@thewildlifevettx: Sable’s horn was growing back into her skull. I got called out to help capture a sable whose horn was growing into her skull. I prepared the sedative, and the helicopter team from Flying J Services darted her and airlifted her to the ground crew. When I examined her, I knew she was lucky to be alive. The horn had already penetrated the skin and underlying muscle of her skull by approximately 1.5 inches. Left untreated, this injury could have become much more serious. I cut the horn, cleaned the wound thoroughly, and treated the affected area. One thing many people don’t realize is that horns have a blood supply. In this case, the blood supply was only present on one side of the horn. That’s why the horn was growing backward instead of in its normal direction. At some point in her life, the horn was damaged, which likely injured part of the blood supply and altered its growth pattern. Importantly, this is not a heritable trait. This was the result of an injury, not genetics. There is a possibility the horn could continue growing and become a problem again in the future, but if it does, it will likely take years to happen. The good news is that she is doing very well and healing nicely. #exoticwildlifevet #thewildlifevet #veterinarian #drsamwilkinson #sable

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Monday 01 June 2026 05:30:57 GMT