Author: Dr. Mary's Blog

I received a call on January 29th from Sabrina S, a friend and fellow wildlife rehabber about an injured bobcat. I was scheduled to work the next day at Animal Care Alliance in Richmond Indiana, so I messaged the director (Joyce Luckett) to see if it was okay for me to see and treat the bobcat there. I was not in the least bit surprised when she said, “Sure! Bring her in!” Joyce is also a wildlife rehabber with a huge, huge heart:)

Stephanie L, the director of Wildcare in Bloomington Indiana, and two coworkers brought her in the following morning.

I’m not sure if this was really brave, or really dumb on my part, but I locked myself (and a technician) in the enclosure and had him distract Bobbi while I gave her an injection of sedative. Once she was relaxed, I could easily feel a complete break in her back leg.

It is important to examine the color of the gums when an animal is injured. If they are pale, it can be an indicator of blood loss and/or shock. Our girl was thankfully nice and pink.

We took x-rays of her pelvis and legs as well as her chest and abdomen to look for other injuries.

The x-ray confirmed a complete femoral fracture as well as multiple hip fractures and SI luxation. I contacted several veterinarians to ask about orthopedic repair. Unfortunately, the lowest estimate we got was $2000. This is a significant amount of money for a non-profit organization and not something we can do. So I decided to do my best and fix the fracture.

I have repaired a grand total of ONE fracture in my 18 year career (I usually send them to a specialist). so you can imagine that I was a bit stressed and fairly anxious for this procedure. As it turns out, I was able to get the bones realigned and stabilized the fragments with a pin. I can’t explain the immense relief I felt when I saw this x-ray of the pin seated just right!

Bobbi did extremely well under anesthesia!

Tomorrow we will sedate her again to remove the staples and take another x-ray of her leg and hips. If all goes well with her leg, the next step is to do surgery on her hip. Unfortunately, the fracture is right in the socket where the head of the femur (long bone) connects. If we were to let it heal this way, she would develop arthritis in the joint that would cause chronic pain. In the next surgery I will be removing the head of the femur so that there is no longer pressure in the socket. This is called an FHO (femoral head osteotomy) and a common procedure done in dogs with severe hip dysplasia.

In the meantime, Bobbi is confined to a quiet area in the clinic and receives daily pain medication disguised in her favorite food.

We will continue to post updates so be sure to check back!

This is Bobbi (Joyce wants to name her Jinx, but I vetoed this until after her surgeries are done lol – I don’t want to “Jinx” any of my procedures)

There is a very fun side story to Bobbi’s rescue and care. It is always a great experience when wildlife rehabbers get to meet and share ideas and stories. Several weeks ago, we got the SWEETEST tortishell cat in who sadly was born without eyes.

She was on the schedule to be spayed the day the bobcat came in. While the group from Wildcare was here, we introduced them to all of our critters, Cuddles of course being one of them. Well, it was love at first sight.

Brian L. held her for nearly the entire time they were here and she seemed as taken with him as he was with her. I spayed Miss Cuddles and we got her up to date on all her vaccines, so that she could take a ride with one of our employees to Brian down in Bloomington. She seems to be doing VERY well in her new home…….

We are THRILLED to hear that the whole family is doing great! In addition to Brian taking home this stray kitty, Wildcare also took several bats from us to care for at their facility. I just love it when things work out so well for animals and their people!

As one of the few veterinarians in the state of Indiana who is licensed to care for Wildlife, I cannot tell you how many times I get this question. So I wanted to share the most common concerns with “what to do next” instruction for all those kind souls out there who feel helpless when they find a poor critter in need.

1. Determine if the mom is still around. The most common mistake people make when they find infant wildlife is to think they are orphaned when in fact they are NOT. Mom is usually nearby and likely waiting for you to leave so she can come get her babies. Give her time to do this. Momma Rabbits only feed their babies at night and usually only ONCE a day! If you have uncovered a nest the best thing to do is to leave it alone (as long as it is in a safe place). If the nest is not in a safe area (i.e: your dog or cat knows where it is and has already attacked it) you can either move the nest to the closest safe area, or protect the nest as best as you can (fencing that would keep your pet out but allow mom to get back for example). Baby rabbits do not do well without their mom and even the best rehabbers loose most of the bunnies they try so hard to care for. You are NOT doing them any favors by removing them from their nest – it is unlikely that they will survive.

Momma raccoons typically keep their babies in a homemade nest, but unfortunately it is frequently inside of someones garage, shed, attic or deck. If this is the case, you CAN move the babies but move them where mom can find them and take them away. She will likely come back when it’s dark, but may come in the daytime too. Raccoons are the one animal that ALL rehabbers fill up on every year. When this happens, orphaned babies are then euthanized so it is VERY important to reserve these precious spots for baby raccoons who are truly orphaned and not just taken from mom because she is a nuisance.

Squirrel babies area typically found when they have fallen out of a nest, or a tree comes down with the nest in it. Again, mom is typically not far away so give her the chance to get them back. If she is truly gone, then it is best to bring them to a rehabber.

2. Assess the animal’s overall condition: is it responsive? Does it have obvious injuries? And most importantly, can you SAFELY transport the animal should you need to?

3. Generally, if an animal is injured, it is going to need the attention of a qualified wildlife rehabilitator and/or veterinarian. SAFELY transporting an animal means that in doing so, no one is injured (you, your kids, or the animal you are trying to help).

• You don’t need to have a fancy crate on hand. Cardboard boxes work wonderfully as do large Tupperware containers – just remember neither should be closed tightly as ventilation is very important.
• If you cannot find something to place the animal in, (or have time to get one), a towel or blanket can work very well. But caution! This should only be used for critters that are barely moving. Even sweet little bunnies can cause serious injuries (even to themselves!). In their efforts to get away, rabbits can easily break their backs.

4. Once the animal is safely contained, and out of a dangerous area ( like the middle of the road) go to the DNR website to find a local wildlife rehabber.

www.in.gov/DNR

5. Start calling! Unfortunately, this is where most people become very frustrated – and understandably so. When you have an animal that you know needs help and yet you can’t get a hold of anyone, it becomes very frustrating. The sad reality is, there are so very few of us in the state of Indiana, and every year there are more animals that need help than the number of rehabbers who have the capacity to help them. While you are waiting, keep the animal in a warm, QUIET, and dark area.

The very fact that you are reading this indicates how much you care and I deeply thank you for that. Wildlife care runs solely off donations so one way that anyone can help is to donate. Some rescues also list resources they need such as paper towels, newspapers, towels and blankets, just to name a few. If you would like to donate to us, please visit our website at: www.cherishedlife.org

Lastly, and VERY important – if you feel you cannot safely move an animal, please notify someone who CAN immediately. Minutes can mean life of death for an injured animal.

This is a picture of the two kittens I began fostering back in April (2014). They were about 3 weeks old and VERY sick. The black and white baby “Cuddles” was eating some formula, but her little sister (half her size as you can see) had to be tube fed. These two girls spent most hours of everyday for the following three days at my side. The little one surprised me with her strength to hang on, but eventually (after 4 days) she couldn’t hold on anymore. It was early morning and I heard the most awful cry I had ever heard come from a kitten – that’s saying a lot considering I’ve been in the veterinary profession for 21 years now. I knew as soon as I heard the cry what was wrong – the little one was dying. Cuddles was experiencing extreme emotional distress that I have never before witnessed – my heart wrenched for her and I did my best to provide comfort.

A strange thing happened on the Saturday just before Mothers’ Day. I got an email from someone in the neighborhood who found a baby raccoon on her back patio. This poor little girl had fallen two stories onto the concrete. Momma raccoon had made a nest for her babies in a portion of their attic that was inaccessible for us – no way to get the baby back to momma. I took the shocky little baby home with me and examined her for injuries. Shockingly, she seemed fine – just exhausted.

I now had two babies once again. I introduced Cuddles to Raccoon Roxie, and it was love at first sight:)

The two girls became sisters. It seemed they had no idea that they were different species. Thankfully, the kitten was finally getting over her illness and she was getting very close to weaning.

Raccoon Roxie grew about three times as fast as the kitten:

I am happy to report that today, August 25th, Raccoon Roxie was successfully released back into the wild and her dear friend Cuddles is ready for adoption. I miss them already, but I am grateful for the time I had to care for them and share in their journey.

This subject may be scientific, but there is just NO way of writing this with a straight face. I received a voicemail early this June from a friend who sounded quite panicked. The only words I could accurately make out were “something,” “wrong,” “penis,” “can’t pee.”

My first two thoughts were:

1. Oh dear, why am I on the call list for penile dysfunction, and

2. What mammal are we talking about?

I called her back to discover it was a squirrel that she had raised since it was a baby – fondly named, “Clint.”

Poor Clint was set for release the day she contacted me, but unfortunately, she noticed he seemed lethargic and unable to urinate. After doing some research, I discovered that squirrels brought up on their own are far more likely to suffer traumatic injuries to their genital region due to excessive suckling. Permission to laugh now granted.

Urinary stricture is a VERY serious condition. On a side note: EVERY owner of a male cat should pay attention RIGHT NOW, because it just may save your kitty’s life! When the urethra (the tube connecting the bladder to the body’s exterior) becomes blocked for any reason (i.e. trauma, bladder stones, or thickening of the urine canal) it creates a backflow of urine. One very important job of the kidneys is to excrete toxins from the body. When these toxins cannot be excreted they will quickly build up in the blood stream. It doesn’t take long for the body to become poisoned by the toxic products.

The worst scenario that every doctor fears from kidney failure is the body’s abnormal accumulation of potassium. This can quickly lead to detrimental effects on the heart, and even cause sudden death. The only way to fix this is to relieve the obstruction.

I pondered the squirrel’s x-rays for a bit feeling quite nervous of my minimal surgical experience on these critters (and by minimal, I mean ZERO). Time was ticking and something had to be done. That is the point in which I’m prompted to “cowboy up” and do something, because doing nothing will almost certainly mean death for the poor animal.

The procedure was thankfully a success! Now we needed to provide post-op care and hope he would stop the “habit” to blame for the problem in the first place.

I cared for Clint for just over a week when I noticed he had caused a stricture again. At this point, I knew I was in way over my head to help this little guy. I didn’t have the appropriate equipment to relieve the obstruction, but I couldn’t just watch him suffer either. What to do? Though this story is already ridiculous, here’s where it reaches critical comedic climax:

Within a timeframe of about ten hours, I had a veterinary surgeon willing to do a much more invasive procedure to help Clint. I had a human cardiovascular surgeon who was generously willing to donate suture small enough to work with, and an ophthalmologist (thank you Dr. Carl Budelski!!!) willing to lone out his precious operating lenses for surgical magnification.

I think Clint may have been aware of my plan to make him into a girl, because the next morning, everything appeared to be normal again. WHEW, crisis averted -and surgery avoided!

Since then, Clint has behaved himself and surgical intervention has not been necessary. He is back in “the wild” and having a blast.

Sweet Mr. Clint left me with far more knowledge of the squirrel reproductive system than I ever cared to know, a scar on my right hand, and a chuckle in my heart every time I think of him.

The last time I treated a turtle was in the summer of 98’ when I lived in a unique home located in Hingham, Massachusetts. My roommates included a 15 foot Burmese python, 4 turtles, a great horned owl, one baby raccoon, 20 baby starlings, 1 baby gopher and 2 baby squirrels. Oh – and 2 humans.

The three of us humans took turns medicating and feeding the plethora of creatures. I had the am shift and settled into a specific routine: First, I would give the turtles their daily injection. Then I’d let “Monty” (the python) out of his enclosure and let him follow me into the kitchen. I cooked my oatmeal on the stovetop while Monty explored the kitchen floor. While the oatmeal was cooking, I would take the opportunity to sit on his back and quickly give him his injection – a far more challenging endeavor than the turtles! He’d get mad, but eventually settle down as I ate my oatmeal. (And yes, I washed my hands first!)

Fast forward to this summer – Monday July 27^th. A friend of mine found a turtle in the road (most likely hit by a car) his shell was cracked and he was in pretty rough shape. The first thing I did was clean the wounds with sterile saline. I was mostly finished when he reacted strongly to a particular spot. I decided to give him pain meds before proceeding any further.

I got my injection ready and began pulling out his front arm – just like I did everyday at my internship. What I didn’t expect was his response. I felt a searing pain in my thumb and realized he just latched on with some VERY strong (and sharp!) jaws. The more I tried to get my hand away, the harder he sunk into my flesh – it was excruciating! I sat on my laundry room floor calculating my options – I was nowhere near my cell phone so I’d have to wait about three hours before my husband came home. Option 2: I could just suck it up and let him have that piece of thumb and be done with it, or Option 3: I could try to figure out a way to get him to release.

That’s when it dawned on me that I still had a syringe ½ filled with saline. I started squirting it into his mouth, and Praise God, he let go!!!

The next day he went to the avian and exotic animal specialist. She repaired his shell with screws and wire – pretty cool. I’m happy to say he is now in the very capable hands of Marty: Indianaturtlecare.com – the most wonderful turtle rehabber.  She sent me a few photos of him and thankfully,  all of her fingers are still intact.

Yay for another happy ending!

This is Super Suzzie the Wonder Kitten. She was laying in the middle of the road on a cold Sunday morning in October when I found her. I thought I was seeing a dead baby raccoon (and I felt a stab of sadness) as I drove past this brown puff of fur, but then a tiny head looked up at me! She was alive, but just barely.

I scooped her up in a towel and put her in a crate that I happened to have in the back of my car. This was a VERY feral kitten, but she was so traumatized I was able to give her the necessary treatments for shock and pain.

I let her recover quietly in an upstairs guest-room and waited for her to calm down before running any diagnostics. Assuming she was hit by a car, there was a high probability that she sustained internal injuries. 

To my surprise, she was a very lucky kitten! (considering she was only 2 pounds and lived through such a trauma) She had no use of her back hind leg. I was expecting to find a bad fracture in her rear limb, but again, she surprised me:

The only thing of significance on this x-ray is a growth plate injury (if I were more computer savvy I would put an arrow on it, but alas, I am not). Bone growth occurs at specific places (growth plates) in long bones, and damage to these areas can result in malformation of the limbs. Fixing this injury would require surgery. Since she was so tiny and just suffered a major injury, surgery needed to be put on hold. 

The weird thing about her x-ray was that it did not explain her degree of injury. Even animals with a complete fracture will show some movement in the limb even though they can’t walk on it. This told me that she had significant nerve damage and may lose the leg:(

I spent every possible hour of every day I could with her to get her used to being around people. Not only is she no longer terrified of people, she has become extraordinarily loving! 

As the days went on, it became more and more obvious that she had no feeling in the back leg and it would need to be amputated. 

Tuesday November 20th was the big day – and as you can see, she did great!! (Props to Dr. Joni Kirch and Jenny Hostetler for assisting me with her surgery) It is now five days post-op as I write this and she is running around with the dogs – actually OUTrunning them as I type this LOL.

The hardest part of this whole experience will be having to give her up when we find her a good forever home (which she still yet to find just FYI!)

She uses the litter box like a pro (no accidents despite her injury), loves to play, gets along with other animals, AND loves to cuddle – what more could you ask for?

As for her name? I was finishing up the seventh book of Stephen King’s series “The Dark Tower” during the month that I’ve had her. There is a great character named Susanna who lost both legs, but kept every ounce of zest and determination throughout the story. Stephen King also describes his own experience of getting struck by a car and the recovery process thereafter (I highly recommend his books if you haven’t already read them!)

I think the name Susanna is thereby a very fitting one for my sweet and sassy little wonder kitten:) She’s quite the fighter!

We were lucky enough to witness a snapping turtle lay her eggs this past spring:

Unfortunately, she chose to lay them next to our mailbox, which is next to the road.

We looked up the hatching time and discovered it is very variable: 55 to 125 days! So we had a while to wait and see.

Yesterday my husband came home and told me there was a surprise outside – this is what he found:

This little guy moved surprisingly fast! He was almost to the neighbor’s home two houses down where he was spotted in the road. 

It was time to intervene………

I

I released him in the wetland behind our home, and now, we are monitoring the mailbox closely  for lost siblings:)

 This weekend I received an email from a young girl who found an injured bat. She said it flew into a tree, then fell into a lake. She scooped it out with a piece of cardboard and set it in a tree. She wanted to know if it would be okay. 

I was touched by this girls concern for this injured creature, but I was FAR more worried for her – and here is why: Bats can be carriers of Rabies and ANY level of exposure (not just a bite) can put you at risk. 

So what to do if you find a bat? Call your local health department, animal control or a local wildlife rehab center. Do not attempt to capture it until you have been advised by a proper agency. If anyone has touched the bat – including your pets – you MUST report this to the health department. I cannot advise what to do for human exposure, but for a domestic animal we recommend a booster of the rabies vaccine immediately. If your pet is OVERDUE for a rabies vaccine, discuss the protocol with your veterinarian. Some states require quarantine. 

In summary, try not to touch bats;) Call your local health department for advise if you have come in contact with one. If you are an animal lover like me – keep a list of wildlife rehab numbers on hand. No one ever plans to find injured animals and it is usually an emergency when you do. Being prepared is the best way to help.

Bunnies are among the most common baby animals brought to wildlife rehab. The two most common reasons are: 1. The nest was disturbed by a lawn mower and 2. A dog or cat got a hold of one of the babies.

This little guy was brought to me for reason number two. Thankfully the lab who picked him up did so VERY gently – baby bunny only suffered from shock. If you find yourself in this situation, carefully check the bunny for wounds. Rabbit skin is extremely fragile and tears very easily. If the baby is wounded, call a veterinarian – preferably one who is experienced in exotic care. If you cannot find a vet to help, call your local DNR office for a list of wildlife rehabbers. While you are waiting (and you most likely will have to wait) it is crucial to keep the baby in a quiet, warm and safe area. A cardboard box covered with a towel will do just fine. Do not attempt to feed it as this can make the situation worse.

If the bunny is unharmed, getting it back to its nest will give it the best chance of survival. The baby bunny in this picture does not need milk! They are fully weaned by this age should be released as soon as possible.

I kept this little guy overnight since he was shocky (low body temperature, and lethargic) I warmed him up and kept him confined with some freshly picked dandelions (a bunny favorite) and water. The following morning he was back to normal and ready for release!

I got this picture just before she skipped away! YAY for happy endings:)

Mary had a little lamb deer:)

This is Dawn (aka: Bambi)

She was found by a good samaritan who saw her and mom on the side of the road. Momma was hit by a car, and this poor baby was left behind.

She has finally bonded with me and sucking down milk replacer like a champ! Check back for more photos!

I am currently sitting at a cafe eagerly waiting a baby deer! This poor little girl was found on the side of the road with her mommy – mommy was hit by a car:( Check back for an update and pictures!!!

Zoonosis is a disease communicable from animals to humans under natural conditions. And I am lucky enough to have caught one;)

Remember how I said, “I will hug him and kiss him and call him George?” Well, I probably shouldn’t have kissed him so much because now I have giardia – yuck!

Giardia is usually transmitted in contaminated water supplies – it’s the “travelers sickness” that people often talk about when coming home from Mexico. Animals can get it and it is VERY common in pet store animals.

If you ever wonder why your vet recommends bringing in a stool sample – this is one of the bugs they are looking for! I can speak from personal experience that it is well WORTH the $20 to have them tested. I’m pretty sure I’ve spent far more than $20 on gatorade in the last two weeks:)

May you and your pets remain healthy!

When the vet’s pet is the patient – all logic and reason are tossed out the window. Well, at least for this one. My little Bert Doodle is undergoing a procedure to determine whether or not he has cancer. Odds are low, but it’s still very unnerving! So here is my list of okays to all owners with a sick pet:

1. It’s okay to feel afraid. Our pets are part of our family and we want them to live a happy and healthy life for as long as they can.
2. It’s okay if past experience increases your anxiety. My father died from lymphoma, as did several beloved pets. Now that hovers over my judgement like a thick cloud. Recognizing past hurts takes away some of its power.
3. It’s okay to cry. We are our experiences and some things trigger sad memories. It’s okay.
4. It’s okay to be worried even if friends and family don’t understand. Some people say stupid things like, “it’s just a dog.” It’s okay for them to be stupid;) Just don’t let it affect you:)

All injuries are healed! Sophia is now suckling on the baby bottle like a champ:) Yay for success!!

So there was a turtle with a cracked shell on the side of 161st street today. Yes, I got out of the car and pondered taking the critter in for shell repair. It was not a cracked shell (thank God!) – just an illusion. But he was still in the road.

So I gently grabbed the back end of the shell to “escort” him to the edge. HOLY COW, that is scary! Their heads come out of the shell at lightening speed and can bend  almost 180 degrees back! The sound of the “snap” is like an ax. Of course my friend had just told me about the time he did this and the snapper attacked his face – great timing.

It took some work – and a few screams, but I am happy to report the turtle is in the safety of the woods, AND, I have all my fingers;)

Tony is now “Sophia.”

How precious!!! I am happy to report that she is feeling much better. It was a bit touchy these last few days, but she is suckling on a baby bottle and keeping it down – YAY!

Life is hard work when you’re a baby squirrel:-)

His name is “Tony” until I hear from the people that found him:) I’m pretty sure their boys would like to pick out a name:)

The little figure next to him is “Sprinkles” one of my characters in Rainbow Valley (click on the picture for more info!)  I’m pretty sure Tony is attempting to nurse on my necklace string.

The wonderful people who found Tony did all the right things to give him the best chance:

1. Kept him warm and safe
2. Left him alone and allowed him to de-stress
3. Checked him for wounds –  sadly, he had a little bit of blood coming from his nose

When I received Tony I listened to his lungs and confirmed the presence of fluid (most likely a trace of blood or blood-tinged fluid in his lungs). If you ever find a wild animal that has ANY wounds or obvious bleeding (from ears, mouth, or nose too)  contact a veterinarian who is experienced in wildlife care. I licensed wildlife rehabilitator most likely has contact for you.

For now, Tony is receiving IV fluids and doing VERY well:) His eyes are open and he will be ready to take milk replacer once his lung sounds improve.

I will keep you posted on this sweet little creature!

So this is George:

Could he be any cuter? I mean really.

George was brought to me by a friend of a friend who trapped this poor little guy in his house? (The story is not quite clear)

Now, raise your hand if you think he’s a baby: (I would have raised my hand yesterday)

Raising your hand = wrong answer.

Shocking right? George is actually a teenager. At this size  opossums are ready to set out on their own. This is most likely how he got trapped in the first place.

If he were healthy, I would let him go. Unfortunately, George spent two and a half days in this trap (don’t ask why, I have no idea) without food or water. This brings up a general lesson in wildlife care (and mammal care in general):

The three BIGGEST issues:

1. Hypothermia (temperature too low)
2. Hypoglycemia (not enough food to sustain blood sugar level)
3. Dehydration

The steps to help any babies in this situation are pretty simple:

1. WARM them! Don’t do anything else until their body temperature reaches normal – you will be amazed at how fast the activity level comes back. Also, most critters are experiencing shock – the best thing you can do is provide a warm, quiet environment for an hour or so to let them de-stress.
2. Re-hydrate! If they are extremely dehydrated, these animals are best handled at the veterinary office. Veterinarians have the capability to give them IV fluids, SQ fluids (fluids under the skin), and/or place a feeding tube. These procedures should ONLY be done by a professional. The only thing you can safely do is offer water in a bowl or through an eye dropper (if they are still small) – but NEVER force it as they can aspirate easily (inhale the water).
3. Feeding: If the animal is still in need of momma’s milk, than number 2 and 3 go hand in hand. You need a good milk replacer. The type will depend on the animal you are raising. If George were younger, I would be feeding him puppy milk replacer.

It’s pretty incredible to think George was living in his momma’s pouch not too long ago. Now he will be my house guest until his weight normalizes and he can forage for himself. Until then, I have a new snuggle buddy;-)

Three weeks of intensive care and LOTs of TLC……….Snuggie is now a happy and healthy kitten!

This is Hooty the Owl. He was brought to my friend and colleague, Dr. B for evaluation after being hit by a car. Dr. B took x-rays and found a complete fracture of the main bone in one of his wings. Experts recommended euthanasia due to the unlikeliness of release back into the wild. And then the magic of social media took over………….

I saw Dr. B’s posts about Hooty, and volunteered to take the owl. (Of course my husband didn’t know I was scheming to keep the raptor in our spare bedroom if needed – but you know, details).

Here is the x-ray of his fracture:

Once I received more details of Hooty’s medical condition, I began soliciting help from veterinary specialists in the area. The sound of crickets was deafening – no big surprise there;)

So where to turn next……….. the light bulb went on – obviously my engineer friend could help me devise a contraption to fix the wing! I should probably mention that when I say “engineer,” I more specifically mean the engineer for the winning Indy Car team. Oh, and also, it was the weekend of the Indy 500.

I’m sure that my text message about an owl with a broken wing was a top priority for my friend while he was in the peak season of Indy car racing. And yet, he responded immediately asking specific questions about the fracture location and expressed his willingness to help me with Hooty:) Props to my friend!!!

In the meantime, I had to figure out the logistics of caring for Hooty beyond fixing his medical condition – things like where would he recover, where would he live permanently, and how would DNR feel about us keeping a raptor as a permanent resident from another state?

I contacted the director of “Woofs and Books,” to see if they would like a pet owl for their barn. She was very receptive to the idea and gave me the contact information for a wildlife rehabilitator at “For the Birds.”

I am thrilled to report that Hooty (renamed Dr. Who) is recovering beautifully and several weeks ago – he began flying again. Amazing

Finding raccoon Sheila was an odd answer to prayer. I realize most people pray for very different things, but I REALLY wanted a raccoon baby to raise like I had the summer before. I couldn’t believe it when I found the nest of 4 baby raccoons in my attic!

I immediately texted my husband: “I just found four raccoon babies! God really DOES love me!!!”

His response: “I know God loves you, but now I’m really wondering what he thinks of me.”

At that point I started praying to find a baby elephant in my attic – Eric started praying against me. So far he has won – but time will tell on this one.

Raccoon Sheila’s typical day was spent sleeping in the crook of my neck. This was only interrupted for her bottle feedings. It was the best spring ever!

Just prior to finding her, I had been diagnosed with a condition that required immediate surgery. Naturally my biggest concern was who would take care of Sheila while I was in the hospital? My husband was a VERY good sport and bottle-fed her while I was gone:)

I was told by the anesthesiologist that the first thing I said when I woke up was, “Is my baby raccoon okay?” They thought I was just delirious from the drugs. Little did they know that was just normal life for me. Apparently, I also made everyone who entered the room hug me and told them profusely how much I loved them. I’m a good patient;)

The post-operative period was better then any vacation I can think of – I spent a week in bed watching Golden Girls DVDs and snuggling my baby raccoon. What more could you ask for really?

Sheila quickly moved into toddler phase, which was VERY fun, but a little tiring. She wanted to climb everything, crawl into any available space, and throw things.

My husband’s patience wore out the day she started screeching at night – it was time for Sheila to live at my clinic.

Furry Family Veterinary Clinic was located in Noblesville at the time. I brought her to work with me, and lets just say that it was even more of a disaster than having her at home. Within ONE hour she had climbed the oxygen tank and disconnected the anesthetic scavenger system, sat on the sharps container and rapidly extracted the contents – tossing blades, needles and syringes everywhere, ran into an exam room after me, (I still remember the look on my poor client’s face – priceless!) pulled out all the flowers in the decorative flower box I had in the waiting room, snuck into the receptionist’s desk drawer and nearly gave her a heart attack when she opened it to find Sheila curled up with her pens, knocked over every trash can, unrolled a roll of paper towels, and dismantled all the stocked canned goods.

Shelia was then moved to my rescue on 146^th street.

This proved to be a MUCH better home for her. The residents at the time included a Momma dog and her 11 puppies (4 of which were actually foster pups that she kindly accepted as her own), a momma cat and her 6 kittens, another momma cat and her 5 babies and two other adult kitties. It was my own little hoarding house petting zoo.

Sheila fit in very well with everyone. She took a special affinity to the momma cat with 5 babies – pretty sure she thought she was just number 6.

Over time, the menagerie of critters went from co-existing to BFFs and it was hilarious to watch them interact! Sheila would wrestle with the kittens and climb up the cat tree with them, she rolled around with the puppies when the kittens shunned her for getting too rough, and she really just annoyed poor momma dog who was already exhausted by her 11 babies.

At this time the newspaper “The Carmel Current” heard about my rescue organization and contacted me to do a story on Dr. Mary. It was my 15 minutes of fame!  The editors wrote a VERY nice article about my rescue and it thankfully drew a lot of attention from the local community. We found homes for all the puppies, momma dog, the kittens and some of the cats were transferred to my dear friend Peggy Hodges at From the Heart Rescue (Sheila was becoming way too rough with the cats by this point).

Sheila was now living alone at my rescue and it was time to start getting her acclimated to the outside. This was heartbreaking for me, but we still had our daily doses of fun! We hung out by the pool together and when she felt brave enough she would go for a ride on my shoulder across the deep end. Her most favorite food in the world was “Craisins”, and that became a routine bonding time. I loved watching her pick up the dried cranberry with both hands and eat it like a little kid with an ice pop. She also LOVED Starbursts. As I suspected there are not many wild Starbursts in Hamilton County, I limited them to special treat time only.  I will confess it was hard to resist not feeding them more frequently since it was so fun to watch her unwrap it with her little fingers and thumbs!

My husband and I were scheduled for an annual summer vacation to Michigan, which posed a serious problem of what to do with Sheila. It is not your average person who is willing to pet-sit your baby raccoon. Thankfully, we have some pretty awesome friends – Dr. Jim Rasp (the best chiropractor ever) and his family took in Sheila for the entire week. I’m pretty sure they had no idea what they were getting themselves into or they probably would have said no!

We heard all about her adventures at the Rasps house when we came home: getting into cabinets, drawers (she especially loved Mrs. Rasp’s cosmetic drawer), purses and the best of all: unscrewing the living room light bulb! Who know she was so handy?!

Sheila came back to my rescue and we continued the summer right where we left off. After several weeks, a day came when Sheila did not come for her dried cranberry treats. I knew something was terribly wrong. My husband tried to reassure me that she was fine and probably just starting to become a normal teenager. But I knew in my gut she was not okay. Everyday, several times a day, I would come with my bag of craisins and call for her – nothing. A week went by and I mourned everyday without seeing her. I finally went on an hour-long search for her around the property and was devastated to find that she had passed away. I found her under the shrubs in the backyard – my heart broke and I wept like a child.

To this day I do not know what happened to her. She had no obvious injuries and I’ve been most suspicious of poisoning (not necessarily intentional to her, but unfortunately people use rodent poison fairly often). I think about her very frequently and miss her dearly. Though the ending is very sad, it cannot replace the hundreds of happy memories I had with her and the joy it still brings my heart to this day to remember my little Sheila.

I’m holding out hope for a raccoon Rita or Ralphie this springJ

“There are several missing shingles and we will need to patch the entire southern portion of the roof. Same goes for the area on the other side, though that is not as badly damaged.”

“Shoot!” I thought to myself – yet another unexpected expense from my 100 year old farmhouse. I told him I would have to talk it over with my husband and get back with him about the estimate.

I honestly don’t know what led me to do it – I think it was mostly curiosity, but perhaps intuition is a better adjective. I decided to inspect the damage myself from inside the attic.

One of the reasons I love this house so much is because it is like a maze. There are so many unexpected nooks and crannies and it makes me feel like a little kid exploring a secret world. The attic space is accessible only from a small cut in the bedroom closet, which is then covered with some neatly shaped pieces of Styrofoam. I pulled out my little hello kitty night lamp and pulled the chain to illuminate the room.

I saw him immediately – a scared, teenage sized raccoon staring back at me in the middle of the attic. He quickly scurried out of view.

“Roof leaking my a$$!” I exclaimed. I crawled into the attic space and turned the light-bulb on (which hangs from the middle of the attic – don’t ask me why they put it there). As I examined the floor, it didn’t take long to see all the raccoon feces that were piled in several corners of the. Yuck! The stains on the ceiling were not from rain, they were stains from raccoon urine!

The next day I borrowed a “have a heart trap” and set it in the middle of the attic with some dog food placed in the inside corner. I went downstairs and watched some TV while I waited. It wasn’t long at all before I heard violent thrashing from upstairs. I ran up to the attic and sure enough, I had caught him!

The next challenge: getting him OUT of the attic, through the closet, down the stairs and outside.

That was a good time. The raccoon kept hissing, thrashing and trying to bite my fingers as I climbed out into the closet. Then he decided that that was the moment he really needed to use the restroom. As I hoisted up the crate into the closet, a stream of poo and pee fell out onto my new carpet. I hustled to get him outside and that is when the REALLY bad idea hit me.

I will need to supply you with a little background information before I confess my bad idea: the previous summer I found two raccoon babies lying in the middle of cherry tree road. I made my husband drive back (he was insisting they were dead) and found them to be very much alive. I took them home and enjoyed my summer of raising two little raccoon babies! It was a great summer!

Back to my bad idea – part of me was REALLY hoping this was one of the boys I released last year. I thought that MAYBE, just maybe, he might remember me and we could snuggle one more time (lol – I know, ridiculous). So instead of taking him a distance from the house – I released him right there on the back porch. To my great disappointment, he did not run up my arm and give me a hug. He ran like a cat being chased with a vacuum into the woods. Oh well.

Now it was time to urgently find the spot where he had access to the attic space and block it before he found his way back in. I went back up to the attic and began examining the walls. I found the opening fairly easily – there was a large gap where the roof line met the floor in the corner of the room. The only thing I had with me was the fluffy pick insulation lying between the floor boards.

As I started collecting the material, I noticed a round spot sunken in the insulation – it was an imprint of where he used to sleep – awwww! Again, I was struck by a wave of intuition – there is really no other way to explain it. I started feeling between the gaps of the floor boards and the wall, and just like that, I found something furry! My heart skipped a beat as I extracted four tiny baby raccoons!!! It was the best day ever!!!

I took all the babies with me and devised a plan to get them back to their mother who I shall now refer to as “she” instead of “he.” 😉

I had a brilliant idea of placing them inside a dog house with the trap right at the entrance. This way she would climb in to get the babies, the trap would close and I could move the entire family elsewhere.

This is part of the story where I get accused of stealing a baby lol. I will tell you what happened and you can judge for yourself (though I DID NOT steal that baby!) Since the babies were safely blocked into the dog house by the trap, and my plan was to trap the momma, I didn’t see any harm in “borrowing” a baby for the night. I would simply bring her back the next day, reunite the family and let them all go in the woods together.

Here’s what actually happened: Momma found the babies, but she was far more clever than my device. Instead of walking into the trap to retrieve them, she simply pulled the entire trap out of the dog house and took her babies. Momma and babies were long gone – oops.

Needless to say, I spent another summer raising a baby raccoon;)

Next blog: “The Life of Raccoon Sheila”

I received an urgent call from a neighbor about a nest of baby squirrels found in the remains of a chopped down tree. My advice: leave the babies covered and warm in the hopes of mommas return. (though secretly, I was hoping for the chance to raise a lot of baby squirrels;) The next day I got another call that they were still there – what to do? “I guess I can take them” I said to the lady who found them (hee hee).

They were brought to me in a cardboard box with blankets and a water bottle (for a heat source). I brought them home and placed them out in my sunroom. My husband came home and I should mention that he has recently developed a learned aversion to cardboard boxes.

“What do you have now?” (the usual question) I unveiled the contents with a huge grin on my face and much to my surprise, he actually said, “Awww.” This  is code for yes I can keep them – yay!

I am not sure who enjoyed the frequent feedings more – the babies or me:

It was fun to watch them grow from little furry blobs into little feisty, agile creatures. I WISH I had a video clip of the first time one jumped from my hand clear onto my shoulder. My reaction was what really made the humor come through – I little scream followed by lots of giggling:)

At this point I decided it was time for the toddlers to have their own bedroom. Oddly enough, they didn’t like their bedsets as much as I did.

It was time for them to move into a more grown up facility of a birdcage so they could start using their little muscles to jump, climb and play.

They grow up so fast. Now fully weaned onto a seed and nut diet, it was time to let them experience the wild for themselves. I took them deep into the protected woodland behind my house (hopefully far enough away from my orange predator Schmooshie).

I should mention that just prior to this I attempted to take them out one at a time for an individual portrait photograph in my garage. This proved to be a very bad idea. One got loose and ran behind the workbench in my garage ……….oops.

So, I took the remaining three squirrels in their cage deep into the woods. I released them and scattered seeds and nuts around the area to give them a head start (peanuts were their favorite.) I took as may pictures of their departure as I could get before returning to the garage to retrieve the last one.

If a squirrel rodeo does not exist yet on you tube – I could have been the first. If only someone else was there to video-tape the nonsense. Envision a good ten minutes of  moving lawn mowers, laying facedown under the workbench (yuck – who knew how much debris could collect under there!) making strategic piles of nuts and fruit, and various other ridiculous schemes.

My efforts failed and I left the garage open in the hopes the little guy would just find his own way out. I’m pretty sure he did since I haven’t seen any “remnants’ of digested fruits and nuts.

At least I know there will be no risk of my squirrels seeking out human affection anytime soon;)

I was about to make a left turn at the corner of gray and 146th street when a momma duck and her TINY babies started to cross over the 4 lane road. I stopped in the middle to ensure no one would pass and they would make their way safely across. Once they reached the south side of 146th street, momma hopped up onto the curb, but her poor babies were too little to make the jump. They proceeded to walk along side her in the road and crossed over a storm drain – it was like a movie in slow motion with Dr. Mary yelling from her vehicle: “Nooooooo!”
I made the left turn, quickly parked at the bank and ran across 146th street to the storm drain where I heard tiny little peeps calling out for their momma. I ran into a nearby landscaping company like a madwoman, told the staff rapidly what had happened and asked if they had anything we could use to retrieve the babies. They followed me out to the drain and I desperately reached through the grates to grab the babies. It was quite a site I am sure – Dr. Mary laying facedown on 146th street with her left arm shoved in a drain hole making peeping sounds after the babies lol!

I continued my effort until the staff member gently advised me that I was making him very nervous by my actions as the dump trucks sped past my right arm. I offered to return with better equipment.
I arrived shortly back on the scene with a pool net and found the police department already there trying to get a hold of officials to remove the drain cover. My pool net was too large to fit through the opening – soooo, a trip to a bait and tackle store was next!
I bought a tiny pink net to fit through the drain and a larger blanket net to set at the bottom.

My third trip back was very disheartening. Someone had already come and removed the cover to find the baby ducks had fallen and their was no way to retrieve them. It was very very sad.
I came back home feeling defeated, but was able to laugh at the fact that I am quite certain everyone at the bank, the landscaping company, and the bait and tackle shop now believe I am certifiably insane lol! Oh well, I tried – and I will certainly have the bruises on my arms, belly and legs to prove it:)

“Dr. Food Truth” (AKA: Eric Marcotte) was quietly enjoying his morning coffee in our sun room when he was struck by the sound of something large hitting the glass window. He looked up to the sight of a feathery creature frantically scurrying on the lawn. “Should I wait for Mary to get home, or call her?” he pondered. Knowing how upset Dr. Mary would be, he decided to place the bird in a safe area and wait for her to get home.

Enter Dr. Mary: “Huuuuuuuhhhhhhh, oh no! Poor little ooddle boodle birdie booboo!” Yes, I said that – don’t judge me!!

Here is why:

Ouch! I drove Birdie Boo Boo (now referred to as Victor) to my clinic and quickly prepped the O.R.

I anesthetized him by using a large dog mask and he quickly fell asleep. Once he was peacefully snoozing, I examined his wounds under the surgery light and prepared a plan of action.

Here is what it looked like up close – oooouch!!!

The upper portion of the beak was bent at a 90 degree angle and stuck through the soft membranous portion of the lower beak. I was able to manually manipulate it back into position, and to my delight and surprise – it went back perfectly!I repaired the tear in the lower part of the beak with surgical glue (taking care not to glue my finger to his face – ha!). Birdie Boo Boo, I mean Victor, woke up, took one look at me, and bit my finger. That is when I new I had real success! 🙂

Victor was safely released back into the wild and so far has successfully avoided crashing into our sun room windows again.

Yay for happy endings!

Meet Hermie. He came to me “on emergency” from two very nice ladies who found him by the river bank. It is difficult to see in the photo, but Hermie had a significant laceration that I suspect may have been lawn mower induced. Hermie spent the night on my back porch while I diligently searched for a “How to repair a snake” article (Oddly enough, I did not find one). I called every exotic vet in the area, a veterinary surgeon, and a friend of mine who is a vet in NYC with  experience in reptile medicine. I left messages for all and hoped to have some answers quickly.

The next day I still had not heard back from anyone and knew time was ticking for poor Hermie. After a second attempt to contact the local exotic animal specialist, I decided I needed to make the move and try to fix Hermie myself.

I weighed him and calculated doses for pain medication and antibiotics. (NOT an easy task FYI!)

Here is Hermie on an anesthetic mask that delivers both oxygen and anesthesia. The mask is made for dogs and cats, so I improvised with a little medical tape:)

Once Hermie was anesthetized, I got started.

I began by removing pieces of scale that were dead and would not hold together if I tried to stitch them. Once all the edges were clean and healthy, my “plastic surgery” began – putting all the pieces back together so that they would hold well and heal quickly.

I was SO excited that it all came back together so perfectly and began to “wake Hermie up.” I waited while he was on oxygen to see signs of movement……………and I waited a little longer……………. and then I realized Hermie might be “heading towards the light.”

I have performed CPR on LOTS of critters, but never a snake. The big question: “Where is it’s heart!?” No other animal has the body of a tube. I decided it was probably somewhere in the upper one third, so that is where I began my tiny compressions. Now the next big question: how do you breathe for a snake?

Hmmm, mouth to mouth – not such a good option. I opened his tiny jaw and to my surprise found the entrance to his trachea (breathing tube) right away. I grabbed an IV catheter and found it to be the perfect fit into his little airway. Feeling rather proud of my McGyver move, I used an empty syringe filled with air to deliver the oxygen, and continued my tiny compressions with my two index fingers – I know, ridiculous.

After about 5 minutes of serious creative efforts to save Hermie, I came to the reality that he had already passed on. I cried for a little while and prepared a burial site for Hermie in the backyard. I said a prayer for him and that is when my heart got a little lighter and I let out a giggle. I realized the humor in the situation and recognized that I really did go above and beyond to care for this poor little critter. I also discovered that my guess as to where the heart is in a snake was right – whether it helps at all is a separate issue.

At least there is now a “How-to” article on snake CPR!