Rescue
Every life matters here at Wildlife Aid, and we will always do everything possible to help an injured animal get back to the wild. Luckily, we are one of the few wildlife rescue centres to have a full-time veterinary team on site, and have the facilities and equipment to perform some very extensive operations.
This poor fox arrived with us in a bad way. As well as mange and several superficial injuries, he had an open fracture to one of his metatarsus bones (the bones in the middle section of the foot). Open fractures are normally a very bad sign with wild animals but, after speaking with several orthopaedic experts, Meriem (our lead vet) had a plan to help him...
Rehabilitation
Once stabilised enough for anaesthesia, Meriem (our lead vet) and Rosie (one of our vet nurses) set to work on a very complex operation... The bone fragments were too badly damaged to fix with a pin, so we were left with only one option - amputate the entire toe.
Luckily, this fox would cope perfectly well minus one toe and, with the support of an orthopaedic expert, the operation was a complete success!
Release
Amazingly, this surgery was a complete success and he was soon running and jumping as if nothing was ever wrong! After a few weeks to ensure everything had fully healed (and to watch for any signs of infection), he was given a final sign off before being returned back to the wild.
We wish him the very best of luck!
