[tijlover]

I've worked in too many long-term care facilities, to see people merely being kept alive with tubes, brain-dead, staring up at the ceilings all day and nite
with no hope of recovery, sadly communicating to me with their eyes.

If I should ever be struck by a hit-and-run driver, my body found lying along a street, blood ooozing from my head/body, I would hope that the person who discovered me would be saintly enough to make an accurate enough assessment and put an end to my life right then and there.

No gun, well, then just drive over me a half-dozen more times! Save me the agony of X number of years in a LTC facility!

Anytime I come across a severely injured animal, I go into a panic attack and immediately I want to put that animal out of its misery ASAP. To call the proper authorities, and then be told there'd be a delay of X number of hours
of them getting there, I'd probably lose it!

[brightdoglover]

I don't think the suggestion of running over the animal again is a sick joke, although I think I'd find it very hard to do (I'm thinking of squirrels and the various small animals you see on the road near me). With a domestic animal, I admit I'd stop and wrap it in a towel (for safety) and pull it off the road, and call the local police. Where I live, the police will respond to such a thing.
Most highway guys know someone who wants a deer, and they will call that friend to come and pick up a freshly killed deer. (or will put the animal out of misery and then call the friend).
I admit to having stopped traffic more than once to pick up a lumbering turtle and take him across the road, and have been surprised that drivers are surprised that I would do this (and complimentary).

I have almost caused accidents with the reflex NOT to hit an animal. I imagine most of us have had that experience. Yet, once on a mountain road in a scary part of New Mexico, six drunken guys stumbled out of the woods and tried to stop my car. My reflex? I floored it. Didn't hit anyone, but was absolutely ready to do it. Reflexes are a funny thing.

[KAILANI]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

I have almost caused accidents with the reflex NOT to hit an animal. I imagine most of us have had that experience. Yet, once on a mountain road in a scary part of New Mexico, six drunken guys stumbled out of the woods and tried to stop my car. My reflex? I floored it. Didn't hit anyone, but was absolutely ready to do it. Reflexes are a funny thing.

What makes you think they were drunken? Perhaps they just rolled their vehicle and needed assistance???

With my license to carry, and a small pistol, I would have to put the animal out..

[fnewfeeling]

I have not had this experience.

[brightdoglover]

Believe me, I know when six guys are staggering in the middle of the day, drunk. New Mexico in the 1970s was a very scary place.

[Hopes]

OMGoodness. Yes, do whatever you can to end the suffering of severely injured wildlife as quickly as possible.

But animals that are clearly beloved family pets require being rushed to the nearest emergency animal hospital.

I've taken four family pets to emergency animal hospitals in my lifetime. I didn't hit them. I either saw them it or found them hit. One needed put to sleep. The other three survived.

All four families were grateful I helped their animals.

The owner whose dog was put to sleep would have never known what happened to her dog, and she truly appreciated my informing her of what happened.

The other three families all sent me pictures of their recovered dog being loved by their children.

[Bulldogdad]

If I hit a deer with antlers on it in the next five weeks I'm putting one of my deer tags on it, eviscerating it, skinning it, quartering it and taking it to my butcher for sausage and jerky.

Fido or Fluffy? depends on the situation.

[peanut24]

all I have to say is if you see a SKUNK try your hardest NOT TO HIT IT!!!

I know from experience, in the middle of the night I hit a skunk front passenger side, my friend had the window down, the whole car, everything we were wearing, our hair reeked sooooo bad!! We had shopping bags and all of our new stuff stunk too! We had to have the inside of the car cleaned by a professional to get the smell out!

[mosquitomom]

You people are amazing. This isn't a cat or dog he's talking about, he's a deer. And if you live in an area where they live, they can be a real nuisance. You wouldn't be such bleeding hearts if you hit one and it totaled your car, or killed you or someone you loved. You don't ever pick up a wild animal and put it in your car, it could be diseased, and it is a WILD animal. It can seriously injure you, especially if it is injured. Put it out of its misery if you can, if you can't, drive away. It's part of nature, the circle of life.

[foxywench]

ok...as a wildlife rehabber, this is a situation i get called on frequently...
hit wildlife...we also get alot of hit pet calls

this is my take on the situation:

In town:
widlife: staying in your car see if you can see the animal, is it still moving. wildlife when injured and corenerd will attack if they have the strength...
if the animal is still moving...call the cops, report the hit, you can either stay with the animal or not...
but all that will happen is 1 of 2 things, the cop will have a rehab person like myself come out to asses the animal, the animal will then be either taken by the rehabber or imediatly ethanized either by the officer via gunshot, or by the rehabber typically by snapping the neck. 9sounds horrible but this is the most swift and painless way of euthanizing an animal when you dont have drugs, a gun or a knife on you. if the cop doesnt call a rehabber the animal will typically be shot.

please note you will wait for a while in most towns for the cop to arrive, its not an emergency afterall.

if its a PET, again you want to use caution animals in pain may not react normally, agression is not uncommon in an animal in pain.
i would get out, if the animal is dead with no identification it would get pulled off to the side of the road to prevent smushing and notices woudl be posted locally describing the animal, where the incident happend ect.
if the animals still alive it would depend on the condition of the animal, im trained in animal first aid and emergency responce so if the animal isnt to the point of nothing but a twitching corpse i would attempt to stabalize before loading up to take it to the nearest vet.
if the animal is close to death with little hope of surviving...i will use the same technique as is used on wildlife beyond help. either by hand or using a large rock, snap the neck.
sounds barbaric but suffering is worse.
again i would make all attempts to make sure the owners of the animal were made aware if possible.

in the middle of nowhere...
widllife:
either keep going, or pull over to check it out...most rural cops wont come out unless its smack damn in the middle of the road...
personally if the animal is aware and seems ot be in good shape ill leave it...
if the animal is neer dead, a quick neck snap and then depending on what it is and how badly its been damaged itll get picked up, i know lots of raw feeders and work with a raptor rehab center, road kill rabbit (and deer) are highly sought after...(though deer are too big for me to pick up.)
otherwise ill dragg it off to the side of the road so its out of the way when the scavangers come around and be done.

if its a pet: same rules, if i can and can get it to a vet in reasonable time ill stabalize and take to a vet...it the vets too far away i will often pick up, stabalize and try to keep hold of it till i can get it to a vet... but if the animal isnt going to make it despite efforts neck snap...

i cant in all good knowledge allow an animal to suffer, id rather get my hands dirty and finnish the animal off than leave it there to duffer (or to blead to death in the back of my car...)

and as other posters have said, unless you are trained to do so NEVER EVER EVER pick up a wild animal thats been hit. in the spring if you suspect theres babies feel free to look for them box em up and contact a wildlife rehabilitator but NEVER touch a wild animal especially if injured!