Seattle aquarium taught an asthmatic otter to use an inhaler

The staff veterinarian says an allergy attack for an otter is similar to what a human experiences: trouble breathing, lethargic behavior. Lahner listened to her chest just like an M.D. would listen a child’s lungs to help diagnose asthma.

Mishka most likely had low-grade asthma before the wildfires. The aquarium wrote in a blog post that it's difficult to say exactly why the otter has asthma, but sometimes it's a mixture of genetics, environmental exposure, sometimes it's just exposure to an irritating substance such wildfire smoke.

Reduced genetic diversity could have contributed to Mishka's diagnosis. Sea otters went extinct in Washington and 40 years ago, Alaskan sea otters were brought south and reintroduced to the coast.

Now, Mishka is learning to use an inhaler to receive medication that will help her breathe better. Her medication is the same as that used by humans with asthma.

Her trainer uses food to teach the 1-year-old to push her nose on the inhaler and take a deep breath.

“We try to make it as fun as possible,” aquarium biologist Sara Perry said. “Anytime you’re training a medical behavior, you want to make it nice and positive."

Aside from asthma, Mishka is a happy and healthy little otter, Lahner said.

Lahner said that Mishka's asthma serves as a reminder that animals can't get away from poor air quality, and that it's important for humans to keep the environment clean.