Environment and Resource Management

First Aid

The first 24 hours

There may be times when you cannot find professional help to deal with a sick, injured or orphaned animal. Here are some first aid tips to sustain the animal until you can get help.

How to care for a rescued animal until you get help


Young noisy minor		 The first 24 hours after an animal is rescued are critical. Until you know what course of action to take, keep the animal in a dark, warm and quiet place.

Holding, playing with or showing the animal to other people might cause it to die of stress.
The first step is to assess the animal's health. Check for life-threatening injuries and wounds. In some cases these will be obvious (e.g. broken limbs). If you cannot make this assessment, contact your local wildlife care group or vet.

Take any animals with life-threatening injuries or requiring euthanasia to a vet, calling beforehand to notify them that you are bringing an injured native animal. If possible, identify the animal and tell the surgery what has happened to it. Not all vets are experienced with native wildlife and you may be asked to take the animal to another vet or directly to a carer who specialises in that animal.
Veterinary procedure

Clear the airway

You will need to make sure unconscious and severely ill animals can breathe freely. Keep the animal's head above the level of its stomach and remove anything obstructing the airway (vomit or blood). Extend the head and neck and tilt the mouth and nose downwards slightly so that the animal does not choke on saliva or food.

Stemming major bleeding

To stop any major bleeding, apply firm pressure directly to the wound.
Place a clean bandage firmly over the wound and treat the animal for shock. Consult a vet as soon as possible.

Treatment for Shock

The signs of shock are not always obvious, in most cases they will develop over a period of time. The most obvious symptom is a rapid pulse or rapid breathing. Marsupials may shiver and birds "fluff" their feathers. To combat heat loss, warm the animal with a hot water bottle, light bulb or heat pad (do not use a fan heater). Place a thermometer near the animal so you can monitor the ambient temperature. If possible, put the heat source outside the container and direct the heat to one end. This will allow the animal to move to and from the heat. If the heat source is housed with the animal, make sure it is padded or shielded to stop the animal coming into direct contact with it.

Moreover, make sure the animal cannot chew the electrical connections or wiring. Generally, mammals will pant if they are too hot and birds will hold their wings away from their body.

Note: Heat can be lethal to sick birds so put a small, open dish of water near the heat source to provide some moisture.

The following air temperatures are suggested for animals in shock.

Mammals Degrees
Furless young 32deg
Furred young 28deg
Adults 28deg
Platypuses/echidnas 25deg
Birds
Featherless young 36deg
Feathered young 30deg
Adults 26-27deg
Reptiles
Snakes and lizards 30deg
Freshwater turtles 26deg

Diarrhoea

Give an oral re-hydration solution (Lectade, Vy-trate or Gastrolyte) for the first 24 hours and then slowly introduce the appropriate food. Be aware that if the diarrhoea continues the animal may have a more serious health problem and should be seen by a vet.

Burns heat and stress

Cool an animal's burns gradually with a cold compress or cold water before covering them with a clean, wet cloth. Animals suffering from heat stress should be cooled with a wet sponge or cool water. Cold animals should be treated as though they are in shock.

Poisoning

The symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, convulsions and paralysis. The animal will need to be carefully observed and treated for shock.

Consult a vet as soon as possible to give the animal the best chance of survival. If the animal's condition remains stable or improves, give it some food.

The symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, convulsions and paralysis. The animal will need to be carefully observed and treated for shock

Consult a vet as soon as possible to give the animal the best chance of survival. If the animal's condition remains stable or improves, give it some food.

Concussion in Birds

A bird with concussion should be placed in a dark, environment (do not provide extra heat). Check on the animal after two to four hours and test its ability to fly. You can do this by taking it out of its container and placing it in an uncluttered room that has the lights on but the blinds drawn. If the bird can fly, release it by placing it on a branch in a tree with plenty of leaf cover.

Do not release the bird near other animals. A bird can take up to 24 hours to recover from concussion.

Food and liquids

Native animals have special food requirements and the wrong food can cause them more harm. For example, marsupials should not be given cows' milk and birds should not eat bread or drink milk. Take the time to find out what the animal's specific food requirements are before you feed it.

Larger animals can go up to 24 hours without food or fluids, unlike small marsupials and birds, which need fluids sooner than this. Unfortunately, you will not always know how long an animal has been without food. You should not offer fluids or solids to an animal until it is warm and its condition is stabilised. Moreover, you will need to consult a vet about subcutaneous (under the skin) or intravenous fluids for severely dehydrated animals. Symptoms of dehydration include sunken or dry eyes and dry, wrinkled skin that does not bounce back when you pinch it.

The first step in giving an animal fluids and food is to provide it with an oral re-hydration solution such as Lectade, Vy-trate (available from veterinary clinics and some pet stores) or Gastrolyte (available from pharmacies). These solutions should be made up as directed in warm, boiled water. Offer the animal small drinks at frequent intervals. You should leave a bowl of solution for larger animals that are able to feed themselves and are not severely injured. Aim to give a large animal at least 15 percent of its body weight (i.e. 15ml for every 100g) in fluid during the first 24 hours.

Orphaned animals should also be given oral re-hydration fluids as these will provide sustenance and help stabilise the animal before you introduce milk substitutes or other unfamiliar foods.

Another good way to start introducing liquids and food to an injured or orphaned animal is to provide it with a glucose containing solution. This will give the animal energy and help combat dehydration. To make a glucose solution, place one teaspoon of Glucodin (available from most supermarkets and chemists) in 250ml of boiled water. The solution should be lukewarm and offered to the animal at frequent intervals.

You will have to use your judgement on when to re-introduce solids or other foods to an animal. However, before doing so you will need to know what they eat. The ideal time to plan the animal's feeding regime is while it is being given oral re-hydration solutions or glucose. This step may not be necessary if you are planning to give the animal to another carer.

However, depending on what other advice you are given at the time, if the animal readily drinks the re-hydration or glucose solutions you may want to offer it small amounts of food within 8-12 hours (earlier for baby birds).
Poly-aid

Last updated: 11 January 2005

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