California sea lions affected by domoic acid poisoning require specialized rehabilitation addressing both acute neurological crisis and long-term brain damage that may prevent release.
Sea lion rehabilitation for domoic acid poisoning involves some of the most challenging welfare decisions in marine mammal medicine. Acutely seizing animals require intensive care that is stressful and invasive but necessary to prevent immediate death. The difficult welfare question arises with chronically affected animals: sea lions with permanent hippocampal damage who cannot navigate, recognize conspecifics normally, or demonstrate release-suitable behavior cannot thrive in the wild. The decision point between continued care and humane euthanasia for animals unlikely to recover requires objective behavioral assessment rather than emotional attachment to individual animals. Resources for rehabilitation are finite, making triage decisions about prognosis from admission assessment increasingly important.