West Kelowna vet trying to avoid euthanizing injured fawn

The injured fawn has only been at the Rose Valley Veterinary Hospital in West Kelowna since Tuesday, but it's already been given a name, Gilbert.

Dr. Moshe Oz said the male fawn was brought into the clinic by someone who found it on the roadside. Its injury is at least a week old — it has a fracture to its right leg, the bone is exposed and there's no way it will heal.

According to Oz, the recommendation is to euthanize a wild animal in such a situation — and he has to put down plenty of animals in his work at the clinic — but he's doing everything he can to avoid that in this case.

"He's young, so you know, when you look at the eyes, you know, why not try to help?" he said, adding that this isn't an old buck; it could have its whole life ahead of it.

But the problem is that if Oz can't find a licensed sanctuary willing to care for the animal permanently, it will have to be put down, and the decision will have to made by the end of Thursday.

Oz said he's been in touch with somebody in the United States capable of making a prosthetic leg. This person has reportedly made prosthetics for other animals, including an elephant, sheep and goats. But if a forever home can't be found, there's no point making such a heroic effort to care for Gilbert.

Oz said some of the sanctuaries he contacted were willing to help, but their licenses require animals be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, and in this case, that won't be possible. The facility would have to care for the deer its entire life.

"You know, chances are very, very small but, you know, never say never, right?" said Oz. "At least I try. I try to do my best."

The veterinarian just wants a glimmer of hope by the end of Thursday or he'll have to make the difficult decision to end the injured fawn's life.

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