CROW Feather: Anna Kluessner
Where are you from?
“Cincinnati Ohio, attending the University of Findlay majoring in Animal Science – Pre Vet”
What is your position at CROW?
“Wildlife Care Externship Student.”
How long have you worked at CROW?
“May through August.”
What is your favorite animal and why?
“My favorite animal to work with at CROW were the Ospreys. I am particularly fond of our raptors and learned so much about their care while I was at CROW. The Osprey is such a beautiful bird and I liked how the staff at CROW emphasized the importance of their feather quality since they are water diving birds. One of my favorite cases was working with our two paired juvenile ospreys who both presented for being down and debilitated. I had seen BoSe on their treatment chart and recognized this medication from my time working in large animal. I have used BoSe at my universities barn for our lambs as a preventative treatment for white muscle disease. At CROW I learned that it is also used in many of our raptor patients to prevent capture myopathy. It was very interesting to connect these two situations and see how I could relate common agricultural practices to wildlife medicine. ”
What is your favorite memory or story from your time at CROW?
“One of my most memorable moments from CROW was working with one of our brown pelicans for a hook removal procedure. Since Pelicans have a large pouch, the doctors determined that the hook could be removed without needing to take the patient to surgery. I was able to monitor the Pelican’s vitals while the procedure took place and give update to our rehabbers monitoring anesthesia. This allowed us to work together to keep the sedation running smoothly. Staff had previously reminded me that pelicans do not do well under anesthesia and to be very cognizant of any heart rate changes. Towards the end of the procedure the pelicans heart rate had significantly dropped, and I had alerted our doctors. We had doses of epinephrine and atropine nearby incase the patient became bradycardic. Tyler (student) and I were able to quicky administer these injections to the patient to help increase blood pressure and heart rate. Seconds after the heart rate had stabilized and vitals had returned to normal. This was a very intense situation, and everyone worked together so well to help stabilize the patient. I remember looking at Tyler and both being so thrilled everything went well. The doctors were able to remove the hook from the pelican’s esophagus and the pelican recovered nicely throughout the day with no complications.”
What activities or hobbies do you enjoy outside of CROW?
“Outside of CROW I work at two emergency hospitals in Ohio, one while I am at my university and one while I am home for the holidays and summer break. I am very interested in Emergency medicine and feel that my time spent at these practices has prepared me so well for future opportunities. I cannot thank these hospitals enough for encouraging me to apply for an internship at CROW and teaching me skills that have helped me be successful during my time in Sanibel. Outside of Vet Med I run track and field for my university and love going on long runs. Running has been one of my biggest outlets for relieving stress and taking time to reflect on the day. While I was in Sanibel, I also picked up a hobby of collecting shells! As many of the students at CROW know I was always looking to find new shells and had so much fun sorting and identifying them.”
What are some of your goals or aspirations for the future?
“I am currently starting my junior year of college and cannot wait to graduate and start Vet school. I was very shy as a kid and that is what sparked my interest in animals. I remember being at family events and finding myself wandering off into the woods to look for salamanders rather than sitting around socializing. I grew fond of the “creepy crawlers” as my mom would say, I liked bugs and snakes and spiders, anything that was misunderstood. I loved animals that people often thought off as “weird” because this is how I often felt as a kid. This interest helped come out of my shell at a young age as I started to love talking to people about why these creatures are so cool! I would tell my parents why they shouldn’t kill the spiders by our backdoor, or why the opossums under our deck were not pests. Many people say that veterinarians are the voice for those who cannot speak, and this is what want to do as a veterinarian. I would love to be a voice for not only wildlife but for pets who just can’t tell us what is wrong. Becoming a veterinarian is a goal that I have been working towards for a very long time and I am so excited for what the future holds.”