Wildlife and Lab Animals Flashcards
What are the beliefs around wildlife rehabilitation?
- All life is sacred: all life is sacred
- Darwinian selection: failed
What are the beliefs around wildlife euthanasia?
- Bound to be differences of opinions between different finders, rehabilitators and vets.
- Some believe all animals presented to have ‘failed the fitness test’ and require PTS
- Some believe all life is sacred and that no animal should be put to sleep
What is the pragmatic middle ground to attitudes towards wildlife rehabilitation?
- Save the saveable
- Early triage
- Reassess constantly
- Release the releasable
What are the species variation on ease of rehabilitation?
- Some species are much easier to care for than others
- Hedgehogs very amendable to captivity
- Deer less so
How do some species have more exacting requirements for release than others?
- Such as kestrel must have perfect vision, should and carpal function and leg/foot function
- Mallard ducks can cope with a limp, a wing injury or impaired vision to a degree
Why treat wildlife in practice?
- Welfare
- Sentinels for disease in populations
- Personal satisfaction
- Good PR
- Training for nurses and vets
Describe assessment of wildlife when they are brought into practice.
- Full assessment – where possible
- Knowledge of natural history – migration, breeding and territory
- Full clinical examination – under GA if necessary
- Diagnosis: examination, radiography, blood tests, response to treatment
- If deemed treatable and releasable – suitable accommodation and suitable food. Treat and asses response to treatment. Reassess at every stage and release or give more time.
What are 3 triage options?
- Euthanasia – have to euthanise any animal not likely to be releasable. Very few exceptions, such as breeding animals like red squirrels and display and education animals like bats.
- Release – rarely an option.
- Rehabilitation
What are the differences between wildlife in practice to other practices?
- Not used to human contact
- More difficult to medicate reliably
- Cannot ask them to pop back in a month for a check up
- Need to fend for themselves
What are the health and safety risks in wildlife practice?
- Need to look after yourselves, staff and clients as well as the animal
- Direct injuries from animals – bites, footing injuries, antlers, kicks
- Disease risks – zoonoses and risks to domestics
- Potentially very serious consequences, such as concussed deer waking up loose in cars
- Rabies, leptospirosis, brucellosis
What are the zoonoses relevant to wildlife in the UK?
- Ringworm (dermatophylosis)
- Enteric infections, such as ampylobacter spp
- ‘Seal finger’ (mycoplasma spp.)
- Chlamydophiliosis (ornithosis)
- Lyme disease
- Sarcoptic mange
- Rabies
- Tuberculosis
- Seal pox
- Brucella maris
What are the legal considerations in wildlife practice?
- Vet care of wildlife generally exempt from ‘taking and keeping’
- Finder becomes owner so have consent
- Treatment controlled by VSA, Medicines Act, Animal Welfare Act
- Licences (Natural England) to mark prior to release
- Release exemptions: listed species - grey squirrel, Canada geese, Muntjac deer
- Wildlife is included under the Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA)
- RCVS guide to professional conduct
What is the BVA and RSPCA ‘Memorandum of agreement’?
- The emergency care or euthanasia of small mammals and wild birds brought to practices during normal surgery hours will be provided free of charge
- The RSPCA contributes to the cost of out of hours call out fees or visits to large mammals such as deer
- This agreement is not legally binding
Describe the passeriformes/perching birds that come into practice.
- Range from wrens to raves
- Very prone to septicaemia following puncture wounds such as cat bites
- Reasons for admission include RTA, window collisions, caught be cat CBCs and orphans
- Greatly calmed by darkening room
- Can be stressed to death so be cautious of handling and presence of predators
- Grounded Hirundinidae and Apodidae – swifts, swallows and matins. Not easy to rear as they are specialised aerial feeders. Often ground, needing test flying. If non-flyers may just need short hospitalisation and retest flying ability daily.
Describe the columbiformes that come into practice.
Pigeons and doves. Reasons for admission include RTA, window collisions (less common) and CBC, especially collar doves
Describe waterfowl that come into practice.
- Geese
- Ducks – few genuinely 100% wild mallards, many hybrids, many semi-tame, some are migratory.
- Swans – mute swan is most common. Also Whooper and Bewick swans
How are swans handled and restrained?
- Can be aggressive, but will not break leg
- Especially aggressive is defending nest
- Restrain wings
- Restrain head/neck
- Point feet and tail end away from you – nearly always produce very watery faeces when handled
- Swan bag for longer term restraint and transport.
Describe raptors seen in practice.
- Reasons for admission: ballistic injuries, impact trauma, candidiasis ad ocular damage
- Owls have many fractures of the wings and legs for little owls, ballistic injuries less common, trichomoniasis and eyes, especially in tawnies.
What are the reasons hedgehogs are admitted to practice?
- Out during the day ODD
- Too small to hibernate
- RTA (rare and usually dead)
- Predation (uncommon)
- Entanglement – litter
- Lungworm
- Skin disease
- Miscellaneous trauma, such as strimmers and litter
- Predation
- Poisoning
- Orphaned
What are some things to remember when handling hedgehogs?
- Do not get ringworm: tedious to get rid of in humans, tends to inoculate under skin from spines, wear thick gloves, wash/scrub hands in pevidine if spined. Scoop up hogs with newspaper.
- To open up hedgehogs, stroke dorsum backwards from head, bounce gently, gently holding the hind legs, wheelbarrow posture to examine
- Shallow water
- General anaesthetic