Busy Season is Approaching

A small sample of clinic events this week: A Red-tailed Hawk receives treatment after a head trauma, a Snapping Turtle has its wound cleaned and dressed, and Pennsylvania wildflowers emerge on the property.

Young Squirrel Caught by Cat

A cat injured this squirrel’s paw which was partially degloved. We stabilized the wound, administered antibiotics and pain medication. She is eating well and we are optimistic about a full recovery.

Thank You

We want to say thank you to the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, Philadelphia graduate chapter, for the amazingly generous supply drive they did for us. On a cold, rainy February day, a dozen sisters delivered us a truly impressive amount of supplies - medical supplies, cleaning supplies, dog and cat food, even a new refrigerator. Thank you to President Dana Moore and Wildlife Project Coordinator Colleen Wright - Green, and all the sisters for this great work.

The Releasing of the Shrew

Dig it! This short-tailed shrew was released in the woods on our property and promptly scurried under the leaf litter to look for worms and possibly meadow voles, which they paralyze with their venomous fangs.

Snowy Owl Release

Opossum - Hit by Car

This unlucky opossum was struck by a vehicle. Luckily, a motorist acted quickly and brought her to us. We set the bone and provided palliative care. She is stable and resting well.

Fox Release

After a month rehabbing in our care, this newly healed and healthy fox was just released to the backyard from whence it came in Roxborough. The very compassionate property owners trapped it and brought it to us for care, and our wonderful volunteer Michael Eibel took it back to its home turf, where it remembered its old den and darted right back to it. Since these animals live amongst us now (or rather we live amongst them), we must learn to coexist with them.

Snowy Owl

This snowy owl was injured on barbed wire at the State Prison, and was found bleeding with a broken wing. The prison was very nice and accommodating in letting our team in to rescue him, and the awesome people at Radnor Veterinary Hospital are miracle workers, placing a pin in the fractured wing bone so that it could heal properly for the bird to fly again...especially since this bird will need to make his way back to the Arctic Circle by next spring! We'll make sure he's fat and ready in time. Dig it: snowy owls, usually the juveniles, are occasional visitors to PA in the winter, travelling from the far North.

Eastern Box Turtle

Contrary to popular belief, an eastern box turtle’s shell is composed of living tissue that can bleed when injured and sense pain when hurt.

Bald Eagle

Great thanks to the very skilled and kind people at Radnor Veterinary Hospital for helping with this patient. It must have eaten an animal that was killed with a shotgun and not retrieved, because X-ray shows a lot of lead shot stuck in the stomach, and subsequent lead poisoning, so chelation therapy is part of its rehabilitation.

Common Loon

This common loon in winter plumage was found grounded and bleeding. After a rescue effort and a healing stay at our hospital, he was released to a wonderful lake by volunteer Jake Margerum, where he can get his bearings first and then complete his migration. Common loons are highly aquatic and can fly, swim, and dive like champs, but they can't walk on land (they just awkwardly lurch forward, kind of like seals), and they need water to take off into the air. Details like this are critical to rehab, because each species is very different and has very different needs.

And the Answer is:

Yesterday's Answer: ruby-crowned kinglet.

Todays animal: Fat Sam, our resident released woodchuck, right before he went underground into hibernation. He'll go into suspended animation, his body temperature and heartbeat will drop, and he'll survive off his fat stores till next spring.

Today's Quiz

Who am I?

This poor animal smacked into a window and needs some medical care. Guess the species and we'll tell you the answer tomorrow.

Save our Deck

Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist? This mash of little monsters were rescued from under a deck that was about to be demolished, which would have crushed them. They're late in the year for baby possums but they'll have safe haven until they're old enough to take care of themselves.

Freedom Regained

Here's the Canada goose from two weeks ago, stitches out, leg healed, being released back home and flying back to see his friends. There are many sub-species of Branta canadensis so it's important to get them back to their original tribe once they've recovered.

And the answer is:

The answer to yesterday's X-ray quiz

:

Gray phase Eastern screech owl.

Pop quiz, hotshot

Can you identify our patient by its x-ray? Hint: not ET

Stay tuned for the answer

Reserved Parking

This goose was found in the road in the middle of the night with a gash on his leg, unable to walk. A few stitches and bandages later, he's able to stand and walk, prognosis good with a course of antibiotics and a little something to dull the pain.

Have you seen this hawk?

Dig this, Mrs. Red-Tail here is one of four species of hawk we have now, she was hit by a car two weeks ago and recently got moved from ICU to an outdoor cage, and hopefully will be released soon. She's half of a mated pair so her husband will want to know where she's been. Got a lotta 'splainin to do.

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