Early last week, the screech owl and I trekked back to Smalley’s Animal Hospital to see what could be done about his ruptured eye. There was no way to save the eye; none of us had any illusions about that. But…there was a procedure, which the vets at Smalley’s had never performed, that would considerably lessen the trauma to the screech. Obviously, anything that will be less stressful for the bird is a good option. Vets Richie Hatcher and Peggy Hobby and I discussed it, and they decided to hold off on any action on the screech until they could consult with colleagues who had performed the surgery.
Richie and Peggy observed Sir Screech’s calm demeanor in the exam room, where he sat unrestrained while we discussed his options and ultimate fate, and agreed that he would make an excellent educational bird. I left feeling that at least we had some options now.
Richie and Peggy observed Sir Screech’s calm demeanor in the exam room, where he sat unrestrained while we discussed his options and ultimate fate, and agreed that he would make an excellent educational bird. I left feeling that at least we had some options now.
However…over the course of the past week, I’ve come to believe there was significant damage to the left eye that’s only now beginning to show. And this is NOT good news for this unusually laid-back little fellow.
He seems unsure exactly where his food is and will often bite hesitantly at air until he finds the forceps, or until I move them closer. This is not cruel teasing; I need to determine if it’s just that his depth perception is off from having only one good eye or if he’s truly having difficulty seeing. What I’ve discovered thus far is that both depth perception and peripheral vision seem off. As long as his food is offered directly in front of his good eye, he can see it. In effect, he seems to have tunnel vision in his good eye.
He seems unsure exactly where his food is and will often bite hesitantly at air until he finds the forceps, or until I move them closer. This is not cruel teasing; I need to determine if it’s just that his depth perception is off from having only one good eye or if he’s truly having difficulty seeing. What I’ve discovered thus far is that both depth perception and peripheral vision seem off. As long as his food is offered directly in front of his good eye, he can see it. In effect, he seems to have tunnel vision in his good eye.
For an educational bird, this wouldn’t be a problem, as long as he can self-feed from the food provided. But there’s the thorny issue: he doesn’t seem to be able to self-feed. I’ve offered cut-up rodents in a small dish that contrasts with their color, to make it even easier for him to see them, and he refuses to eat them. I don’t think he can see them.
And—and this is probably going to seal his fate—if you’ll look at the two 100% crops of his eyes from one of last week’s photos and one of this week’s photos, you can see marked deterioration in the pupil. See how “clean” the edges are in last week’s image, as opposed to the jagged edges in this week’s image?
And—and this is probably going to seal his fate—if you’ll look at the two 100% crops of his eyes from one of last week’s photos and one of this week’s photos, you can see marked deterioration in the pupil. See how “clean” the edges are in last week’s image, as opposed to the jagged edges in this week’s image?
How could this happen? Just as sometimes it takes weeks or months for an injured bird to heal to the point that we can seriously consider release as an option, injuries—especially eye or soft tissue injuries—can take time to actually show.
What does this mean for the screech? He’ll be making another trip to Smalley’s this week for further examination, but I suspect it’s not going to be good news.
What does this mean for the screech? He’ll be making another trip to Smalley’s this week for further examination, but I suspect it’s not going to be good news.
Remember that the 2015 LWR calendars are available through Lulu.com (link below) for $16.50 + shipping. US, UK and Canadian holidays are featured, and $5 of each purchase goes toward funding next year’s rehab efforts. Thus far, six calendars have been sold. With just $5 of each purchase actually reaching LWR, that’s not enough to place even a small rodent order.
Also, those of you who do your Christmas and other shopping online, please remember that when you shop at AmazonSmile, Amazon donates 0.5% of the purchase price to Laurens Wildlife Rescue Inc. Bookmark the link http://smile.amazon.com/ch/26-1668846 and support us every time you shop. This isn’t just a Christmas promotion; Amazon does this year-round, so keep that link and donate a pittance to LWR every time you shop at Amazon.
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