Your answer
Rebuild the nest. It usually still works.
A mown or dug-up nest looks like a disaster and often is not one. If the young are uninjured, a reconstructed nest in the same spot is far better than any clinic, because the mother is still on her schedule and still coming back to that patch of ground.
What to do right now
- 01Gather all the young you can find within a few feet and check each one for wounds.
- 02Reshape the scrape at the original spot and put the original fur and grass back over them.
- 03If the fur is gone, use dried grass clippings — never fabric, cotton wool, or shredded paper.
- 04Mark it with crossed twigs, photograph it, and check in the morning.
- 05Injured young go to a rehabilitator now; uninjured siblings stay in the nest.
What not to do
- Do not divide the litter between the nest and a box.
- Do not water or feed them.
- Do not cover the nest with anything solid. A laundry basket weighted at the corners is only acceptable overnight if a dog cannot be contained, and it must come off at dusk.
Change your mind if any of this is true
Any one of these changes the answer above. Call a rehabilitator instead.
- Any bleeding, puncture, or exposed bone.
- Fly eggs on the skin.
- The twigs stay undisturbed for two nights running.
Get professional help
Tell us where you are — your state, then your county — and we will list the people licensed to take it there, nearest to you first. Rehabilitators are licensed by their own state, which is why we ask.
Understand the animal
Knowing why this happens is what makes the next one easier to read.