Fish Skin Used To Treat Injured Birds In Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — In a recent research breakthrough, a veterinarian from University of California at Davis and a veterinarian from the Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital in Walnut Creek have seen remarkable results when using fish skin to treat the wounds of raptors, officials at the wildlife center said Wednesday.

The technique of using tilapia skin for burn wounds was first used in Brazil to successfully treat burns on people. Dr. Jamie Peyton from UC Davis developed the use of tilapia skins as a biological bandage for animals suffering from burn wounds starting last December during the Thomas Fire in Southern California.

"It's important to try novel procedures to advance veterinary medicine," Peyton said in a statement. "This could really benefit not only the animals here at Lindsay, but animals at other wildlife rehab centers."

Keeping wild animal wounds sterilized and bandaged is difficult. Tilapia skin contains high levels of collagen, promoting skin growth, faster healing and stays in place as the wound heals.

Dr. Allison Daugherty from Lindsay Wildlife says the tilapia skin could mean that a bird gets back in the wild in a matter of weeks rather than months.

"In the long term, my hope is that one day we may return patients back to the wild with tilapia skin in place over their wounds, where these wild animals finish healing in their natural habitats, exactly where they belong," Daugherty said.

Peyton anticipates additional patients injured in the recent Camp Fire in Butte County and Woolsey Fire in Southern California.

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— Photo: Dr. Jamie Peyton and Dr. Allison Daugherty work on a patient using fish skin to treat a wounded raptor. Courtesy Lindsay Wildlife Center

— Bay City News