A: Hi everyone! We thought you all may want to know how the patients mentioned in a blog two weeks ago are doing now. So here we are with updates!

B: Blondie squirrel is doing much better: eating everything in sight and drinking out of his water bottle quite well. He is even using his "squirrel bag", a closed hammock we offer for off-the-ground sleeping accommodations. As squirrels nest in the tops of tall trees, providing them with a similar arrangement is key to their overall mental well-being.

A: Blondie's balance and coordination have also improved dramatically, giving us reason to hope for his full recovery. I am also happy to report that he is just as feisty and territorial of his enclosure as any healthy, wild squirrel. Attitude counts in rehab!

B: He definitely gets a gold star. The adult rabbit that was mentioned a couple of blogs ago is also much improved. Her former bald-patch is now covered in dense fuzz and she continues to improve her motor skills. Having a rough-and-tumble with a car can wreak havoc on your sense of perception, but through our efforts - and her quick metabolism - a springtime release is in her future.

A: The opossum with the injured mandible had yet another tooth removed by our esteemed volunteer vet and continues to swiftly progress towards recovery as well. Though he is far from being our youngest and sprightliest opossum (to my great delight we are now up to three adults at the Center), he still manages to eat up all his food everyday, "finger-paint" all over his kennel (using media you don't even want to know about) and gives the rest of the 'possums a run for their money when it comes to intimidating us all. Opossums are known for threatening people with their vast assortment of teeth; ironic considering their teeth are only good for an omnivorous lifestyle, not defense.

B: Now onto new patients: over the weekend, an Eastern Screech owl (red phase) was admitted after bouncing off someone's windshield. Initial examiner Polly found some blood in both eyes and an abrasion under the left eye. He was thin, dehydrated and lethargic but there were no obvious fractures or open wounds.

A: After an examination by the vet, which revealed a parasitic infection of the upper digestive tract but (thankfully) no trauma to the eyes, we have started him on a regimen of force-feeding, antibiotics in the eye (for the conjunctiva) and anti-inflammatories. I sure hope we don't have to continue force-feeding him for long- it's no fun for anyone involved.

B: Hopefully he will soon learn that those little things we leave in his cage are there for him to eat. No rehabber likes to force feed an animal that is physically able to eat, but when faced with a patient that refuses to feed himself (due to stress or discomfort) you have to take matters into your own hands. Literally.

A: We were faced with such a case when treating a Cooper's Hawk last week who had gotten himself entangled in someone's garden netting. When he was admitted, he had blood on his face and was somewhat non-responsive, but he quickly proved to be far better equipt to fly than we had thought. After chasing him around the Center a few times and force-feeding him through the week, we realized that his only problem was that he was stuck in captivity! We were more than happy to release him after a relatively short stay. My favorite type of patient!

B: Hawk releases are one of my favorites, second only to raccoon releases.  Nothing beats watching a litter of raccoons that you have successfully raised explore their new territory for the first time. As much as we love wildlife, we love to watch them leave because that means we have done our job.

A: Some people are compensated for their work with big paychecks, benefits, larger offices... but we get to realize our dreams every time an animal is restored to its natural environment. Though that big paycheck sounds very nice too.

B: You wish. *sigh* We all wish. But such is the life of one who chooses to work in our noble field. I will opt for our type of job satisfaction over a six-figure paycheck any day.

A: I'm with you there. Of course I am- I'm working here. Another wonderful perk we receive is all the support we get from people like our clients, volunteers and the readers of this blog. Thank you all for making our jobs so much more enjoyable.

B: The more people we can educate about living in harmony with our wild neighbors, the easier our job becomes. Stay safe, stay educated.

A: Try to stay warm too! See you all next week!

... not that any are given. my husband was disappointed with the release of a Great Horned owl that i brought back from critical emaciation two years ago. "it was too anti-climatic," he said. "did you honestly expect him to thank me?" i asked. "i just put him through three months of torture - captivity, tube feedings, fluids, vitamin shots, and physical therapy. all he is thinking now is that he cannot get away from me fast enough." ~ brittany