Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Photos / Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

Wild animals do not want you to think they are injured!

This Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was the victim of a dog attack in West Virginia and was brought to the Center for evaluation. Though the finder suspected this small woodpecker may have been uninjured, they wanted to have the bird examined to be sure.

On exam, we found a large laceration under the right wing that required surgical repair and a left coracoid fracture that required stabilization (in this case, with a bandage).

When animals are attacked by cats or dogs, they sometimes look completely uninjured, and this often makes finders hesitant to bring the animal to a rehabber.

It is important to remember that wild animals do not want you to think they’re injured – they hide pain well.

Many dog attack injuries cause crushing trauma, breaking bones or causing internal damage that can be hard to evaluate.

Many wounds from small, sharp teeth (like cat attacks) seal over as the teeth pull out. These wounds leave little to no evidence and trap bacteria inside the wound, increasing the risk of infection.

If a domestic animal has had a wild animal in its mouth, regardless of how gentle you feel the interaction may have been, it is important to get that wild animal to a licensed rehabilitator, just as this awesome finder did!

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