It’s time to look back on 2025! Check our blog between Christmas and New Year’s for a variety of stories and memories of 2025 from the staff of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Being a veterinary intern comes with a lot of “firsts.” Many of those firsts are scary and complex, especially because, as vet students, we weren’t allowed to work on the most challenging cases. They can feel even scarier as a newly graduated veterinarian, when confidence doesn’t always come easily, and you’re not yet sure you can successfully treat these patients. Luckily, as an intern at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, I’m surrounded by wonderful mentors who help guide me through these complex cases so I can learn how to manage them appropriately.
Those cases often include broken bones, horrible wounds that are infected or necrotic, species I’ve never worked with before — or sometimes all of the above. Unfortunately, they also have a habit of arriving over the weekend, when interns are often managing cases on their own. While intimidating, those moments force us to brainstorm solutions independently and help build the confidence we’ll need when we’re inevitably in charge one day.
One case that stands out in my mind is Ruddy Duck #25-4123. This duck arrived over a weekend after being impaled by a wooden stick, which had already been removed before she reached the Center. I had never worked with a Ruddy Duck before, and the combination of an unfamiliar species and a penetrating wound scared me. On physical exam, the vet students and I found her to be one of the cutest ducks we've ever seen — with a horribly necrotic wound over the right pectoral region. The top of her beak was bloody and appeared broken at the tip. Radiographs confirmed a relatively minor beak fracture, but didn’t reveal any other injuries.
We anesthetize our patients for radiographs, which gave me the opportunity to explore the wound without causing her pain. By this point, we were already emotionally attached — I mean, how could you not be when something is that adorable? With our wonderful LVT intern Lilly managing anesthesia and the vet students gathered around, I began carefully debriding the wound. It felt endless. I kept pulling away necrotic skin and muscle, growing more worried about how deep the injury went and whether we could really save her.
Fortunately, I was able to FaceTime Dr. Karra, our Director of Veterinary Services, to talk through the prognosis and next steps. This is what I mean when I say we have incredible mentors here! How many interns can say they’re able to call their boss on the weekend, and they’ll drop what they’re doing and help talk to you about a difficult case?
Dr. Karra ultimately encouraged me to keep going and do what I felt was best after thorough debridement. So I did. I cleaned the wound until I finally felt comfortable stopping, but I wasn’t ready to close it yet — I was worried I might have missed something that could lead to infection. So I applied a bandage to keep it clean, and crossed my fingers it wouldn’t become contaminated before we could reassess.
A few days later, we were able to debride the wound again and close it, and we placed the cutest little beak splint to ensure the fracture healed properly. Ruddy Ducks need access to water to prevent sores from forming on their feet, so closing the wound quickly was important to get her swimming again. The following week was filled with just that, and it was always a pleasure to walk by her tub and peek in at the little duck paddling around. She quickly became a fan favorite around the hospital.
Her recovery was fast, and we were able to release her just nine days after admission, which felt like a miracle. While every release is a win, this one felt extra special to me. It was one of the first cases where I truly felt like a doctor. That sounds strange to say, because I am exactly that every day I come to work, but this time I didn’t let fear or a lack of confidence stand in my way — and it worked out in the best possible way.
I know this wouldn’t have been possible without such an amazing team of people around me, and I’m beyond grateful to practice medicine here. I know the next year will bring many more “scary firsts,” but they all feel a little less scary now that I know I’m capable of handling them.
— Zack Laney, Veterinary Intern