AN EAGLE THANKSGIVING THATS OFF THE CHARTS! Well, its been a while since weve had an eagle join us here at the Raptor Center. But last week, Chuck the Bald Eagle (patient #18410) was brought into our rehab facility. As usual, its a bittersweet event. Its a shame that another of these beautiful birds was in such poor health, that he needed human intervention in order to have a small chance to survive. But... if youre a Bald Eagle, and you need medical attention... theres no better place for you to be, than to be taken care of by our skilled and caring staff at CRC. This truly beautiful bird came to us this past Sunday, on the 23rd of November. He was found in critical condition, way over in Plymouth, North Carolina. Plymouth is a small town of less than 4000 people, near the Atlantic coast, by the mouth of the Roanoke River. The first white settlers explored an Algonquin Indian village near there, back in 1585. Those settlers, and the Native Americans before them, quite possibly saw Chucks ancestors, catching fish in the Roanoke, some 430 years ago. And luckily, the descendants of those settlers were kind enough to get this huge injured raptor to us a week ago. And it was none too soon. This eagle was in bad shape. These were the first words used to describe the condition of this bird when he was first observed in Plymouth, Eating road kill, staggered from road into wooded area, was reportedly drooping/dragging the left wing. A staggering eagle is not what you want to see. And road kill is normally the last resort for this ferocious hunter. The intake exam that was performed when he arrived suggested a strong possibility of lead poisoning. So a blood test was immediately done. The results of that test were as staggering as the eagle itself. The lead level was literally off the charts! As in... we couldnt even get a proper count, as the machine didnt even go that high! It doesnt take a brain surgeon to conclude that that is not good news. We dont have any brain surgeons on staff, but luckily, we do have one of the best avian surgeons around. So Dr. Scott and the rest of the staff of Mathias, Carly, Rachel and Kelsey, did what they do so well. With the help of our many volunteers, medication and TLC were administered in the proper doses over the next several days. In addition to the severe lead poisoning, Chuck also suffered from some eye issues. One problem was Chorioretinitis, which is a potentially blinding inflammation of the retina. This eagle also was found to have a condition called Keratitis, which is a painful inflammation of the cornea. This could lead to scarring and impaired vision. And finally, he also showed signs of Ataxia, which is a neurological (nerve/brain) issue consisting of lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements. In raptors, this often shows itself in the unnatural way the head is held, among other things. He was also falling over when he was trying to eat. This is also a symptom of Ataxia. Yes, our newest eagle patient really has the cards stacked against him. But hes a tough bird, as hes already responding to the various treatments hes receiving. By Wednesday, the lead levels in the blood had creeped down to measurable levels (possibly because we replaced much of his fluids), and by the time Thanksgiving rolled around, his condition has improved. We had some problems at first, in that he was having trouble eating food that was cut up in the size that an eagle normally eats. We had to take special care to cut up the food in very small pieces. This was fed to him with tweezers. On Thanksgiving, while some of us were eating our turkey or turducken (a chicken inside a duck, inside a turkey), it occurred to me that he might like his own special Thanksgiving meal of a mouse, inside a rat, inside a trout! That would be a... hmmm... perhaps a ratrouse?? No? Okay, okay... sounded like a good idea at the time! Anyway... Chuck is currently recuperating with us here at our medical center, and we are hoping his condition continues to improve. By no means is a full recovery yet assured. This is a tricky business, and things dont always turn out as we hope... despite our best efforts. Hes still very very sick. But be assured that we are trying our best... whether its a tiny little Kestrel... or an enormous Bald Eagle... they all get the best that weve got to give. As of Saturday, November 29th, our costs for this eagles treatment have totaled about $700, and theres so much more to be done. Is it worth it? You betcha! I hope you agree. Obviously, many of you do, as these costs are covered by donations, for which we are very grateful. Please continue to support our efforts here, as every bit counts. We are thankful, and on this Thanksgiving, you can bet this eagle was also very thankful for all of you. Feel free to follow his progress on the RaptorMed website, and wish us luck, so that this unlikely survivor continues to grow healthier, and can eventually be released to once again soar in our beautiful Carolina skies! As you can see in the photo, he wishes you all to have had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. But... lets not tell him about the probable fate of his cousin, Timothy Turkey. Some things are better left unsaid! PS: As some of you may already understand, the lead poisoning was caused by this eagle eating something that was shot with lead pellets. Please urge any hunters that you know to use steel shot instead of lead. These cases of lead poisoning are exactly the things that will be prevented if everyone could just make that small change. It really makes a difference. Thanks again!
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 02:55:13 +0000
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