If you have a pet, you know firsthand the importance of timely veterinary diagnostics. You want to have results – and fast. When it comes to wildlife in particular, wild animals do not have “owners,” and therefore no one to advocate for them in their greatest time of need. Once a wild animal is admitted and becomes a patient in our wildlife hospital, we take every possible precaution to ensure the patient receives the best possible medical care; this includes rapid in-house diagnostics and a veterinary treatment plan.

So what can we do in-house?

A lot! While our veterinarian is staffed with us part-time, our wildlife rehabilitation team are also highly skilled and can perform initial diagnostics. Our exam room is a crucial component of our fully functioning wildlife hospital!

Baseline diagnostic tests can provide a tremendous amount of information in terms of what might be going on with an animal and provide some idea of prognosis. Performing these tests help rehabilitators and veterinarians determine the best course of treatment for the patients in care.
– National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association

RIght now, we have five Western grey squirrels who are recovering from severe cases of mange. Mange is caused by external parasites (mites) that leads to itchy skin and hair loss. In some cases, the infestation becomes so severe that large areas of the body become hairless and bloody. As in the case of our recent squirrel admissions, many can become emaciated and weak. Our in-house skin scrape diagnosis confirmed the mange and the squirrels are being treated appropriately.

We would like to thank the caring individuals who have been monitoring the mange outbreak in their neighborhood and have spent many hours safely and humanely trapping the squirrels to bring to us for treatment and care.