Circle P Wildlife Rescue: 6/9/12 Baby raccoon with problems

Who we are... and who we aren't

Who we are:

We are John and Teresa. We live in rural Rains County, Texas. We both grew up involved in farming and ranching. We learned how to care for animals from our parents.

John's dad worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Inmates working on the grounds of the prison frequently found injured/orphaned small animals. These inmates knew who to bring the animals to: John's dad. Dad brought the animals home where John's mother and older sister bottle-fed them and nursed them back to health. When they were old enough to survive in the wild, they were released. Seems like there was always a baby ground squirrel, rabbits and other small animals living in a shoebox under the bathroom vanity.

Teresa started caring for orphaned babies on her own as a child. Growing up on a working ranch, Teresa frequently found injured and orphaned animals. Teresa raised baby Cottontail Rabbits on a regular basis - something few people are able do successfully.

When we first got married, we rescued and/or rehabilitated several dogs, a pigeon with one wing (result of a hawk attack) and a baby dove. We lived in town at that point and didn't really have a place to keep wild animals, but we did what we could.

In 2008 we decided, for a number of reasons to move away from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. We found a few acres with a small house and a barn on it just outside Emory, Texas. The owner of the property was an elderly man named John Hagen.

Mr. Hagen was an amateur conservationist and had home-made bird boxes of every size all over the property. One housed a colony of bees; Some housed flying squirrels; Others had owls, ducks, Bluebirds, etc. As John showed us around, we knew we'd found home. We bought the place from John and made friends with him. John was in poor health when we met him, and within a year of our meeting him, John died. We miss John very much and hope he would be pleased with our efforts.

What we believe:

We are conservative Christians and our work with wild animals is an attempt to give our testimony and to serve and honor God.

God created the animals:

Genesis 1:25 - God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

God cares about the animals:
Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

God gives each person gifts or abilities to use in His service.

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
1 Corinthians 12:7 - But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man
1 Corinthians12:8 - For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
1 Corinthians 12:9 - To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

We use our meager abilities to help these animals survive. We house, care and feed them until they are mature enough to survive on their own in the wild, and then we return them to where they are supposed to be - in the wild.

Who we aren't.
We're NOT animal rights activists. We believe these people are misguided and few of them ever lift a finger to actually help an animal. Most are quite content to make spectacles of themselves protesting outside a fried chicken restaurant or throwing red paint on people wearing fur coats. Not our cup of tea.

We're NOT against hunting or fishing. We believe hunting and fishing are very valid methods to keep animal populations within healthy boundaries, ensuring enough natural resources for all the wild animals to thrive. We support hunting as a source of healthy meat and have no qualms with hunters using wild game to feed their families.

We don't make pets of the wild animals, as much as we love them, it'd be a terrible disservice to them. They were born in the wild and that's where they're supposed to live.

Legalities: We are working to get our license from Texas Parks and Wildlife. In the meantime, we volunteer and are listed as sub-permitees of a larger wildlife rescue/rehabilitation operation in Terrell, Texas.

We are legally authorized to treat, house and transport wild animals.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

6/9/12 Baby raccoon with problems - Beatrice

An couple from the metroplex reported that they had a baby raccoon that had fallen from a tree and couldn't stand up. We made room and told the folks to bring her to us.

On initial examination, the baby could not maintain an upright position. It is capable of standing for a second, and then falls on its side. Same thing while trying to walk. Same thing while trying to sit upright. The couple had taken the baby to a Dallas area veterinarian, who examined the baby, found no trauma or broken bones, no obvious reasons for the physical symptoms the raccoon displayed. The vet administered an anti-inflammatory drug in hopes that it would reduce any swelling from fall-related trauma.

Once we had the baby, we examined it closely.
The baby's claws have been filed down. They will grow back, but this is not something we normally see with an animal that is kept for a day or two then turned over to us.
The lady who had the baby coon said she'd been feeding it KMR - Kitten Milk Replacer, which is ok for immediate survival, but not a good choice for long-term care. KMR doesn't have the nutrients and fat that a baby raccoon needs to develop properly. A long-term diet of KMR will cause Metabolic Bone Disease. Our initial belief is that this baby was kept inside for much longer than a day or two. We think it had a long-term diet of KMR, which resulted in a critical lack of calcium and fat. If the baby was kept inside a house for a long period of time (when I say long period of time, two weeks in a four week old baby is a long time) it would've missed direct sunlight - also crucial for infant raccoons. We believe this baby is suffering from Metabolic Bone Disease - which would cause the symptoms we're seeing.

Our initial plan is as follows:
1 - 20 minutes of direct sunlight 2x daily
2 - Calcium supplement with every feeding
3 - Ensure - (yep, the people stuff) with every feeding
4 - Physical therapy, both passive and active several times daily. By passive I mean things in the cage that give the raccoon an opportunity to work itself. In this case, a ring mounted on the side of the cage that allows the baby to get a grip and pull herself into an upright position, and a sling (coons LOVE to sleep in a hammock-like sling) that she can pull herself up into. Beatrice uses the ring and the sling frequently. Active physical therapy includes holding her in a standing position while she eats and frequent supported walking exercise.

We're not pointing fingers at anyone. But we can say there is no evidence of a traumatic fall. On the contrary, all the signs of an animal kidnapped from its mother and accidentally denied proper nutrition are there in abundance. Our suspicion is that someone took this baby from its mother, and when it developed life-threatening medical issues, they realized they were in way over their head and got rid of it. Taking a baby away from its mother and denying it the nutrition it needs, regardless of intentions, is a slow, painful death sentence.

We don't know what lies ahead for Beatrice. Baby raccoons can recover from Metabolic Bone Disease, but there are no guarantees. We're working with Beatrice as hard as we can and will continue to do so. We're going into this knowing that we may not able to reverse the damage and that euthanasia may be the only choice. So far, we have seen some improvement. Beatrice has a good appetite and is cantankerous - both good signs.

Please pray for Beatrice.

Meet Beatrice: