Captain Hook, The Three-Legged, Emaciated Opossum

This story was shared with us by Nay Nays Wildlife Rehabilitation in Texas.

I received a call from a county game warden with an injured opossum. I requested that he drop the injured opossum off at my wildlife vet for treatment. Upon inspection of the opossum by my vet and myself, we concluded he was a young opossum about 6 months old.

His front right paw was dangling by only a thin piece of tissue. His ulnar and radius were completely exposed and already showing signs of necrosis. The paw was completely necrotic itself, as there was no blood flow. The opossum, which we named “Captain Hook,” only weighed in at 27.5 ounces and had almost every bone visible. He was very emaciated, very anemic, had hookworms and whipworms, low blood levels from the injured paw, and was pale and weak.

The vet removed the necrotic paw, cleansed the area, and wrapped it up. Captain Hook was immediately started on antibiotics, dewormer, iron injections, and pain medication for his foot.

Once I got him home I began his treatment, as he needed to gain weight and needed an increase in red blood cells before he could have his right leg amputated safely. The vet told me to do my magic on him, as she knows I can coax an emaciated animal to gain weight.

I immediately started my meal plan for him. My first and only go-to ingredient was the EmerAid Carnivore supplement. I mixed EmerAid, soft cat food, yogurt, and a vitamin supplement with warm water to combine the ingredients. I set the food down in front of him, and he immediately began eating. He ate the whole mixture, a great sign for his recovery, and went to sleep.

After two weeks of eating this mixture three times a day, along with receiving antibiotics and dewormer, this sad little Captain Hook went from 1 pound 11.5 ounces to 2 pounds, 6 ounces! The EmerAid with the high protein and high-fat content helped him to both gain weight and grow healthy tissue where his bone was exposed.

I can say with delight that this young boy was soon eligible for his amputation at my vet. After his surgery he received another round of antibiotics and pain medications. I continued the EmerAid Carnivore mixture to help with his continuous weight gain and tissue healing.

I can’t thank EmerAid enough for their great products to aid in my wildlife recovery.