BY: Kristen Braitkrus UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Who is this weirdo wearing a sheet, surgical mask, and gloves and what are they doing with that needle? Believe it or not, this is one of your friendly Wildlife Medical Clinic veterinary student volunteers! The patient this volunteer is treating is one that requires a very special dress code for a very special reason.
Springtime is an extremely busy time for the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Baby animals are brought in in droves to the Small Animal Clinic and veterinary student volunteers sign up for multiple shifts during the weekdays and weekends to keep these babies warm, clean and fed.
As the spring weather brings warmer temperatures, the Wildlife Medical Clinic sees a noticeable increase in turtle patients. This isn’t surprising, as these animals had been bromating (hibernating) throughout the colder months and are now becoming active again. Unfortunately, many of these patients arrive at the Clinic injured after being hit by a car. You might think to yourself, why would a turtle leave a nice pond and try to cross a busy street?