EXAMINATION & FIRST AID

Examining a baby's wing for damage, mites, maggots, and normal function1

Perhaps the first task in examining our new orphaned baby is to ascertain what species and gender we have in our hand. From there we will perform a thorough examination, and then deal with any conditions requiring medical attention.

Once rescued, our next vital step in the stabilisation process is to carry out a thorough examination. If we miss out this vital first step, we can miss all sorts of problems, which although can be quite minor at the point of rescue, have a horrible habit of becoming major problems in a frighteningly short space of time. The beginnings of respiratory infection, maggot eggs, and small open wounds are good examples of disasters just waiting to happen. Untreated, those will quickly progress to life-threatening conditions (pneumonia, feeding maggots, and infection respectively); meaning that all our other stabilisation steps (like heat and food) may be in vain. Putting a baby straight into a hand-rearing situation without thorough examination is somewhat like buying a car unseen, because a mate said it was OK. Great until the engine falls out, and the cops do you for four bald tyres you did not know about.

SPECIES IDENTIFICATION

Baby flying-foxes, particularly when very young, can be difficult to identify by colour alone. The distinct grey head of a grey-headed flying-fox is often not such a distinct grey at birth, and there is quite an enormous colour variation even amongst the same species. Identification depends on size, colour, time of year, location, and furry ankles. Yes - furry ankles.

SPECTACLED FLYING-FOXES: only occur in a limited range of northern Queensland. The young are usually born from October to December.

LITTLE RED FLYING-FOXES: are very small and have a distinctive reddish brown tinge to their whole body (including skin and wing membranes). The young are usually born in April and May (6 months out-of-sync to the other three species).

In NSW & southern Qld, the most common species coming into care are blacks and greys, and luckily, there is one sure fire way to tell them apart: Leg fur.

BLACK FLYING-FOXES: have fur to the knees. From knee to ankle is naked skin. The young are usually born in October and November (southern Qld & northern NSW) and January and February (Northern Territory).

GREY-HEADED FLYING-FOXES: are furred all the way to the ankle. The young are usually born in September and October.

GENDER IDENTIFICATION

Unlike marsupials, which can be quite difficult for inexperienced carers to sex, flying-foxes are very easy: little boy flying-foxes have a penis...

Most babies are suffering from stress, exposure and dehydration (dealt with later), but major injuries on baby flying-foxes are quite rare. Most injuries are minor, composed of cuts & abrasions, membrane tears, broken finger bones, and sometimes burns. Working in a warm room, and keeping the baby as wrapped as possible, examine your baby thoroughly. Work slowly, methodically, take notes, and be calm and objective. Problems missed in the initial examination could lead to complications later. A common mistake is to see an obvious problem such as a broken finger, and then stop the examination to treat that, completely failing to see the thing which will actually kill it, such as maggot eggs hidden in the wing pit. When you spot a problem - note it - and then complete your examination.

NB: most injuries or signs are actually missed from not "looking" or "seeing" - and not from a lack of knowledge.

HEAD:

Is it symmetrical, or are there any lumps, swelling, or something out of alignment? Are the eyes clear and bright, or are they dull or sunken? Is there any discharge or foreign bodies in the eye? Is there a pupil reflex? (use a torch in a dimmed room to see if the pupils contract and dilate). Have a look in the mouth - are there any damaged or missing teeth? Are the mucous membranes - gums and palate a nice pink colour, or are they red and inflamed, or an insipid whitish hue? Is the tongue normal? (it should be long and taper to a point). Is there anything wedged in the throat? (Quite common in orphans found on the ground) - If there is, remove gently with tweezers. Are the ears clean? Or is there discharge - particularly blood? Are there foreign bodies in the ears - or ticks? Are the nostrils clear and moist, or is there discharge, such as frothy bubbles, mucous or blood? Thoroughly but gently, check the head, snout and lower jaw with your fingers for fractures or tender spots. Gently move the head from side to side, and then up and down, checking for free movement, or any flinching in a certain direction. Once the head is checked, offer baby a dummy. This will make them feel secure.

This is why mouth examination is so essential.

These four pieces of bark were found stuck to palate and back of tongue in a baby black rescued from the ground. Extracted carefully with tweezers before the first drink; unnoticed, they could have easily have been ingested (washed down) causing internal complications.

BODY:

It is so easy to just check the front (chest), and forget about the back. Is the body symmetrical, or does something look "out-of-place"? What is the general condition? Is the fur smooth or matted, or even missing in places? Are there any obvious wounds or bleeding? Apply gentle pressure to the ribs - watching for a pain reflex. Check the anal/genital area - is there bleeding, discharge, or swelling? While checking the body, are there any ticks - particularly around the neck? If there are - gently remove with tweezers. Whilst examining, pinch the skin up in several places. Does it bounce back, or stay pinched - indicating dehydration? How is baby breathing? It should be fairly rapid, and you should not be able to hear it. Is there an audible gasping, laboured, or rasping breath - indicating obstruction or respiratory infection? Thoroughly check deep inside the wing pits, around the shoulders, and all along the line where membrane meets body for maggots or eggs. Re-wrap baby.

ARMS/WINGS:

With the body wrapped up warm again; gently unfurl one wing. A baby has wing membrane; particularly when very young, which has a sticky, clammy feel to it, and the folds tend to stick together - so work the wing out slowly rather than just giving it a yank. As you gently stretch the wing, baby’s natural response is to try to pull it back in against the body. Is baby trying to pull the wing back in? (a good sign). Gently manipulating the wing, feel the shoulder. Is there any swelling, or a loose floppy feel? Now working along the first bone from the shoulder, the humerus - to the elbow, are there any breaks or swelling? Next, the long bone from elbow to wrist - the radius. Are there any breaks or swelling? Check the thumbs for same.

NB: the thumbs of a baby flying-fox may often feel loose and floppy (giving the appearance of being broken or dislocated). This is actually quite normal when young.

Check the long finger bones of the other four fingers for breaks. With the wing fully extended, hold it up to the light, checking the membrane thoroughly for holes, burns, and bruises. Bringing baby back down, thoroughly check all wing surfaces (particularly along the finger bones) for maggots or eggs. When wing examination is complete, does the baby fully retract the wing to a normal folded position?

Wrap that wing to keep baby warm, and examine the other in the same way.

LEGS/FEET:

Checking that the legs and feet are working is rather easy. As soon as you remove those feet from whatever they happen to be clinging onto, they will frantically windmill around trying to clutch onto anything. So, remove them one by one from their purchase. Do the feet develop a mind-of-their-own, clutching and grabbing - or do they remain still? (if they remain still we have a major problem - possibly spinal) Let baby clutch the wrapping once more to make it feel safe and secure. Gently feel along the leg bones. Are there any breaks? Check the joints. Is there any damage or swelling? Do the knees bend the right way? (they bend forward towards the chest - the opposite to us) Are the toes/nails damaged, broken, swollen or missing? Check membranes on both sides of the leg for damage or maggots.

FIRST AID

Having completed our examination, any medical problems need to be dealt with at a speed ranging from fairly quickly through to immediately. If at all unsure about how to proceed - consult your coordinator or seek veterinary assistance. Problems and medical treatment are dealt with here

MAGGOTS:

Baby black flying-fox with maggot eggs stuck to her forehead fur.

These eggs were just at the point of hatching. If not removed immediately, maggots will seek out and enter any entry point to the body to begin feeding.

Maggots or eggs must be removed immediately, and are dealt with here

Our next step is age evaluation here

Section last updated: 27.07.2008 10:24 AM

1. Photo courtesy: Stefan Klose.