National Marine Fisheries Service biologist Lynne Barre watched the orca - nicknamed "Springer", but officially dubbed A-73 for her birth order in her Canadian family group, A-pod - down her 10th Atlantic salmon of the day, spokesman Brian Gorman said.

Since she was captured June 13, her caretakers had attributed A-73's poor appetite to stress and her unfamiliar surroundings.

She started with one or two fish a day, and by midweek was up to three or four.

Thursday's intake totaled about 50 pounds - getting closer to the 60 to 80 pounds a day recommended to increase her weight.

Her tenders - worried that she might not be getting enough water, which orcas get from their food - also fed her some water through a tube Thursday and began administering worm medicine, which was stuffed into the fish, Gorman said.

Her feces had shown large quantities of worms, an indication of a serious infestation. Usually only worm eggs are found. She also has an itchy skin condition and a symptom called ketosis - breath that smells like paint thinner.

Test results from blood and other samples taken from A-73 last week may not be available until Tuesday, Gorman said. Of special concern are tests for communicable disease that could pose barriers to her release in Canadian waters.

Preliminary reports don't show anything alarming, he said.

"She's doing well and she's in good physical shape. ... She's in relatively good health," Gorman said.

Once she's certified healthy, the plan is to move her to a netted-off cove on the east side of Canada's Vancouver Island, where her pod spends summers - arriving as early as late June or as late as August.

A-73 was born two years ago and apparently orphaned last year. She was spotted in Puget Sound near the Vashon Island ferry dock - miles from her pod's usual range - in mid-January. In addition to her health issues, scientists feared her increasing chumminess with boats would end either in a capsizing or injury to the young whale.

Meanwhile, her solitary counterpart up north - a young male called L-98, from one of three Washington state pods that frequent the San Juan Islands - is doing well west of Vancouver Island, said orca expert John Ford with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

"He seems to be doing fine healthwise," Ford said.

L-98 is in a good location with clean water, plenty of food and "it's pretty wild out there," Ford said. "We're certainly trying to spread the word that the best thing we can do for L-98 is leave him alone and let him be a wild whale."

His mother is still alive and he is on L-pod's known route back to Washington state waters, Ford said, adding, "We're still optimistic that they'll pick him up."