wildlife case update

Old cases (here for those of you who missed the first briefing):

1. Opossums (babies) - All nine babies are still doing just fine. One has their eyes open, and it won't be long before the others do too which means no more butt wiping for this lady..at least for now. SO CUTE. I squee for them even if they are a handful. Currently, we are tube feeding them (inserting a tube directly into their stomach through the mouth) full-strength formula 5x a day. I don't know how much you know about possums, but their life history is very interesting... babies are born and then crawl into the pouch... seems like that would work, but it does!

2. Barn Owl - Motor oil owl, remember him? Well, he was stable the first day, eating well. On Sunday night, he looked pretty crappy. The rehabber on that night drew blood, said it looked okay. We also gave oral fluids. Today, same story, not worse, but not looking better. He is still receiving oral antibiotics (Clavamox) for his cere injury (right where the beak attaches to the face) and

3. Rufus Hummingbird - Recieving hand feedings of nectar and sugar water, but this little guy sadly was euthanized. He had a fractured coracoid (kinda like a shoulder blade), causing him to have a droop in the left wing. Nothing can be done because they need to have excellent flying abilities and their bones are just too small to repair in most cases.

New cases: Some of these came in new, some are old, but I didn't mention them before.

4. Bald Eagle - Originally had a broken wing, but someone kept him in their barn on straw for 8 months before taking him to be treated somewhere. Grrr... seriously... what are people thinking... they are gonna have a pet bald eagle? Anyway, luckily the wing healed well enough on its own so the extension and flight are not impaired.

But, since he was on straw (harboring moisture and germs), he may have Aspergillosis (a very aggressive type of fungus). He has issues with stamina and being short of breath. He is in the large flight pen and on Sporonox for the fungal problem. He was supposed to be taken out to start creance flying (pretty much tying him on a leash and letting him soar), but that never happened. Not sure, something must have came up.

Not Bald like you would expect because it is a young female. Males are the only ones with that white head.

5. Opossum (adult) - Has some sort of issue with his hind left leg. Radiographs didn't show anything, it may be a soft tissue problem. Giving him some food, subcutaneous fluids (under the skin), and time to see if it improves. Originally in caging in the ward, but moved him to the hill small mammal caging outside yesterday. Seemed to be eating more and moving around more actively. Opossums are the sweetest, they are so meek and timid... which you totally wouldn't believe based on their teeth and hissing.


6. Northern Flicker (adult) - Someone found him in the yard. You can tell it is a male by the presence of red throat patches (first pic) which are absent on females (second pic). They are such beautiful birds. This one has bilateral paresis of the legs, so he hasn't been standing or feeding. Thinking it is some sort of spinal trauma caused by a window strike? Currently, receiving tube feedings of fons (slurry of cat food+other stuff) 3x a day plus Meloxicam.


7. Thayer's Gull (subadult) - This guy is such a freaking punk. He is the bane of my existence right now. He had a wing fracture and is in a wing wrap to stabilize it while it heals. But, he won't eat on his own. Meaning I have to tube feed him 4x a day! He gets this fish slurry stuff which is a nasty gray watery paste made of milk and ground fish. It is a pain to make, and a pain to tube because it is thick and requires a lot of pressure to push the syringe plunger down. I'm always shaking because it is so hard. Plus, this guy bites and is just generally nasty in true Gull-fashion. Seems every time he is up for feeding, everyone is pretty eager to let me take care of it... ;) Oh well, I'm on to his tricks!


8. Band-tailed Pigeon (infant) - There are two kinds of pigeons in washington... the band-tailed and the rock pigeon. Rock pigeons are the ones you see in your city streets en masse with pink legs. The Band-tailed are native and very sensitive--they also have yellow legs. This guy is just young and getting tube fed 4x a day, but last night, I felt his crop (kinda like a holding sack for undigested food found in the chest in pigeons/doves and on the right side of throat in other birds) and could feel seeds in there, so he is starting to eat on his own! YAY!!

There are also 4 bears and 1 bobcat waiting to be released. The snow in the mountains needs to melt before they can make that happen. It should be extremely exciting when it finally does though!

Essentially, I am a tubing and medicating machine. Bam bam! Do you guys actually read this stuff? It might be only interesting (or comprehensible) from an insiders view. Is it too medical? Let me know, I can keep you posted or I can maybe make this private or something! I like to look back at it from time to time because I'm still learning my medical terms and conditions.