Seal pup at Penzance vets repair badly bitten flipper

Purple, who is just a few weeks old, was treated at Rosevean Veterinary Practice after he was found in distress at Fisherman’s Cove in Godrevy.

It was the first seal emergency case seen by Rosevean Veterinary Practice, which is part of the VetPartners group of veterinary practices, since it began working with the Cornish Seal Sanctuary last month.

Vet and clinical director Matthew Berriman said Purple had suffered multiple bite wounds to his body, and his rear flipper was so badly bitten that a bone had been broken.

Purple the seal pup is recovering well after surgery to repair his badly bitten flipper (Image: Supplied)

Thanks to the care, skills and expertise of the team at Rosevean Vets, Purple is now recovering from his injuries at the Sanctuary, which rescues numerous pups from local coastal waters every year, before helping them back to health and eventually releasing them into the wild.

In a delicate two-hour operation performed by vet Sam Wheeler and a surgical team at Rosevean Veterinary Practice, Purple was placed under anaesthetic, which carries a higher risk of complications than with other animals.

Matthew said: “The rear flipper of a seal contains five bony digits, which are very much like human fingers. There were obvious bite marks on Purple’s flipper and it looks like another seal had clamped down quite hard with their teeth, fracturing one of the bones. It was quite a bad break and the wound had become infected.

“The best course of action to save Purple’s flipper and enable him to swim normally again was to partially amputate the broken bone and remove any infected tissue. We were really pleased with how the surgery went. During the operation and while Purple was under the anaesthetic, we had a team of vets and nurses monitoring Purple and helping him to breathe throughout the procedure, to ensure the best possible outcome.

“Purple’s recovery is progressing well and the surgical wound, which is about 6in long, is healing nicely. We have been receiving updates from the Sanctuary and Sam has been visiting the centre to carry out post-operative checks.”

Purple is recovering at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary following surgery at Rosevean Vets (Image: Pictures by Rosevean Vets)

After being asked to provide veterinary care to its seals, Rosevean Veterinary Practice will be performing health checks on pups brought to the Sanctuary during the current breeding season and treating any wounds or health conditions.

Matthew added: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Sanctuary and its animal care teams to help provide the best care possible to seals and help protect these wonderful creatures.”

Purple’s operation was funded by The Sanctuary’s supporters after an appeal was published on their social media pages.

The Sanctuary’s fundraising manager Leanne Atwood said: “As a charity we rely on generous donations from our supporters to help seal pups like Purple when they need vital operations. We were absolutely blown away by the support for our fundraiser and cannot thank everyone enough for their amazing generosity, this will help us to give Purple a chance at a happy and healthy new life in the wild.”

Purple is now recovering from surgery at the Sanctuary in Gweek, where he is being kept as dry as possible while his wound heals but is allowed daily playtime with a hose.

Cornish Seal Sanctuary curator Tamara Cooper said: “The difference in Purple since his surgery is incredible and he must feel much more comfortable. He’s a real water baby and loves playing with the water from the hosepipe and is behaving like a seal pup should do, which is lovely to see.

“We couldn’t be happier with the care Rosevean Veterinary Practice has given to Purple and to our other seal pups and are delighted that we’ll be benefiting from their expertise in the future. We are also grateful to the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDLMR), who went to Purple’s aid and brought him to us.”

Tamara believes Purple may have been bitten after confusing another seal with his mum, and added: “Other than the bites, Purple was in good health and this is what made him a good candidate for surgery. His mum had obviously done a good job of feeding him and he had plenty of fat stored to see him through the weaning process, which happens at around two and a half weeks of age. Hopefully Purple’s rehabilitation will continue to progress well and we’ll be able to be return him to the sea in a few weeks’ time.”

Rosevean Veterinary Practice puts the care of pets, care of people and care of each other above all else. It is part of VetPartners, which owns some of the UK’s most respected and trusted veterinary practices and associated animal healthcare businesses.