Patient of the Week
Yesterday was a busy surgery day with our vet, including surgery for this injured opossum. He came to us with severe wounding to his face and shoulder, and to get a better idea of what is going on internally, we took him for x-rays earlier this week. We were surprised to see fragments in his GI tract, and sure enough, he tested positive for lead. Our vet performed an ultrasound yesterday to rule out free fluid in his abdomen, and then she performed surgery to address his wounds. This poor guy is receiving pain medication, antibiotics, wound management, and chelation therapy to combat the lead toxicity.
Unfortunately, this is not our only patient in care for lead poisoning currently. We commonly see sick raptors and other scavengers that have consumed lead by eating carrion with lead in it. These patients often come to us with injuries; lead poisoning affects them neurologically and makes them more susceptible to trauma. Lead toxicity causes so much suffering and can be fatal. Please choose a safer alternative when hunting (or fishing) so that the only animal impacted is the intended target.
#HowellNatureCenter #wildliferescue #wildliferehabilitation #wildlifeeducation #wildlife #opossums #leadpoisoning #hunting
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