While most folks were envisioning sugarplums and such on Christmas Eve, I was racing to Smalley’s Animal Hospital before they closed for Christmas. We had a barred owl come in late on the 23rd, and while it was obvious his wing was broken, we needed x-rays to see if it was fixable.
He was an alert fellow—aggressive and very aware of his surroundings, although a little cloudiness in the corner of his eye indicated he was probably recovering from a slight concussion. I wasn’t optimistic about the wing, honestly, but unless it’s an open fracture, x-rays are a must to see how bad the break is.
It was bad. Life-ending bad.
While the ulnar fracture (arrow below) was extremely fixable, the bones of the wrist (circled below) were shattered and like Humpty Dumpty of children’s rhymes, he couldn’t be put back together again. There was no way to repair the damage, so he was humanely euthanized to end his pain.
It was bad. Life-ending bad.
While the ulnar fracture (arrow below) was extremely fixable, the bones of the wrist (circled below) were shattered and like Humpty Dumpty of children’s rhymes, he couldn’t be put back together again. There was no way to repair the damage, so he was humanely euthanized to end his pain.
The remainder of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were quite on the rehab front, but bright and early the 26th LWR received a call about a vulture with a broken wing. I always ask if the callers can see exposed bone, as an open fracture on a bird is pretty much a death sentence. The callers indicated they could see what appeared to be road rash but no exposed bones.
However, when we met, the young turkey vulture’s right shoulder faced the ground. That was the first bad sign. When I took him from their cage to place in my box, a quick parking lot exam revealed the reported road rash on the wrist—nothing that couldn’t be treated—and a very open fracture right in the “armpit.” About an inch of bone was exposed. He also required humane euthanasia. (The photos below were taken post-euthanasia.)
However, when we met, the young turkey vulture’s right shoulder faced the ground. That was the first bad sign. When I took him from their cage to place in my box, a quick parking lot exam revealed the reported road rash on the wrist—nothing that couldn’t be treated—and a very open fracture right in the “armpit.” About an inch of bone was exposed. He also required humane euthanasia. (The photos below were taken post-euthanasia.)
The road rash looks nasty but would have been easily treatable.
This exposed bone, however, was a death sentence.
Among the general public, vultures have a bad reputation, since they eat carrion (“Ewww! Dead stuff!”). But they’re such intelligent birds—just look at this guy’s eyes in the photos I snapped prior to his euthanasia. And really, from a purely logical point of view, all meat eaters eat carrion—dead stuff—right? Further, let’s stop and think about the alternative—if we had no vultures and other carrion eaters, we’d be knee-deep in death and disease. Vultures and other carrion eaters play a vital role in nature. Look past their diet and not horribly attractive faces (although I’d even argue with you that there is a certain odd beauty to them, and they’re amazingly graceful in flight) and see their true worth.
The red screech remains preternaturally docile and her eyes remain pretty much the same. We’re gonna continue to give her the time she needs to heal, although the left eye continues to be a source of worry. At this point, we’re all fairly sure we’re looking at a nonreleasable screech, but we’ve ended up able to release birds we had serious doubts about before, so let’s keep hoping for a miracle for this gal.
And on a final note, my goal is to give you a “2015: Year in Review” post later this week, although if it’s a slow (Shhh! Don’t let Murphy hear that!) week, I may hold off until next Sunday.
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