Groundhog Shot Several Times: Patient 22-6

Tragic Gunshot Would

In January 2022, this young groundhog was found late in the night. He was limping around in the road, so everyone thought he had been hit by a car. Sadly, x-rays revealed the groundhog had been shot. The bright white spots in the x-rays revealed where the bullets were still in his body. He had a large infected wound over his shoulder, and the gunshot near his hind leg was causing him difficulty walking. His prognosis was guarded, but we were determined to give him a fighting chance to return to the wild.

We took him in for surgery to remove the bullet fragments and repair the large wound on his shoulder. Sadly, when the groundhog went to our veterinary partners at Animal Hospital of Dauphin County, they discovered the shoulder blade under the wound had been destroyed by the gunshot and subsequent infection. Multiple veterinarians consulted, and the limb was not savable. The only possible chance of saving the groundhog was amputation at the shoulder, which also had a poor prognosis. It also didn't answer our questions as to why the other pellet (a shot they think happened in a separate incident than the injury to his shoulder) was impacting his hind-leg mobility.

Every Animal Deserves Understanding and Compassion

Our rehabilitators and veterinarians decided that humane euthanasia would be the kindest thing we could do for the groundhog. Even if we moved forward with the surgery, he would never be able to make a return to the wild, and the chances of a minimal quality of life in captivity were grave. This heart-wrenching decision is one that we have to make every day as wildlife rehabilitators, and it never gets easier. However, it is comforting to know we did everything we could and that the groundhog is no longer suffering.

We are honored to have shown the groundhog kindness in his last week. We were able to manage his pain, provide him with all the snacks he could ever want and a warm bed away from scary people.

We know groundhogs are not everyone’s favorite animal, but no living creature deserves this kind of pain. Groundhogs are important members of our ecosystems and are heavily impacted by human expansion.

You can always call us if you need advice on how to live peacefully with groundhog neighbors! If everyone got to meet them and see their lovable personalities like we do, people would understand. Our hope is that his story inspires just one person to be a little kinder next time they have a groundhog living in their backyard.