CCWR 2007 Education Symposium
Presentations
Critical Care and Emergency Treatment for Wildlife
Recent research on Colorado rehabilitation records confirmed what experienced rehabilitators have seen in their own experience. In the research sample, 83% of the birds and 63% of the mammals that died while in rehabilitative care did so in the first four days. This session will describe essential emergency care for shock, dehydration, bleeding and more to help wild animals survive those crucial initial days.
Zoonoses Update: What's Waiting in the Woods
John PapeThis will provide an epidemiological overview of important zoonotic disease in Colorado, current trends, recent outbreaks and investigations and any emerging diseases that may impact Colorado.
Common Wildlife Diseases in Colorado: Identification, Treatment and Control
Wild animals can carry a variety of diseases and parasites. Early identification, treatment and effective control can help reduce problems for animals and rehabilitators. This session will describe several wildlife diseases and parasites that rehabilitators may see in wildlife admitted for care, such as Distemper, Parvovirus, Pox, Coccidia, Giardia, Roundworm, and Mange. Identification and treatments will be described, as well as procedures to control infection and prevent transmission.
Comparative Anatomy of Birds and Mammals
A basic knowledge of anatomy is critical in providing quality care to an injured animal. The life of a rehabilitator typically includes admitting species outside of their general expertise. Don't panic - looking at basic similarities and differences in anatomy can help you develop a plan of care to stabilize and begin treatment while you are seeking out the additional expertise you may need. This presentation will explore the similarities and differences in anatomy between birds and mammals, with tips along the way on how to approach issues of stabilization and treatment.
Reducing Antibiotic Resistance in Wildlife
Mackenzie Goldthwait and Shirley Casey
The World Health Organization considers antibiotic resistance in people to be one of the top three global health problems. Research shows that this is also a growing problem with animals. This session will discuss causes for the growing resistance to antibiotics and practical suggestions for actions that rehabilitators can take to reduce problems for wildlife and humans.
Wildlife Nutrition Basics
Come and listen to a story on how exciting nutrition can be! Before one attempts to feed any animal - sick or healthy - there are a few nutrition fundamentals that are of primary importance. Questions addressed in this presentation include: 1) dietary preferences including carnivores, herbivores and omnivores; 2) digestive tract physiology - just how it all gets broken up; 3) idiosyncrasies of nutrients - and no it is not boring; 4) deficiencies and toxicities - things that make you go wow, awwwwah and yikes; and 5) pulling it all together to end the story. Mammals of all persuasions, reptiles and birds will be addressed using domestic livestock, companion animal and zoo animal as my examples. I promise you will not be bored.
Clarifying CDOW Policy Guidelines for Sponsors and Provisional Wildlife Rehabilitators
There have been an increasing number of questions and difficulties related to sponsoring new provisional rehabilitators in the last several years. Consequently, Kathy Konishi, the CDOW Special Licensing Manager responsible for rehabilitation licenses, has prepared policy guidelines to clarify this process for sponsors and provisionals. These will be on the Special Licensing website by January 1, 2007. This presentation will focus on those guidelines and be helpful for sponsors, provisionals and people considering applying for a wildlife rehabilitation license.
Small Mammal Caging: Design Criteria and Construction Demonstration
Caging is an essential part of rehabilitating wildlife. This session will describe basic cage criteria, including determining the appropriate space for the animal's size, development, socialization and health; safety for animals and caregiver; sanitation; placement; and more. The session will describe cage designs and construction tips for safe, easy to build, and cost-effective cages.
Avoiding Nutritional Disorders in Passerines
This session will describe potential nutritional problems in passerines and how to avoid them. Natural diets plus supplements will be discussed. Several passerine diets that are being used effectively around the country will be reviewed, such as the Mac Diet and FONS diet.
Tips and Tricks for Passerine Rehabbers
This presenter has been a highly respected and effective passerine rehabilitator for 15 years. She has collected a wide range of helpful tips for rehabilitating passerines from rehab training and conferences as well as 20 years of personal experience with exotic birds. This session will include many different tips and tricks for working with passerines, including getting birds to eat on their own.
Common Squirrel Health Problems
Squirrels arrive in rehabilitation with a variety of health problems. While rehabilitators may easily identify some of the conditions, others may be less obvious. This session will describe 20 health conditions in squirrels, including head trauma, urinary infections, and gastrointestinal disorders. Potential conventional and holistic treatment options will be described.
Tips for Reducing Cottontail GI Problems
Cottontail rehabilitation poses many challenges. Ninety percent of all problems of rehabilitating cottontails can be linked to the cottontail's extremely sensitive gastrointestinal tract, which differs greatly from that of other small mammals. Understanding the cottontail gastrointestinal tract is therefore critical for successful rehabilitation of this species. We will cover the gastrointestinal tract in detail including, stress issues, feeding, diet, handling, and medical techniques that can all help keep the cottontail gastrointestinal system healthy during rehabilitation.
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