A View Royal raccoon is on the mend in Metchosin but in need funding after having its eye surgically removed.
The adult raccoon landed at the BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center (Wild ARC) on the West Shore after a family noticed it wasn’t thriving.
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They noticed the animal on the beach near their home in early November, and monitored it for a couple weeks before calling in the experts, WildARC said in an online appeal for donations.
The raccoon was caught and after mild sedation, examined.
Usually, the rehabilitation expects dehydrated, exhausted and hungry patients. What seemed to be the main problem, with this one was its abnormal and seemingly nonvisual left eye.
It was so advanced the team called on an ophthalmic specialist, veterinarian Stephanie Osinchuk who donated her time and expertise. After examining the eye, Osinchuk determined that it would have to be surgically removed because it had a corneal perforation, which can result from numerous conditions that trigger the cornea to melt.
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“Now not all wildlife is releasable, ethically, with only one well-functioning eye. If there is ever an amputation or enucleation performed on a patient, the knowledgeable rehab team only allows this when they can be sure it won’t impede the animal’s life in the wild,” the BC SPCA wrote.
A juvenile raccoon with the same injuries would not be a suitable candidate for release since there is no guarantee it could provide for itself with the handicap. Since the adult female raccoon seemed perfectly healthy besides the eye injury, it was a good candidate.
The team at the Elk Lake Veterinary Hospital performed the hour-long surgery on Nov. 29.
The raccoon recovered smoothly and would finally be able to live without pain and suffering.
Wild ARC believes the feisty raccoon will be ready for release soon.
