20170201-Great Horned Owl - 1 "Randy"

Initial exam by our avian veterinarian:  This small, very dark colored great horned owl was very quiet and extremely thin.  He had an old, open wound on the inside of his right elbow with possible extensive muscle damage.  He had what appeared to be a new injury to his right eye - an actual large puncture wound in his eye.  He was given subcutaneous fluids and was tube-fed a liquid diet, Carnivore Care by Oxbow.  His condition is extremely guarded; he may not live and if he does there is a large chance he will be non-releasable. 02/03/2017:  This small great horned owl is more alert and started eating some meat last night.  His eye still has a poor prognosis for recovery.  Radiographs were taken today.  A small fracture of one phalange (like our finger) was found.  If you look at the radiograph, the fracture has an arrow pointing at it.  Also on the radiograph there is an oval that is encircling four flat flies.  Flat flies are an all too common external parasite of raptors.  It is almost like a flying tick, as it sucks their blood.  The bird was powdered with a medication commonly used to treat lice in chickens.  On the radiograph you will see a square outlining the owl's good eye.  His head was turned just right to get a good picture of how far out their eyes protrude from their skull.  It is no wonder eye injuries are so common in owls when you see how unprotected it is by the skull.  They do have a thin, bony plate that encircles part of the eye, but it is not nearly as strong as the skull. 03/02/2017:  The kind folks at Bruner Dental Center in Fairmount, IN have adopted this owl and are paying for its medical treatment! 03/25/2017:  Although he had a penetrating injury to his right eye, his has recovered his vision!  He is being creance flown for conditioning and will hopefully be released soon!