07/17/2026
Well said!!!
I keep reading comments that say Iām āoverdramatic,ā that I have a ātone,ā or that I should just be grateful because āat least they cared.ā
Do you know what gives me that tone?
Graves.
Yes this dirty pad was intentional , Iām waiting to see whoās gonna miss the message and be angry that the pads not changed.
I donāt become emotional over a bottle of formula. I become emotional because Iāve stood over far too many tiny graves that never should have existed.
This wasnāt a situation where no one knew better.
For two weeks, I was in contact with the finder of this fawn. For two weeks, I educated. I explained why human infant formula was dangerous. I explained what needed to happen. I offered help. I asked for the fawn to be brought to me.
For two weeks, I was told they couldnāt get her here.
For two weeks, she continued to receive human infant formula.
Eventually, she was confiscated and brought to me. By then, the damage had already been done.
The worst part, this fawn didnāt even need to be rehabbed.
She kidnapped it out of the wild and took it home.
A few days ago, I celebrated because the diarrhea had finally stopped. It looked like we had won a small battle.
Tonight, it came back.
Now weāre starting over. Medications. Gut flushes. Slowly rebuilding a digestive system that was never meant to process what it was given. Despite treatment and vaccination, Iām now concerned about progressive Clostridium overgrowth. I donāt know if sheāll survive.
So when people tell me to ābe nicer,ā understand what youāre really asking.
Youāre asking someone who watches animals die from preventable mistakes to soften the warning because it makes people uncomfortable.
Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable.
I donāt raise my voice because Iām angry.
I raise it because Iāve whispered over enough little bodies.
Every animal that comes here is someoneās mistake to fix. Hit by a car. Attacked by dogs. Fed the wrong thing. Kept too long. Loved with good intentions but without the right information.
And when they arrive, they donāt tell me, āThey meant well.ā
Their bodies tell me.
I appreciate every person who genuinely wants to help wildlife. I truly do. But caring isnāt always enough. Good intentions cannot reverse medical damage.
When a licensed wildlife rehabilitator tells you not to feed something, it isnāt because weāre trying to control the situation. It isnāt because weāre being rude. It isnāt because we think youāre incapable.
Itās because weāve already seen how the story ends.
Pleaseā¦ donāt become a keyboard rehabber because you watched a short video.
Trust the people who have spent years cleaning up the aftermath.
I donāt get dramatic over formula.
I get dramatic over graves.
And if sounding urgent saves even one animal from becoming the next one I have to buryā¦ then Iāll keep having a ātone.ā
