The good Lord loves them all
Last week, around 9pm, a couple brought us an adult bunny hit by a car. They took it to three separate vets. All refused to look at it, or even to euthanize it. Animal Control was closed. Finally, in desperation, they got on the Internet and found us. We took one look and put it down. The right side of its head was totally crushed, yet it was still alive. That poor bunny had suffered for hours needlessly while the couple tried in vain to find someone, anyone, willing to help it.
Rehabbers, including me, often exhort people to take injured wildlife to either rehabbers or vets. Now I realize I need to clarify with a disclaimer that not all vets are willing or qualified to deal with them. Here's why:
Courses about wildlife in vet school are optional. Most vets while in school prefer to focus on domestic animals or livestock and choose not to take these courses. The needs of wildlife are completely different from domestics and are often not well understood. Time after time, we've walked into vet offices to pick up animals and found them in a cage right next to meowing cats and barking, agitated dogs, their natural predators. The animals are often cold and shocky and haven't received even basic triage care. Or worse yet, vet techs or assistants have attempted to muddle through on their own, feeding animals inappropriately and significantly complicating the issue for us. A fair number of animals don't survive the experience.
Another reason a vet might refuse to accept or even look at wildlife is because vets often consider wildlife a drain on their resources. Wildlife can use up a LOT of bandages, disinfectants, antibiotics, etc., etc., not to mention the time and effort required to treat them, and there's no one to whom to present the bill. For vets struggling like everyone else in this economy, it's just not worth it. Granted, sometimes their resources can be written off as a donation, but their time and effort cannot. It takes a true animal lover to sacrifice all that.
If a vet practice is willing to accept wildlife, you as a citizen need to ask what they intend to do with them. Many will accept for euthanasia only, but aren't always up front about that. They may not know of or attempt to contact a rehabber.
One last thing you may not know: Vets are bound by the same laws and restrictions that apply to the general public. Unless they have a wildlife permit, the maximum time allowed for knowledgeable vets to keep an animal is 96 hours for stabilization purposes only. The time limit for the general public is 24 hours. Once stabilized, they are required by law to move the animal on to a permitted rehabber. The law also does not allow vets to pass animals off to their vet techs or assistants unless they themselves have a wildlife permit, nor are they allowed to give them back to the general public for unauthorized care. They can be prosecuted for doing so. There are many vets who either don't know that or don't care. I'm just sayin'.
Now, lest anyone reading this take my post as an attack on vets and/or vet techs, perish the thought! We personally have two fantastic vets we work with, vets who understand wildlife issues and give them great care. We trust them implicitly. Just be aware that that is not always the case and you can waste precious time trying to find one. Ultimately, bringing the animal straight to a rehabber can save both time and the animal's life. If it needs a vet, we'll get it there with a much greater chance of survival.
Wishing everyone a great weekend!