As an animal lover, Linda McLeod-Connelly does her best to help the local wildlife around her home in Pennsylvania survive the long, cold winter.
“We put out peanuts, walnuts and almonds for them, in addition to some fresh vegetables and fruit,” Linda told The Dodo.
Birds and squirrels have taken to gathering at Linda’s place to fill their bellies. But last December, one new fluffy-tailed visitor caught her attention more than the others.
“We noticed a smaller squirrel had arrived with something different about his face,” Linda said.
Linda McLeod-Connelly
Looking closer, Linda realized that the squirrel’s teeth were overgrown, extending from his bottom jaw and pushing up on his upper lip. In that condition, eating normally would be nearly impossible — so Linda resolved to get him the help he needed.
She named him Toothy, and slowly worked to earn his trust.
Linda began setting out food for him specifically, hard nuts, hoping the chewing would naturally wear them down. But when he failed to show improvement, she set out smaller morsels to ensure he was able to chew them.
By February, Toothy’s tooth problems had only gotten worse. They were still growing.
Linda contacted Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation for advice on what to do next.
“We knew we would need to act quickly before infection or pain set in,” Linda said. “We purchased a squirrel trap, set it with peanuts as the lure, and waited.”
Four days later, Toothy entered the trap — and his long ordeal entered its final stage.
Linda McLeod-Connelly
After trapping him, Linda brought Toothy to Acorn Acres for treatment.
“When he arrived, you can see just how overgrown his teeth were,” rescuer Betsy Shank wrote in a post.
But they wouldn’t remain that way for long.
Facebook/Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation
“We were able to trim them right away, and the difference is incredible,” Betsy wrote. “You can literally see the relief in his little face.”
Facebook/Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation
Toothy is recovering well but is being held for observation to see how his trimmed teeth continue to grow. In any case, Linda couldn’t be happier to know he’s now looking like a squirrel should.
“After worrying about him during those cold, winter months and wondering if maybe infection would set in or that he might starve, it was a beautiful moment to see a healthier, normal-looking squirrel and to know we had changed his fate,” Linda said.
Facebook/Acorn Acres Wildlife Rehabilitation
With any luck, Toothy will be released back into Linda’s yard to live out his days in good health. And it will all have been made possible because one person cared.
“In a world with so much bad and so many terrible things going on, I will say it’s my small contribution to combat all that negativity,” Linda said. “It may make almost no ripple in the universe by helping one squirrel … But in the small world of my backyard, I can provide compassion and care and hopefully lead others to consider stepping up and assisting the next time an animal arrives in their backyard needing help.”
