Veterinary Triage and First Aid in Wildlife Casualties

these are about to be the easiest 29 flashcards of your life, these should honestly take 10 minutes

What cases are you most likely to see with wildlife?

Injured or orphaned wildlife

How would you define wildlife triage?

the initial assessment of a casualty to make a decision to treat or euthanize

what are some requirements for a succesful rehabilitation and release?

• suitable casualty animal

• no legal issues present

• adequate veterinary care is possible

• suitable rahab care facility

• suitable release site

• correct weather and time of year for release

what is a suitable casualty?

wildlife that can be returned to the wild and survive

• move normally

• defend itself/territory

• feed itself

• reproduce in a normal manner

what is important history information to gather from the “finder” (person who brings the animal in)?

• is it alive

• how is it moving

• is it behaving normally

• can it see

• is there blood/ obvious injuries?

• where is it?

• Species?

• adult? juvenile?

• gender?

What comes after history?

a clinical exam! duh

• weight (pre-weight)

• check for ID (microchip btwn shoulder blades)

• wing position assessment

• BCS

• welfare conditions

• prognosis

• estimated rehab time

• euth decisions

Note: you dont usually get to do a follow up, so treat accordingly

what is a wing position assessment?

veterinary surgeons are obligated by RCVS to provide emergency care, what does this include?

• emergency fluids and supportive care

• any additional care like xrays, etc could be covered by a rehab center, but costs need to be discussed beforehand

what are some medical reasons for euthanasia?

These are dependent on age and species:

• unconscious or comatose

• behavioral abnormalities

• damage to jaw or beak (feeding/grooming interference)

• loss of hearing

• permanent or long-term loss of vision

  • loss of an eye

• loss of function (perm or not) of limb or wing

• fracture of limb or wing involving a joint

• perm feather damage or loss of waterproofing (birds)

• pelvis fracture with narrowing of pelvic canal

• loss of reproductive function

what are some non-medical reasons for euth?

Must be addressed first 24-48 hrs:

• availability of space, staff time, knowledge, and experience in rehab facilities

• availability of suitable release sites

• time of year 

• legal and ethical considerations

if unsure, seek advice!

What classifies as a suitable release site for adults?

Adults should go back where they are found

• disease control

• genetic variation

• territorial considerations

what about suitable release sites for juveniles?

they need a new site, that must be safe (roads, hunting, people, etc)

• suitable food and habitat

• population density

• consider risk of disese

• have landowner consent

why would you need to consider time of year for release?

for migratory animals and animals that hibernate

• weather can impact release

• natural breeding season

• welfare associated with keeping

• may not be legal to release some species

what is classified as primary treatment?

• fluid therapy

• analgesia

• stopping hemorrhage

• fracture support

• body temp support and maintenance

• nursing care

• appropriate accomodation

• food and water

what are the main reasons for fluid therapy with these cases?

• correct dehydration (electrolytes)

• correct loss of circulating blood volume or other shock causes

how do you assess shock of a patient?

assess hydration status

• responsiveness

• skin tenting

• cardiovascular parameters ( gum color and CRT, HR, pulse quality, RR, respiratory depth)

• blood tests- PCV, TS, BUN, lactate, glucose

what is the maintenance fluid calculation for wildlife?

what are the fluid administration routes and volumes?

this is similar to dogs and cats

what are the fluid calculations per route of administration for mammals?

• oral 50 ml/kg

• subq 20 ml/kg

• intraperitoneal 20 ml/kg

Vet/nurse only:

• intraosseous 10-30 ml/kg

• intravenous 10-30 ml/kg

what are the fluid calculations per route of administration for birds?

• crop tubing (gavaging) up to 50 ml/kg

• subq 20 ml/kg

• intraperitoneal 20 ml/kg

Vet/nurse only:

• intraosseous 10-30 ml/kg

• intravenous 10-30 ml/kg

how would you decide which analgesics to use in a wildlife case?

NSAIDs

• reasonable analgesia

• can be supplied to wildlife centers

• few safety restrictions

• (meloxicam most commonly used)

Opioids

• excellent analgesia

• combine well with NSAIDs

• cannot be supplied to wildlife centers

• many restrictions

• (methadone, buprenorphine, butorphanol)

Consider:

• no sterioids

• licensing

• route and ease of administration

• doses- from similar species

wound dressings (they are the same as other species), but how would you bandage a bird?

what should be present in short-term accommodation?

• appropriate level of segregation or isolation

• appropriate place in practice (privacy)

• suitable kennels and bedding

• cover front of kennel with blanket

• birds may need perches, water (to sit in), or have padded bedding

what are considerations for environmental conditions for the animal?

• temperature

  • different for adult or neonate

  • thermoneutral zone of birds

• lighting

• ventilation

• humidity

how do you minimize human interaction in these cases?

avoid animal by:

• using radio or tv

• avoiding direct human contact like petting or talking to the animals

Keep biosecurity in mind!

she hardly read the slide and it really just said to keep them isolated so im not gonna harp on it

what are some food options for wildlife?

commercial liquid diets

• reanimyl, critical care formula, hill’s a/d, lafeber, emeraid, etc. for most species

• cat and dog food for carnivores, insectivores, or omnivores

• day old chicks for birds of prey, badgers, or foxes

• small fish (sprats) for seabirds and waders

• variety of seeds for granivorous birds

• bird pellets for gamebirds or waterfowls

what should you do with every wildlife case?

keep good records! it’ll keep you safe with any legal troubles!

honestly, the rest listed is really just common sense, saying how you should consider cost of any diagnostic tests and to be cautious with immediate use of antibiotics. this is no different from general practicing