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Emergency Road Kits for Wildlife Rehabilitators
By Louise Shimmel
Many rehabilitators who do capture and transport-type work cover
a large geographic area, and there can often be a significant time
gap between picking up an animal and getting it to a veterinarian
or a wildlife care center for emergency care. The author, who covers
a county that is almost the size of the state of Connecticut, has
found that an emergency road kit facilitates capture, transport,
and field-treatment of the most pressing conditions (i.e., shock,
concussion, bleeding, fractures, and eye injuries).
This article presupposes that the rehabilitator or volunteer doing
the transport is at least trained in the basic skills and has sufficient
experience with local species to be able to estimate weights in
order to calculate dosages. Further, it is presupposed that the
rehabilitator has an on-going professional relationship with a licensed
veterinarian who is the source of the medical supplies listed and
who would develop the policies that direct the rehabilitator in
medical emergencies.
Providing On-Scene First Aid
It is not the intention of this article to address capture and restraint
techniques; however, the equipment listed has proven to be helpful.
Nets, with varying lengths of poles, can be purchased. Small-meshed
nets, or a pillowcase on a hoop, is preferable for birds in order
to minimize feather damage.
Simply treating shock (warmth, steroids/fluids with B vitamins)
at the capture site, rather than 45 minutes to an hour later at
a facility, can mean the difference between life and death in a
critical case. Since steroids take approximately 15 minutes to reach
effective blood levels (and this time-frame varies with the type
of steroid, its formulation, and route of administration,) administering
them to a head-trauma patient at the pick-up site can limit swelling
and resultant damage to the central nervous system. It is important
to note that fluids are given concurrently with steroids in order
to help maintain reasonable blood pressure as vasodilation occurs
with their use, as well as with the warmth provided to the animal
in transport.
Immediate immobilization of fractures can keep a closed break from
becoming open and help prevent sharp bone ends from further disrupting
muscle tissue, tendons, or blood vessels. A quick flushing and cleaning
of an open fracture or wound, followed by an ointment dressing,
can help keep exposed bone, tendons, or tissue from drying out.
Flushing debris from an eye can help limit corneal damage and reduce
the on-going pain of having debris in an eye.
Capture and Restraint Equipment:
- 1 pr welders gloves
- 1 pr lightweight leather gloves
- 1 salmon net or equivalent for mammals
- 1 herring or other small-mesh net (even a pillow case) for birds
- 1 large towel or blanket
- 1 small towel
- Nested cardboard boxes/pet-carriers of various sizes, with newspapers
or toweling for the bottom, and towels to cover
Medical supples:
- 1 hot-water bottle (or an empty gallon jug)
- 2" Vet Wrap
- 2" x 2" gauze pads
- 3" x 3" Telfa pads
- Fluids (e.g., 2½% Dextrose in Lactated Ringers or equivalent)
- Gavage tubes (sizes 8, 12, 14, 16)
- Dexemethasone Sodium Phosphate or Azium
- Injectible Vitamin B-complex
- Sterile saline (for lavage of wounds)
- Antibiotic eye ointment (without steroids) such as Chloramphenicol
- Water-soluble antibiotic ointment (such as Betadyne, Furacin,
or Nolvasan)
Reprinted by permission, Journal of Wildlife Rehabilitation Vol
15, No. 1, Spring 1992, a publication of the
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