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Procyon Wildlife raising funds for on-site X-ray machine

April 14, 2022   ·   0 Comments

When an injured animal is brought into the Procyon Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre, they receive excellent care while recovering.

The Centre receives a variety of wild animals like foxes, possums, raccoons, skunks, fawns, and porcupines, and nurses them back to health before releasing them back into their natural habitat.

Some have been hit by automobiles while others are suffering from a natural ailment and are brought into the centre by members of the public.

While the Centre can do a lot to help the animals, they have to go to outside sources when an animal needs an X-ray. This can be difficult as only some veterinary clinics offer x-ray services for wildlife and the ones that do are in high demand.

“We have the ability to do a lot here, like basic exams, and we can sedate them if they need simple treatments or cleaning out a wound or something that would hurt,” explained Sarah Marrs-Bruce, the Centre’s Animal Care Assistant and Internship Program Director. “But we struggle with x-rays, because so many critters need x-rays and that availability is so tight. We have vets that can do it for us – when they can see us. Over the past two years, the vets’ availability has plummeted because they are so busy. Our wonderful vets are overwhelmed. Every vet you talk to is backlogged and it’s hard to get an appointment.”

During the pandemic, the interest in pets increased with many people getting new animals at home. The result has been a lot of pressure on local veterinary clinics when animals need common procedures like rabies shots.

Taking a wild animal to a vet clinic is a very stressful situation for a wild animal. They are already stressed by being in captivity and transporting them adds to that stress.

The Clinic is now raising funds to purchase their own X-ray machine they can use on site.

“An X-ray machine would give us the ability to X-ray without transporting the animal,” Ms. Marrs-Bruce said. “That means a lot less stress for the animal. It’s faster because we can do it right away instead of waiting for two days. Without the X-ray sometimes you are going by guess work. It gives us better diagnostic tools, a lot less guess work, and it’s immediate. You can X-ray and know exactly what you’re dealing with. We can give them better care if we have the ability to give them a more complete proper exam immediately without stressing them out by moving them someplace else.”

The digital X-ray machine with proper protective gear will cost around $95,000.

The Centre started raising funds in March.

The unit must be portable as staff at the centre will need to transport the X-ray machine to outdoor pens where some of the animals are held.

A digital X-ray machines allows staff to send the images directly to a veterinarian for assessment.

If you would like to help Procyon Wildlife achieve their goal of getting a portable digital X-ray machine, you can learn more and donate by visiting their website at www.procyonwildlife.com.

By Brian Lockhart

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