Mishka, a 1-year-old sea otter at the Seattle Aquarium in Washington, is learning how to use an inhaler to treat its asthma, which inflames and narrows the airways and affects breathing.
Dr. Lesanna Lahner, who diagnosed Mishka, is training the sea otter in how to use the inhaler, which it will likely have to use for the rest of its life, according to NBC affiliate King 5.
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"We want to make this as fun as possible," Sara Perry, Mishka's trainer, told King 5. "Any kind of medical behavior you're training, you want to make sure it's nice and positive."
Perry uses food when training Mishka, teaching the sea otter to push its nose to the inhaler and breathe deeply. Although the mechanism is modified for a sea otter, the medicine is the same that a human with asthma would take.
Doctors aren't entirely sure what caused Mishka's asthma, but Dr. Lahner told King 5 that it may be caused by reduced genetic diversity.
Sea otters were extinct in Washington state and reintroduced from Alaska 40 years ago.
"Any time that happens and reduces the genetic diversity of a species that can affect their immune system, ability to fight off diseases or deal with environmental contaminants," Lahner explained.