Education and Instruction
At Kim’s Nurturing Nest Animal Sanctuary we tend to a variety of species with many different medical needs.
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Here you will find educational and instructional content on how to treat certain medical conditions with specific procedures.
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For more videos from Kim's Nurturing Nest Animal Sanctuary, visit Kim's Youtube page HERE.​
​If you have questions on if we at the Sanctuary have treated a certain condition or have experience with certain procedures not listed, feel free to reach out and ask at KNNrescue@gmail.com.​
Goats
Meet Samson
Medical Issue: Wry mouth
Samson was born as a premature Boer twin to a goat breeding family in the Bay Area. His twin brother was normal. So the breeder wasn’t sure what to do with him since they couldn’t show him or sell him for meat since he was so small😢
Samson had wry mouth which means his jaw was deviated to the left so he had trouble nursing on his mom but he learned to take a bottle pretty well. He also had bilateral contracted front carpal joints; which is going to require him wearing splints to both front legs for a few weeks but fortunately he did not have joint ill. That is very dangerous and life threatening so we are elated that this is not his diagnosis.
He was seen at UC Davis veterinarian hospital and we followed their treatment plan while he was at our sanctuary.
He learned to walk and run and was just the cutest little 6 lbs. Unfortunately after he left our sanctuary, he passed away at his new home.
Cats
Meet Thomas
Medical Issue: Paralyzed from the base of his spine to back legs
Thomas was abandoned with his mom and 2 other littermates. We were asked to take them in due to his disability and we couldn't say no. He was seen by several local vets and then had a consult with UC Davis Neurology. They all came to the same conclusion that he felt no deep pain to his lower legs and there was no hope of him regaining use of his legs. Luckily, for him, he knows nothing else since this happened when he was so young. Thomas needs his bladder to be manually expressed 4 times a day until he's 1 year old. Otherwise, Thomas is very active and plays with his friends and family. If you have the skills and love to open up your home to him, he is looking for his one and only family.
Bladder Expression
See below for a video example of Kim expressing Thomas' bladder.
Bathing Type 1
​See below for a video example of Kim bathing Thomas in a baby basin.
Bathing Type 2
​See below for a video example of Kim bathing Thomas on soft lily pads in the sink.
Meet Lucy
Medical Issue: Abandoned by mom, needing bottle feeding.
Lucy was found after being abandoned by her mom at a week old. Because she was abandoned so young, when we took her in we needed to bottle feed her.
Kim syringe feeding Lucy with nipple
Chickens
Meet Colonel Joe!
Medical Issue: Bumble Foot and Arthritis
Colonel Joe is a special warrior with bumble foot and arthritis. We found him when he hobbled over to our Founder, Kim, when she was at a Haybarn in Tracy.
He is about 7 years old and a total sweetie at heart who loves to be held. Colonel Joe had his bumble removed by a doctor at VEG and now has custom booties made to help the healing process for his wounds.
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We currently do daily dressing changes to treat his pressure sores and he is a total champ with the changes and treatment!
Meet Scout
Medical Issue: Scissor Beak
Scout came to us as a young chick in May of 2019. He was accidentally hatched by a family in the foothills. When the family noticed his lower beak was growing to the left, they reached out to us as the Sanctuary for intake. He was extremely thin and covered in lice and was immediately bathed and blown dry when he was taken in. We originally tried a soupy mash for him but he wasn’t getting enough nutrition, so our Sanctuary brought him to the Medical Center for Birds in Oakley for evaluation. After daily weights we eventually started him on gavage feeding to help him gain weight. Subsequently Scout has advanced to torpedo feeding for daily nutritional needs.
Meet Giorgi
Medical Issue: Scissor Beak
Giorgi came to us in May of 2021 when she was about 14 weeks old. The family said they were unable to feed her and she was super thin and had lice. Her lower beak was continuing to grow to the right and not straight. Because this was happening she was unable to pick up any food with her lower beak. We took some torpedos (also used to feed Scout), made them very small, and fed those to her. Giorgi was evaluated by the Medical Center for Birds and it was agreed that if she continued to gain weight we would feed her torpedos, but if she was having a harder time maintaining her weight we would switch to gavage feeding her 3 times a day. Once she began laying eggs our Sanctuary couldn't keep her weight up so she has been on the 3 times per day gavage feeds and is doing great!
Meet Izzy
Reason for Treatment: Torn ACL/ Splayed legs
Izzy came to us with a torn ACL that reattached in the wrong place on her leg. We adopted her and took her to the Medical Center For Birds for surgery to repair it. Izzy had a big surgery and several months of rehab but unfortunately the surgery didn't hold and her legs began to splay out. She has now passed, but when she was at the Sanctuary she could get around, just not in a straight line. Izzy was a Silkie Frizzle chicken, so she had a hard time taking in proper nutrition due to the way her legs stoood when feeding. Therefore, Izzy received ongoing Gavage Feeding treatment to ensure she was properly nourished.
Torpedo Feeding
Torpedo feeding is a method of feeding animals by providing the animals with "torpedos", small condensed bits of food, to swallow.
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In contrast with gavage feeding, torpedo feeding can provide animals with more condensed nutrition that is less water based.
See below for a video guide/example of
scissor beak torpedo feeding.
Gavage Feeding
Gavage feeding is a method of feeding animals with a feeding tube that goes through the nose or mouth directly into the stomach in order to supply the animal with nutrition.
See below for a video guide/example of gavage (tube) feeding.
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To view the process of preparing the food, watch through to 2:15. Skip to 2:16 to see the actual tube-feeding process.
Meet Q Tip!
Medical Issue: Right foot issues
Q Tip was living at a rehabilitation center when a volunteer noticed she was hurt and unable to walk. It was discovered her right leg was frozen stiff from injury and her right foot was completely mangled before it eventually fell off, which is how she got her name.
After antibiotics and supplemental tube feedings for a while, Q Tip regained strength, learned quickly how to hop on her good leg, and integrated in with our other special needs hens. She is now thriving with a high pecking order status and is incredibly friendly.​
Cruz
Meet Cruz and Lady Sybil
Medical Issue: Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Lady Sybil
Cruz and Lady Sybil both came to the Sanctuary from different places with different personalities, however they both suffer/suffered from a nasal bacteria chronic respiratory disease called Mycoplasma gallisepticum which causes nasal passages and eyes to swell. Cruz has since passed but Lady Sybil continues to receive treatment for the nasal bacteria.
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There are several treatments for this bacteria:
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Oral antibiotics
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Antibiotics dropped into the affected eyes in hope the nasal passages still have space for communication for the antibiotic to seep in.
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Nebulizer treatment three times a day with saline or additional mucolytic medication to help break down secretions in the nares​.
Cruz Undergoing Nebulizer Treatment