The RSPCA’s veterinary team and partners have brought together essential information and evidence in one central place. This will help vets and nurses provide care for British wildlife that is presented to them by members of the public and wildlife rehabilitators.
Led by Justine Shotton, former BVA president, and head vet for wildlife and exotics at the RSPCA, the recently launched online toolkit was created with support from BSAVA, BVA Journals, BVZS, the British Deer Veterinary Society, the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and many other wildlife rehabilitators and wild animal welfare groups and charities.
Justine said: “Vet practices do an amazing job caring for sick and injured wild animals brought in by members of the public and rehabilitators, providing appropriate first aid, pain relief and euthanasia under the RVCS Code.
“It can be daunting for those who don’t see wildlife frequently, so we’ve put together this toolkit to help vets and vet nurses to help maximise the welfare for these species.”
Justine continued: “Our wildlife toolkit gives practical advice such as how to perform clinical examinations, information regarding common conditions seen in wildlife species, and also covers areas which may be less well known to practitioners, such as wildlife legislation and tips for how to build relationships with reputable rehabilitators. The site also links to BSAVA’s wildlife formulary and open access articles and resources for further reading.”
The site is broken down by species and area, such as triage, legislation and pharmaceuticals, to allow clinicians to quickly find the relevant information, and the RSPCA’s experts will continue to add to the information over time and as new research and protocols are developed.
The toolkit is aimed at RCVS-registered vets and vet nurses, and also covers sensitive but important topics such as euthanasia and suitability for release, and includes videos and presentations developed by the RSPCA’s specialist wildlife teams and our partners.
Justine added: “All of the content of the toolkit can count towards vet and vet nurse CPD; including reading the articles, watching the presentations or completing the interactive training online training course, Wildlife Rehab – the First 24 hours. I’d encourage all vet professionals to take a look at the site, and to add the toolkit to their bookmarks for future reference.”
The toolkit can be accessed here or downloaded by scanning the QR code.
The charity has also created a helpful poster with a QR to the site as well as other helpful links which it is sharing with vets. You can print a copy of the poster here.
The RSPCA kindly requests that the link to the toolkit be kept within the veterinary profession, and that while vets are encouraged to share the link widely with vet and vet nurse colleagues, they do not share further, or to the public.
