Twi_prime
04-27-2011, 01:21 AM
Hello. I'm glad I've found this board and I hope to learn from those more experienced in helping small mammals. I have a 30-mile commute to and from work (each way) and have gotten to the point where I can't pass by an animal on the road without going back to make sure whether or not it is beyond saving. This is after, a few months back, passing a little squirrel and thinking, 'oh, poor little guy got killed :( ,' but then noticing that his tail seemed to be sticking up bushily. I turned my car around and found that the little guy was blinking his eyes. I took him to my local vet, where a couple of the techs are known to nurse squirrels back to health in their homes. Unfortunately, he "didn't make it." The vet techs tell me he had to be euthanized because of paralysis, which makes me reluctant to take another rescue to them, in spite of my knowledge that their intentions were/are good.
His front end seemed fine. In spite of his weakness, he propped himself up on his front legs, turned around and looked at me as we neared the vet, making me a little afraid he was going to start bolting around the car in fear. I did think at the time that he might be paralyzed and hoped he could still make it. Now, I would want to look harder for a rehabber who would attempt a longer nursing/treatment period to let an animal get his health and functions back. I'm thrilled to have found people being audacious enough to consider carts for small animals. It crossed my mind too and I'm very interested in learning more about construction of a 'lazmobile' or other device.
Please know that I really take seriously the idea that I'm in no state of learnedness to be caring for these animals on my own. I definitely want to get them to rehabbers, at least until I am someday qualified to care for them. I'll be reading more. If anyone would like to suggest compassionate rehabbers near Putnam/Clay/St. Johns/Duval/Bradford/Alachua Counties in Florida (and that's the order of their proximity to me and my commute), I would be very grateful. If you can suggest a similar message board dealing with opossum care, that would come in handy too, as there is a little one in the neighborhood tonight, who I simply shooed off the road into the woods. Don't know if he should be gotten to a rehab, in light of the fact that he is furred, but pretty small.
Good luck, caring folks. :)
Kathy
His front end seemed fine. In spite of his weakness, he propped himself up on his front legs, turned around and looked at me as we neared the vet, making me a little afraid he was going to start bolting around the car in fear. I did think at the time that he might be paralyzed and hoped he could still make it. Now, I would want to look harder for a rehabber who would attempt a longer nursing/treatment period to let an animal get his health and functions back. I'm thrilled to have found people being audacious enough to consider carts for small animals. It crossed my mind too and I'm very interested in learning more about construction of a 'lazmobile' or other device.
Please know that I really take seriously the idea that I'm in no state of learnedness to be caring for these animals on my own. I definitely want to get them to rehabbers, at least until I am someday qualified to care for them. I'll be reading more. If anyone would like to suggest compassionate rehabbers near Putnam/Clay/St. Johns/Duval/Bradford/Alachua Counties in Florida (and that's the order of their proximity to me and my commute), I would be very grateful. If you can suggest a similar message board dealing with opossum care, that would come in handy too, as there is a little one in the neighborhood tonight, who I simply shooed off the road into the woods. Don't know if he should be gotten to a rehab, in light of the fact that he is furred, but pretty small.
Good luck, caring folks. :)
Kathy