06/13/2026
Three different stories with various outcomes.
A young red fox found in the road, unresponsive, with a pool of blood and shallow breathing. A panicked finder reached out immediately to multiple rehabbers. They were cautious due to foxes being Rabies Vector Species and did everything right. Our fantastic vet (All Hearts Animal Hospital) checked her over for internal injuries. The fox has a spinal fracture and respiratory infection. How well she tolerates treatment dictates prognosis - strict crate rest for a young fox is hard, but she will have a chance. Normally spinal injuries cannot be fixed enough for release. This girl was lucky that the trauma didn't instantly paralyze her. She has made huge improvements the past few hours.
A healthy fawn found alone next to a road. The curious baby followed the finder - an instinct that kicks in for them to keep up with mom. I advised to observe for several hours (unless obvious injury, flies, or excessive crying). Mom and baby are later spotted together - happy ending with the best outcome.
Another healthy fawn found in an area with heavy machinery. Advised to return fawn and allow mom a chance to relocate. Finder immediately posted to a wildlife help group asking for a rehabber. Given the same advice by *multiple* rehabbers - give mom a chance. Clearly this was not the advice they wanted since the post was removed. Most likely the mom is distraught and the fawn is unnecessarily sent to rehab or kept as an experiment "rescue".
See how there are so many ups and downs to rehab? I much prefer the happy endings.
I cannot emphasize enough at just how important it is to follow advice from rehabbers even when it's hard. We use years of experience and our best judgement to put the animal's interests ahead of feelings no matter how difficult.
