media intern. We are so excited to bring you a new season filled with lots of knowledge and stories from colleagues in the aquatic animal industry. So be sure to follow us and subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify or whoever you listen to podcasts. And as always feel free to follow us on social media (@aquadocspodcast) and reach out if you have any questions or you’d like to be featured on an episode. Thank you again for all of your continued support! Hope you love season 4!

73. The Sound of a Healthy Dolphin

73. The Sound of a Healthy Dolphin

Is it possible to monitor, and even predict, a dolphin's health just by looking at recordings of its vocalizations? On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Brittany Jones, the Deputy Director of Conservation Biology Sound and Health at the National Marine Mammal Foundation about her research studying bottlenose dolphin vocalization patterns. Dr. Jones and her team are developing a model to classify the health status of a dolphin based on its whistles. In this way, they will be able to classify disease states just from voice recordings and monitor the health of these animals remotely, and potentially even predict diseases prior to clinical signs developing. This is an extraordinary project with huge implications on the future of aquatic animal health! And a huge congratulations to Michelle Greenfield on her upcoming graduation from veterinary school and her wedding to Aquadocs executive editor and co-producer Zach Feig.

72. Sleepy Antarctic Seals

72. Sleepy Antarctic Seals

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Sarah Kienle, assistant professor at Baylor, about her experience conducting remote field work with pinnipeds in Antarctica. Tune in as we talk about the process of sedating and collecting samples from these incredible creatures and highlight the importance of training veterinarians to support remote field expeditions. Dr. Kienle's Lab: https://www.sarahskienle.com/

71. Dolphin Diets and Kidney Stones

71. Dolphin Diets and Kidney Stones

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Amanda Ardente, veterinarian, nutritionist, and owner of Ardente Veterinary Nutrition about her work with aquatic and zoological nutrition. Dr. Ardente discusses the importance of nutrition in the care for animals in managed care facilities. A simple fix such as lowering the sugar content of a diet or serving whole fish instead of fish fillets could make a huge difference for an individual. AZA Nutrition Advisory Group Comparative Nutrition Society

70. Marine Mammal Anesthesia

70. Marine Mammal Anesthesia

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. James Bailey, a board certified veterinary anesthesiologist who specializes in zoo and wildlife animals, particularly marine mammals. Dr. Bailey describes the start of marine mammal anesthesia and how far we have come since its origin (like completing a successful 9 hour anesthetic procedure with an animal receiving a CT and bilateral cataract surgery). This episode is jam packed with zebra mussel clam research, the mechanics of marine mammal anesthesia, and fun facts you definitely don't want to miss.

69. Oyster Herpes

69. Oyster Herpes

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Eddie Haigh, veterinarian at the Haigh Veterinary Hospital in Washington, USA. Tune in as Dr. Haigh discusses a fascinating case about oyster Herpesvirus. And stick around to hear about his pursuit of aquaculture medicine while working for his family's small animal practice. It's all about taking extra classes, asking the right questions, and having the USDA's number on speed dial. For students interested in reaching out to Dr. Haigh, feel free to contact him via email: eddie.haigh@gmail.com or visit Haigh Veterinary Hospital.

68. Dolphin Welfare Study

68. Dolphin Welfare Study

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Lance Miller, Vice President of Conservation Science and Animal Welfare Research with the Chicago Zoological Society Brookfield Zoo. Tune in as we discuss a paper Dr. Miller and his colleagues published last year about the welfare of cetaceans in accredited zoos and aquariums. This paper and subsequent phone app developed as part of the study are truly shaping the future of how we will work with cetaceans in managed care facilities. Info on Welfare Study Cetacean Welfare Study Publication

67. Shark Health Assessments

67. Shark Health Assessments

How do you complete wild health assessments on sharks? Tune in to this week's episode of Aquadocs, where host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Michael Hyatt, associate veterinarian at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium, about his research with wild sharks. This is certainly a fintastic episode you don't want to miss!

66. Frankie the Electric Eel

66. Frankie the Electric Eel

On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Robert Martinez owner of Aquatic Veterinary Consulting in Utah. Dr. Martinez had a non-traditional route to the aquatics world and describes to listeners the importance of always being open to anything and being willing to read from the textbook if you want to succeed. Plus, tune in for an epic, or should we say, electrifying, case about Frankie, an electric eel. Frankie was first noticed with his tail hanging at the surface, and a worm coming out of his back end. Listen as Dr. Martinez describes this case and discusses the lessons he learned along the way (like the voltage you need to lower the eel to safely hold them). And wish Michelle luck as she takes her NAVLE this week!

65. Froggy Knee Surgery

65. Froggy Knee Surgery

Ever thought about doing knee surgery on a frog? On this week's episode of Aquadocs, host Michelle Greenfield interviews Dr. Bill Van Bonn, the former vice president for animal health and welfare at Shedd Aquarium. We'll discuss the experience of doing an innovative procedure on frog as well as the important microbiome research that Dr. Van Bonn and his colleagues are completing. This podcast episode is dedicated to Dr. Mark Greenfield and his OR team. Thanks for all of your support and for always tuning in to new episodes.

64. Saving Eels With Honey

64. Saving Eels With Honey

Ever wondered if you could save an animal's life just with honey? Well tune in to this week's episode of Aquadocs where Michelle interviews Dr. Brittany Stevens veterinarian at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California and veterinarian at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, about just that. In this episode, we discuss the case of Eelana, a California Moray Eel who suffered from a gnarly xanthoma. After removing the mass and doing her best to get the skin to heal, Dr. Stevens was nearly out of luck. She had thrown everything at Eelana, but Eelana wouldn't heal and even months after the procedure, you could still see through the incision all the way down to the skull! Then, Dr. Stevens had the crazy idea to try manuka honey. Can this work on an eel? You'll have to listen to find out!