Car Accident Leaves Virginia Opossum Unable To Eat

The following story was shared with us by Appalachian Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.

A Virginia opossum arrived at the Appalachian Wild facility at the end of January 2020 after being found after he was hit by a car. While he was lucky enough to avoid major trauma, he did have significant damage to his mouth. He suffered broken teeth and damage to the tongue and gum lines. He was also emaciated and dehydrated upon arrival.

Due to the damage to the teeth, he was unable to eat anything that required chewing. He was started on the EmerAid Intensive care diets with 2 parts Omnivore and 1 part Carnivore. The consistency of the diet made it easy for him to lick up, and he loved it! This made it easy for our animal care team to ensure we were meeting his nutritional needs as well as helping boost his hydration levels.

After two weeks in care, he had healed enough to slowly transition him from the intensive care diets to other soft foods. He continues to improve and gain weight. We are looking forward to a release date for him in the coming warmer weather.