Pollard Goes to Cornell

On September 6, 2017, FourWands Wildlife Rehabilitation  received a call about a baby squirrel that was found, screaming and bloody, in a South Burlington, VT driveway.  When he arrived at our facility, this approximately 8-week old boy had puncture wounds straight through his cheek, a laceration to his eye and his head was distorted and swollen.   We named him "Pollard" - named after the famed racehorse Seabiscuit's jockey, Red Pollard - a young man that was blind in one eye, the result of an injury.    

Other than the damaged eye, Pollard looked like he was on the road to recovery.  Then, in February of 2018, he began having regular nosebleeds.  

An x-ray showed that, during his initial injury (likely the result of a cat attack), Pollard had fractured bones on both sides of his face, misaligning a top incisor and forcing it to grow backward, puncturing his nasal cavity.   We reached out to Cornell University's Veterinary College, one of the top veterinary schools in the world, and they believe they can help Pollard.  He is going to need additional imaging - including an MRI - but they believe they can surgically correct the problem.  We are asking for help in funding our trip to Cornell and Pollard's procedure.  He's a sweet boy, he didn't ask to be attacked by someone's pet, he certainly didn't deserve it and he really needs a break. 

I do know it's a lot to ask and he's "just a squirrel" but he's a very sweet and understandably very timid little boy.  We will do all we can to give him the best chance at life.