Writing this, we are having our first real taste of autumn. Gales are shaking the trees and rain is lashing on the windows. It doesn’t seem possible that just yesterday I was basking in the sun, watching a tiny mouse collecting beech nuts. It reminded me that although I write about our pets as companion animals, there are countless wild creatures that often need our help. Wild animal medicine has its own specialists but vets in general practice often provide first-line treatment for wild casualties. At Newton Clarke Veterinary Surgeons, we see sick or injured wild birds and mammals regularly.  They are often brought in by members of the public. We work alongside the RSPCA, which does excellent work in helping injured wild animals. We will often assist an officer with a badger, a fox or even a deer.

RSPCA

Our hard-working local RSPCA officers cover long distances. They are on-call throughout the night, acting as liaisons with the local veterinary surgeon on emergency duty, if necessary. The National RSPCA should therefore be the first point of contact for wildlife casualties at nights and weekends. During the day time, we are happy to see them without the RSPCA’s initial involvement.

Many people who bring in injured birds and animals want to know what will happen to them. Well, it all depends on the nature of the injury. We point out that wild animals need 100% of their abilities to survive. If an injury robs them of even 1% of their running or flying skills, the chances of survival are very slim. This situation is quite different to our pets, whose tolerance levels are similar to our own. Most of us don’t need to perform at our peak level all the time just to survive, thankfully! My point is, that even minor injury can be life-threatening in wild animals. So the decision to treat it in the clinic, send it to rehabilitation or sadly and humanely end the animal’s life is often difficult. Whenever we can, animals are sent to the RSPCA Rehabilitation Centre at West Hatch or Secret World Wildlife Rescue in Highbridge.  A busy veterinary practice full of potential predators is no place for a recovering wild animal.

Charity Shop

Just before I leave the subject of the RSPCA, I would like to draw your attention to the opening of their shop in Cheap Street. The income from the shop will add to the efforts of local volunteers.  They raise funds to help local animals (companion and wild) who are injured or sick. Please support them with donations and purchases!

Parasites

Now, onto other things. Parasites, once again! I make no apologies for covering this one again as there is so much confusion and so many products. For dogs, there is a “decision tree” whose branches lead to the right combination of spot-on or tablets to cover all important bugs. The first decision is whether or not ticks are a problem for your dog. If they are, protection against ticks is important so a tick-repellent collar (one made by Bayer lasts 8 months), a tablet (lasts 3 months) or a spot-on (lasts 1 month) are your options. These products all protect against fleas as well but not against lungworms. While slugs and snails are on the ground, your dog is vulnerable to lungworm infection, probably the most common and serious pathogen around here.