Photo by Karen Schuenemann
This past weekend, International Bird Rescue veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Duerr and operations manager Julie Skoglund attended the 20th annual California Council for Wildlife Rehabilitators symposium. They co-taught a lecture and workshop for rehabilitators on avian physical therapy with Janelle Freshman, a physical therapist and International Bird Rescue volunteer at our Los Angeles center.
The goal of these presentations was to help rehabilitators return their patients to full athletic functioning after recovery from injury or illness, and to increase positive outcomes from often-debilitating musculoskeletal problems.
Dr. Duerr also presented a lecture on nutrition, critical care and rehabilitation, where she explained nutrition concepts related to the treatment of severely emaciated animals, as wild animals very commonly enter care in extremely poor nutritional condition. As a result, wildlife rehabilitators often struggle to nurse these difficult cases back to health.
Symposiums such as this provide a great opportunity for our staff to share knowledge, learn new things, and visit with old friends and new colleagues!
Conference photo via Wildlife Rescue Center of Napa County