STEENS MOUNTAINS GOLDEN EAGLE! An amazing man found this young, male Golden Eagle today. He was hiking in the Steens Mountains, where he came upon this bird at Wild Horse Lake. The bird was down, unable to fly and did not try much to get away when approached. The man, along with another couple who were present, caught and restrained the bird. He then had to hike a mile, carrying the large bird, back to his vehicle. As if that wasnt enough, he drove it to us, all the way to Bend. We allowed him to watch our initial exam and ER treatment of the eagle, as he needed a break before driving all the way back to the Steens. Although there are no obvious orthopedic fractures, this bird is in critical shape. He is emaciated, dehydrated, and he is exhibiting neurological signs. His head has a repetitive twitch, along with his eyes. He is very ataxic, as he almost toppled forward once put in a crate. He swayed back and forth, as he seemed to flex and relax his legs. We gave him IV fluids with B Complex and Hetastarch. We drew a blood sample to test for lead, as we do with all eagles. We also went ahead and treated for lead poisoning, despite not being positive on the results, yet. He received an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic, Vitamin A & D and Iron. Dr. Jeff Cooney says this bird has a guarded prognosis, at best. We really hope he is still alive tomorrow morning...Come on, buddy, hang in there!!!
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 09:44:02 +0000
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