What are some of the symptoms of a sick wild animal?

When you find a wild animal and you think that it requires your help, then you have to start by checking the signs that an animal may be sick or injured. The adult animal can show different signs or it may appear injured or sick, and if so it requires the help of a wildlife rehabilitator.

- The signs that the animal is sick or injured include missing feathers or fur, losing its balance, shaking or twitching, injured limbs and visible wounds.

- When the animal comes in contact with a cat, even when there are no visible injuries, medical attention may be needed.

- Abnormal behaviors you might look for include the animal looking sleepy and appearing as if it is blind.

- Look for material that gets tangled or stuck on the animal such as a can on the foot, any string that has been wrapped around a limb or sticking out of the mouth. You may also find grease on the feathers or fur.

- Sick animals may look as if they are wet when it is not raining, and this may be a sign that they need to get help.

Before you call for help for a sick animal, you have to contain the animal first. If the animal is dangerous, or if the situation may put you at risk, then you have to call a rescue team. It is easy to contain injured and sick wild animals even without training. However, you have to make sure that you are always safe.

You can call a local vet when you find a sick or an injured animal. The vet will render the needed service in order to relieve the suffering of the sick animal. However, you have to know that the wild animals will not be treated like your pet. The doctor will make an ethical decision between euthanasia and treatment. Wildlife animals have different requirements after the treatment, and they may not be happy when they are kept captive for a long period. Besides the vet, you can also call a local wildlife rescue center to come take the animal to their center.

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