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Molts, bolts and nerves

9/28/2014

8 Comments

 
It’s been an…interesting week. Yeah. Interesting—that’d about sum it up, I think…

The barred owl continues to mend to everyone’s satisfaction, including his own. In fact, he has no clue why he’s still in captivity: he can use that wing; he’s bolted out of his box several times when I’ve gone in to medicate and feed him, proving he can use that wing quite nicely in a confined space—as far as he’s concerned, it’s time to go! What his dim little owl brain can’t quite grasp, though, is that he still has a pin in his wing and that wing hasn’t quite healed to the point that the pin can come out. We’re getting there; all is looking good. But somebody’s feathered butt needs to learn some patience!
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This adorable adult tufted titmouse, who’s just finishing up a molt, was spotted in the finder’s back yard rolling and tumbling along the ground. When he arrived at LWR an exam showed that while he could move his head from side to side, he refused to lift it up, and his tail skewed to the side slightly. He refused to perch.  His breathing was labored and he was also rather underweight, at just 16.8g, and considerably dehydrated.  I immediately started him on meds to see if we could straighten out his neurological issues, and offered all the water and mixed seeds and mealworms he could eat. 
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I’m happy to report that as of yesterday his weight had increased to 20.6g, a good mid-range weight for titmice, and this morning when I reached in to pick him up for medication, he flew straight past me and around the room! His flight is strong but his landings are still a bit wonky and his perching and balance are still a bit uncertain, so we’ll keep him under observation and on meds for a few more days. I know he’s feeling much better, though, because he attempted to cuss at me this morning—and anyone who knows titmice knows they have the avian equivalent of a sailor’s vocabulary!
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And finally, remember our gorgeous blue jay—the shameless little beggar? Well, he’s still hanging around, although I see him only once every day or so at present—and he demands his handout when I do see him. BUT…the adorable fellow is experiencing his juvenal molt, and it’s a sight to behold! Luckily, he still tolerates the camera, so herewith are pix and video of a molting blue jay!

September 22:
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September 24:
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September 25:
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September 26:
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In this video he was actually just inside the woods near the hay field and had found some delectable treat on the ground. It was apparently large, as he was anchoring it against the branch with his feet and tearing at it. All I had with me was my phone, which I was holding out as far as I could in his direction, hence the unsteadiness of the video. Better an unsteady image than none at all!
In the shots below he was above me in the tree and although it was overcast, there was a glare behind him. I aimed at his silhouette and hoped, and they turned out pretty "tolerable", I think!
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8 Comments

Another really slow week

9/21/2014

2 Comments

 
Weird…the calls are coming in, but the critters are either stunned and just need a few hours to regroup, which can be done without my intervention, or they’re in such bad shape that they don’t even make to me.  Welcome to a rehabber’s autumn, where we never know if we’ll be slammed or twiddling our thumbs!

So once again, the only critter in need of updated info is the barred owl who underwent surgery two weeks ago to place a pin in his broken wing. As you’ll recall, last Sunday’s update saw this feathered “darling” recovering well, with an incision that was healing nicely. It was, however, too soon for an x-ray.

Friday the 19th was two weeks to the day since his surgery, so we figured an x-ray was in order. It was pretty obvious looking at the wing that a callus was indeed forming, but the x-ray confirmed what our eyes could see. His wing is healing beautifully thus far!

Below you can see how well the incision is healing and take a gander at his latest x-ray, as well as “ooh and ahh” over what a gorgeous and photogenic fellow he is.
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2 Comments

Sunday afternoon, and owl’s well

9/14/2014

2 Comments

 
Sorry…couldn’t resist—and it is, all puns aside, the truth: the barred owl who underwent surgery week before last is indeed doing well.

In fact, he’s the sole subject of today’s very short update, as there’ve been no new intakes this week. Weird…I’m sorta walking around with shoulders hunched against the “slam” I’m expecting any day now, as migration gears up and the injured migrants start coming in.

Anyway, back to our barred owl: as you’ll recall from last Sunday, he came through the surgery to pin his broken wing with flying colors.  This past week vet Jim Hobby at Smalley’s wanted to see him to check the incision; it was too soon for x-rays to see if a callus was forming on the pinned humerus.

Over the past week, I’d been quite pleased with the general look of the incision, and when I took him back for that checkup, Jim was delighted, too, claiming that there was no way the incision could be healing more perfectly. Good news indeed!
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He asked if our feathered friend was attempting to use the wing at all, and I had to laugh. My problem the past week has been preventing the little snot from flaring that wing and flapping it to try and escape me as I medicated him. Oh yeah, he’s fully extending that sucker and flapping it, too!

While we don’t want him to overdo it, his willingness to use the wing is good news, as it means he may regain full use of it once the fractured humerus heals and the pin is removed. Fingers crossed!

Jim took these photos of our patient while I was holding him; as you can see, he watches me quite warily, as I’m normally shoving a syringe full of meds in his beak when he’s in my arms!
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Next week we’ll x-ray to see how the healing’s looking from the inside. Based on this guy’s behavior, I’m expecting another good report!
2 Comments

Amazing vets and visits from old (feathered) friends

9/7/2014

14 Comments

 
Last week was pretty darned amazing, as you’ll see in just a few—saving the best for last!

Of course, the blue jay continues to visit, but less and less frequently now. I’m still seeing him two or three times a day though, the silly, endearing little beggar.

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And midweek as I was freshening feeders in the back yard, I heard a rush of feathers and looked up to see the Eurasian collared dove. Hadn’t seen him in several weeks, so that was a nice surprise.
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Unfortunately, a rehabber’s life is not always full of pleasant surprises. Yesterday this gorgeous adult yellow-billed cuckoo came in, severely emaciated and with both legs broken. The thinness was a direct result of the broken legs, of course, and while he probably should have been euthanized immediately, he was still so alert and had such a will to live that I decided to give him a chance. I fed him several small meals and set both legs before putting him to bed for the night, pumped full of pain meds and antibiotics. He was flexing one foot before lights-out last night, but as of today, he’s no longer attempting to flex his feet and seems more lethargic and less willing to take food. If, by later this evening, he’s not showing some signs of perking up, I’m gonna have to reluctantly call it on the sweet, shy bird.

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This is the keel, or breastbone, of a bird on the verge of starvation.
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Underside of tail feathers.
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And now…the reason for my “amazing vets” in the header! Late last Sunday a young male barred owl came in with a broken right wing. 
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Of course, this was Labor Day weekend, so it would be Tuesday before I could get x-rays…On Tuesday, vet Jim Hobby of Smalley’s Animal Hospital, after looking at the x-ray, decided to try and pin the wing. Our options were attempt the surgery or euthanize the bird. Jim was eager to save this young bird’s life, so we opted for the surgery, which was scheduled for Friday.
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Friday, I showed up, bird in box and camera in hand, and shortly before their lunch break was to start, Jim and fellow vet Richie Hatcher prepared to try and save this owl’s life. These two dedicated vets, later joined by vet tech Autumn Parker, worked through their lunch break on the owl. The series of photos below, with minimal commentary as needed, documents their outstanding work.
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Arrows indicate edges of bone to be rejoined.
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Inserting the pin.
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Wrapping the bones to further stabilize them.
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Once the incision was sutured shut, Jim and Richie took a series of x-rays as they positioned the pin exactly where it needed to be in relation to the shoulder joint. Once the bone heals, the pin will be removed, but the very thin, lightweight wire wraps will remain in place. The entire process, from gassing down the bird to the final x-ray, took just under 90 minutes.
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Another 90 minutes after the surgery ended, the barred owl was standing in his box and clicking his beak in threat. Within 15 minutes of my getting him home, he was perching and eating!
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A huge and resounding “thank you” to extraordinary vets Jim Hobby and Richie Hatcher and to talented vet tech Autumn Parker for their miraculous work on this owl! It will be several weeks before we know if the surgery was a success in terms of restoring flight capability to the owl, but he’s got a helluva better chance now than he did this time last week!
14 Comments

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