Golden Eagle from Madras: On Friday, Sept. 26, we got a call about a hawk down on the ground in Madras. We were unable to go rescue it, so we posted a plea for help to you all, our Facebook friends and supporters. Within only a couple of minutes, Kayla Bluhm called us and was willing to go. THANK YOU, Kayla!! Of course after Kayla arrived with the bird in HUGE box, we discovered it was not a hawk, but rather a large, juvenile female Golden Eagle. Apparently, someone had reported seeing the bird down on the ground approximately 2 weeks earlier. (This is not news we like to hear. If you see a bird on the ground, in the same place for an extended period of time, please observe it. If it doesnt fly off at your approach, something is wrong - call us!) On admission, the bird was COVERED with lice, extremely thin, emaciated and dehydrated and had a drooping left wing. She was given a thorough physical exam which revealed an old, healing fracture of the distal humerus, healing fracture of the proximal radius, and a healing fracture of the proximal ulna. In other words, this bird had been down on the ground long enough that its bones had healed from the initial injury. The healing of these bones takes 3-4 weeks, during which time she probably had little, if anything, to eat or drink! We administered IV fluids with Hetastarch, corticosteroids for shock, B Vitamins and Iron for anemia and an antibiotic. We also dusted her (and a little on ourselves) for the severe louse infestation. No bandaging was necessary as her fractures had already healed. We did not wish to stress her any further in her weakened condition. We placed her in a warm, dark, quiet hospital cage for rest until radiographs could be taken on the following day. At 2am, we administered a 2nd bolus of IV fluids. On Saturday, Sept. 27, the eagle (and a couple of our other birds) was taken to the clinic for anesthesia and radiographs. Volunteer Extraordinaire, Brianna, transported the birds in her car due to a lack of space in HDWRRs small truck. We really need a new rescue vehicle!!! At High Desert Wildlife Rescue, we anesthetize all avian patients undergoing a radiographic procedure. The reasons we do this are: 1) Anesthesia is safe! 2) Anesthesia reduces stress in the patient. 3) Anesthesia eliminates pain for the patient. 4) Anesthesia eliminates motion in the patient when the radiograph is taken. 5) Anesthesia allows proper positioning for the whole body radiograph. This eagles radiographs confirmed what Dr. Cooney palpated during the initial exam, plus an additional injury at the shoulder (dislocation). The bird recovered well from anesthesia and is again resting in her hospital cage. She has been fed a liquid, critical-care diet via stomach tube, and given an additional dose of corticosteroid for inflammation in the shoulder joint and also an injection of Adequan for restoring joint health. We could find no lice on her today! YAY!! Her long term prognosis: Due to the severity of her injuries, she will never fly again. Therefore, she is not a candidate for release. We will begin the process of finding her a permanent home in an educational facility.
Posted on: Sun, 28 Sep 2014 05:03:14 +0000