It’s best to leave wild animals alone

Dr. Watts / Culpeper Star Exponent
Published: April 28, 2007

Before getting to this week's question, I would like to update you on the latest news regarding several recent columns. First, as development continues in our area, human exposure to rabies continues to increase. This week I received statistics from the local health department indicating that 70 people in our area had to receive post-exposure treatment for rabies in 2006. This number is a sharp increase from 31 the year before.

Confirmed cases of animal rabies in our local health district have also been steadily rising since 2004. For more information on rabies and how you can protect your family, please visit ClevengersCorner.com/rabies.

Also, this week brought even more news in the expanding recall of pet food. Some rice protein concentrate from a Chinese supplier has now been found to be contaminated with melamine. This is the same chemical that was found in contaminated wheat gluten, also from China. On April 24, the FDA announced it will expand its investigation to test for melamine in ingredients imported for human consumption, including wheat gluten, corn gluten, cornmeal, rice bran, and rice protein.

It also announced that hog farms in at least five states have been quarantined or similarly restricted due to potentially contaminated hog feed. The most up-to-date information concerning the ongoing recalls can be found at www.AVMA.org.
Please continue to submit your questions regarding the pet food recall, rabies awareness month, or any other topic. You can mail questions to "Ask Dr. Watts" c/o Culpeper News, 471 James Madison Hwy. Culpeper 22701. You may also e-mail questions through ClevengersCorner.com. Now, on to this week's questions.

Q: There has been a baby bird fluttering outside near our bushes. It seems like she has fallen out of the nest. What should I do to care for her-

A: In late spring and early summer, many wild birds experience a fledgling stage of development. These birds are old enough to leave the nest, but still need the attention of a parent. Typically these fledglings jump around and practice flying, but usually cannot completely master the skill yet. Think of these fledglings as "bird teenagers."

The mother will usually be keeping a pretty close watch over fledglings. They help them find food and avoid predators. Sometimes you may see a panicked mother bird trying to distract you if you walk to close to her offspring. It is important to leave the fledgling alone, so the mother continues to care for it. Keep your cats and dogs indoors or closely supervised if you have a fledgling in your yard. Many of these birds die from interactions with pets or because well meaning "rescuers" take them away from their mothers.

In Virginia, all wildlife legally belongs to the commonwealth. Individuals are not allowed to care for wildlife other than to bring them to a veterinarian or licensed wildlife rehabilitator. These laws are for the protection of the animals and public health. If you suspect any wild animal is sick or injured, leave them in place and contact a veterinarian or animal control for advice.

Q: I've heard a lot of conflicting information about rawhide treats for dogs. Do they present a choking hazard and do imported treats contain dangerous chemicals-

A: Almost any chew treat can be a choking hazard for dogs. Someone once told me they should be rated PG — used only under parental supervision. It is likely that 99 out of a hundred dogs have no problems at all with rawhide. However, as a veterinarian, I see the 1 percent that have the problems. Some of the problems can be severe.

Almost any veterinarian can share stories of surgically extracting a piece of rawhide that got stuck while traveling through the intestines. More commonly, we see dogs for vomiting or diarrhea caused by irritation of the gastrointestinal tract by small pieces of rawhide. Periodically, we also see dental fractures caused by overly aggressive chewing of rawhide and similar treats.

If you choose to give your dog rawhide, be absolutely certain to use a product that is made in the United States. Some hide comes from developing countries where it is legal to use dangerous preservative chemicals. Also, keep any animal-source chew toy away from children and immune compromised people. These treats have been linked with salmonella and other, sometimes drug-resistant bacteria. 

Dr. Watts is a companion animal general practitioner and owner of Clevengers Corner Veterinary Care. He can be reached through ClevengersCorner.com or by calling 428-1000.