Daily steaming sessions help intensive care pups breath easier
Rescued seal pups at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre have been receiving daily sauna sessions after staff created a mobile sauna unit out of a modified wallpaper stripper.
The centre is currently caring for 49 common seal pups, many of which have respiratory problems. They were admitted to the centre at the start of June and some will require weeks, or even months of intensive care before they can return to the wild.
The makeshift sauna was created to help the pups breathe easier. Twice a day, staff feed a hose through a hole in the wall of each seal’s isolation cubicle, switch the machine on and fill the room with steam.
Centre manager Alison Charles explained: “We had previously used veterinary equipment in the past, but it just wasn't strong enough to steam the whole room.
"So, we put our thinking caps on and got creative and made our own mobile sauna unit out of a wallpaper steamer. It even has a timer and it's on a trolley so it can be wheeled from one cubicle to another.
“We have found it makes a real difference to the seals breathing (just like a sauna can help us) after they have had a few sessions with the steamer!”
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is inviting applications from veterinary students to attend a one-week extramural studies (EMS) placement in July 2026.
