Medical Emergency Fund Page for Mink

Thin and dehydrated, this poor mink found himself stuck in a trap intended for rats, likely for several days. In his frantic attempts to escape, the mink had broken many of the metal bars of the trap and sustained several deep wounds. Fortunately, the mink was found in time, and brought to Wild ARC for urgent care. 

Upon arrival, his wounds were already very infected, the worst of them were on his back, snout, and between his eyes. It was immediately clear to rehabilitators that he was going to need significant wound repair and long-term care. His wounds were cleaned and the mink was set up in a warm, quiet enclosure with some food that had been injected with pain medications and antibiotics. Ravenous from his days of entrapment, he devoured the medicated food immediately. With this pain relief, he became brighter and louder by the minute. 

His rehabilitators reached out to a local veterinarian for consultation and to make a wound repair game plan. After two days in care, the mink was stable enough for his first procedure, closing his face wound as the skull is easily susceptible to infection if it's exposed. 

The mink needed careful cleaning of all his wounds and allowing them to drain in order to clear them fully of infection. Many of the mink's wounds soon showed immense improvement. However, because as he healed, he became more active, the sutures on his face, which were tightest and most fragile, had not withstood the increased activity. This prompted securing artificial skin to the wound to lessen the tension and keep the skull and fragile new tissue protected.

At this point, his wounds were healed enough to allow him to begin the transition back to the wild. He moved from his indoor enclosure to an outdoor enclosure, where he is able to perform much more of his natural behaviour while he completes his healing.

The BC SPCA urges the public to opt for prevention and exclusion techniques to solve problems with rodents and other wildlife, including safe deterrents, instead of trapping and relocating. Although live traps may seem like a humane option, animals like this mink often injure themselves and could die trying to escape.

You can help give this mink a second chance in the wild by donating towards his care.

If the cost of care is raised for this patient, additional funds will provide care for other wild animals in need.