Introduction
Our Wildlife Program is a community service provided by the Long Beach Animal Hospital. In this program we provide free medical care for injured wildlife. We work closely with the California Department of Fish & Game to ensure that all state and federal laws are followed.
After initial medical and surgical care is instituted we release these patients back into their native habitat or send them to licensed rehabilitators. If you are able to catch a wild animal it is usually seriously injured. Unfortunately, we cannot save all of them due to this fact. In spite of this fact, we routinely care for over 1,000 injured animals each year, and successfully release almost 50% of them back into their native habitat. This high success rate is due to the hard work of all the volunteers and staff of our hospital.
When you bring in injured wildlife we need you to fill out a form. This keeps us in compliance with Fish & Game Regulations, tells us where you found it and what you did for it, and gives us a medical record.
This is nothing wrong with this chick, found on our roof. It is such a nice picture we thought it would be great time to let you know that wildlife exists everywhere, even in our urban environment. Can you tell what it is and how old it is. The fact that there is an egg behind it is a good clue to its age.
If you find an injured wild animal there are several common sense things to do before you bring it to us:
- Be cautious because wild animals are very quick and powerful. They have strong instincts to protect themselves and can inflict serious injury.
- Be particularly wary of shore birds with pointed beaks and birds of prey with strong talons. They can inflict serious eye and bodily injury.
- Call your local animal control authorities to see if they can capture the animal
- When captured, place it in a box, keep the box covered and in a warm spot, and keep children away. These animals can easily die from fright, so keep handling and observations to a minimum
- Bring the animal to us during our regular office hours as soon as possible. If we are closed, keep it warm and covered until we are available.
Lets take a look at some of the critters we took care of recently......
Hawk Release
This red tailed hawk had a traumatic fracture of its radius and ulna. It was repaired with an intramedullay pin and sent to a rehabilitator for 30 days. The pin was removed and the hawk went back to the rehabilitator to strengthen the wing and flight muscles in the hope of releasing it.
Nature cooperated on this one and we were able to release it in Long Beach near where it was found.
Pelican Esophagus Laceration
A good samaritan found this weakened pelican in Long Beach. It had a serious and chronic laceration of the neck that penetrated the esophagus.
In a chronic wound of this nature the healing process causes the lacerated esophagus (E) to fuse with the skin (S). This laceration is so large you can see the backside of the esophagus in the center of the picture. When suturing we have to carefully dissect the esophagus away from the skin or the esophagus will never heal. We also have to remove the dead tissue at the edges of the esophagus for healing to progress. We use a special suture material that is strong, causes minimal chance of scarring the extremely sensitive esophagus, and will eventually dissolve on its own. We doubt this pelican will keep its suture removal appointment!
We infused the area with local anesthetic and carefully repaired the laceration. The bleeding is a good sign, and tells us there is adequate blood flow to allow healing.
After a few days of rest and grueled mackerel our friend was strong enough to be released. We took him to Marine Stadium in the late afternoon.
Our kennel assistant Ian was instrumental in this pelican's treatment, so he got the honors.
The pelican did what any self respecting pelican did and flew the coop (actually, cage in this case).
Next stop was a quick dip, then off to pelican land to spend the night with his buddies.
Duckling
This little duckling came to us severely oil soaked. This is a dangerous situation that commonly leads to death. Death is a result of hypothermia, ingestion of toxic oil, and the loss of water repellency by the feathers. Do not try to remove the oil at home because professional care is necessary if they are to have any chance for survival.
The washing process is carefully orchestrated to minimize stress during this critical stage. Many washings are needed to eventually remove all of the oil.
This little guy is one of the lucky ones because the people that found him brought him in immediately. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Pelican
This pelican was loaded with fish hooks. Our initial examination revealed several hooks around the mouth and face. These hooks can interfere with eating and even cause starvation.
As we continued our exam we found additional hooks. Hooks like this can interfere with the ability to fly, which to a pelican means it will not survive.
Even though this pelican has several hooks, it could have been worse. Some pelicans swallow hooks, and require surgery to remove them
Kestrel (Sparrow Hawk)
This is an x-ray of a hawk that was shot numerous times with a pellet gun. There are 2 pellets and one BB present.
The close-up view reveals the extent of the damage. The humerus (upper arm) and radius/ulna (forearm) are shattered. These bones are part of the wing, and with such severe fractures this bird will not fly again.
Opossum
This opossum was brought to us unable to use his right front leg. On our initial exam we were able to palpate a broken bone that had protruded through the skin.
His x-ray shows a severely fractured humerus. This severe of a fracture when coupled with the infection that was present from the bone protruding through the skin led to a poor prognosis.
Our initial treatment consisted of a sturdy splint and antibiotics. We checked the splint frequently to assess the healing and infection. Unfortunately, the infection spread rapidly and the leg had to be amputated.
Here is our little friend after amputation. We performed the surgery because we knew of a rehabilitator that would care for him on a long term basis. He would not be able to survive in the wild at such a young age with just 3 legs.
Red Tailed Hawk
This immature red tailed hawk was brought to our wildlife program by the Department of Fish and Game. It was confiscated from people that were inexperienced in dealing with this type of bird and were caring for it poorly. This is in violation of California law.
Fish and Game will be prosecuting the people that performed this senseless act, so all of our effort is carefully documented and the chain of evidence is maintained.
It was apparent that some trauma had occurred to the eye. The normal eye is on the left, the injured one is on the right. The hawk is blind in the injured eye.
X-rays revealed a BB in the eye. It is unknown to the Fish and Game officers who shot the bird so maliciously.
In addition to the serious eye injury, this bird had two additional problems, both due to inadequate care. The people that were caring for this bird were not experienced at handling a hawk, and added to this birds woes. The first additional problem was the infection it had on the bottom of its foot.
Its feathers were also damaged. This will take a long time to repair itself because of the manner in which birds molt.
One of the precautions we take while the hawk is hospitalized is to protect the tail feathers, an area that is easily injured in captivity. This apparatus is called a tail card. It is made up of used x-ray film, making it both light and strong.
The hawk and x-rays were sent to one of our colleagues that specializes in eye injuries. He decided that the eye was stable and that any intervention would not help, and may even make the problem worse. After we corrected the dietary deficiencies the bird was released to a licensed rehabilitator. He will utilize his extensive experience and try to teach this bird to hunt with only one functional eye. We will keep you posted as to the outcome of the hawk and people that caused this problem.
Albatross
An albatross with a fractured shin bone was found at Los Angeles International Airport and brought to our clinic for care.
Upon initial examination we realized this bird had a serious problem. Survery radiographs revealed a fracture (arrow) of the tibiotarsal bone.
Closer inspection of this radiograph revealed several bone fragments. This is a serious injury that requires surgical correction. An albatross needs to run a long distance before it is able to get off the ground, so any repair of this fracture must be performed with great care.
Special expertise and equipment is required to repair a fracture of this nature. Dr. Paul Cechner has this special expertise. We are lucky to have him and his assistant Craig, and appreciate all the hard work they volunteered to correct this problem. In this picture Dr. Cechner is gowning up for the 2 hour surgery.
Undertaking a repair of this nature is a team effort. Dr. Cechner and his assistant Craig are performing the surgery. Heather and Melinda, our current externs, are monitoring anesthesia and assisting the surgeon with any of his needs.
The following area contains graphic pictures of an actual surgical procedure performed at the hospital.
Wild birds are highly stressed when in captivity. In addition, any wild bird with a serious fracture that undergoes anesthesia is a high risk patient. Several precautions are taken during the anesthetic procedure. In this picture you can see the tube that is placed in its windpipe (trachea). This allows us to administer 100% oxygen and give the anesthetic in very refined quantities. It also allows us to ventilate the lungs with oxygen if respirations become depressed.
The heart rate and oxygen saturation of the red blood cells are measured continuously during the surgery with an instrument called a Pulse Oximeter. It gives us an early warning indication of any problems. This picture shows a hemoglobin saturation of 93%, a heart rate of 167 beats per minute. and 4 bars for pulse strength. These numbers are well within the normal range.
All birds that undergo anesthesia are in serious jeopardy of hypothermia. In this picture you can see the 3 strategically placed hot water bottles (arrows). In addition to these bottles, all birds that are put under anesthesia are placed on a warm water blanket.
Careful preparation of the surgical site is necessary to prevent any bone infection, a serious complication that could easily prevent healing. All the feathers around the area must be carefully plucked and the skin cleansed meticulously. We pluck the feathers instead of clip them so that they will grow back faster.
These birds have large muscles in relation to their bones. Dr. Cechner is carefully dissecting the bruised muscle in order to get to the fracture site. Repairing the fracture is of no use if the surrounding muscles, tendons, ligaments, or nerves are damaged.
It takes 2 pair of hands, teamwork, and specialized instruments to get the bone fragments lined up correctly. This is the area where Dr. Cechner and Craig excel.
You can visualize some of the cerclage wires that are wrapped around the bone fragments to hold them in place. The black arrow points to a nerve that runs downward from the tip of Dr. Cechner's finger. Preservation of this nerve is critical.
Once the fracture segements are in place with the cerclage wires, a pin (called an intramedullary pin) is placed down the shaft of the bone. In this picture Dr. Cechner is holding the bone with clamps while Craig is inserting the pin from the right side of the picture towards the left.
Even though there are wires around the bone and a pin down the center, the fracture is still not stable enough. Four pins are placed on the outside of the bone to prevent the bone fragments from rotating. Here Dr. Cechner is drilling a hole for one of the external pins.
The four external pins are connected by a special acrylic. It has to be mixed to just the right consistency.
The four pins (the 2 left most pins are visualized in this picture by the arrows) are connected with a hollow tube. The acrylic is squeezed into the tube and allowed to harden. This keeps the four external pins rigidly in place, and prevents the fracture site from rotating.
The external pins are covered with a bandage to prevent them from snagging and to minimize trauma.
The post operative radiograph gives good visualization of how the fractured bone was repaired. On the left you can see the tube that is filled with acrylic and the four pins that are attached to the acrylic tube externally. On the right you can see the fractured tibiotarsal bone with the four cerclage wires and the intramedullary pin down the center of the bone.
To prevent thrashing when awakening from anesthesia the albatross is gently wrapped in a snug towel. It is kept in a warm room until it is fully awake to prevent loss of excess body heat.
The day after surgery our friend is awake and alert. She is kept in a confined cage initially to prevent her from trying to fly or even use the leg. She will need several months of postoperative care before she is fully healed. Her intramedullary pin and her external pins with attached acrylic will all need to be remove if the bone heals. The cerclage wires on the inside will stay with her for the rest of her life.
At this point we will be working with AWRE for her long term care. Come back to this site periodically to check for updates as to her condition. Our ultimate goal is to release her back to the wild (and to find enough food to feed her!). Donations of squid, mackerel and smelt are always welcome because she needs lots of calories if she has any chance of healing. Click on the AWRE address below to learn more about this albatross.
Pigeon Fracture
Some of our avian friends with fractures don't need surgery. We will show you how we routinely repair a fracture of a pigeon's shin bone when surgery is not needed.
This radiograph allows you to see the extent of the fracture to the tibiotarsal bone. Even though it is severe it will heal if splinted properly
The first thing we do is pluck the feathers to properly ascertain the extent of the damage. We look for lacerations, protruding bones, and foreign bodies like gunshot wounds. Most birds show significant discoloration to the muscles around a fracture site. To the untrained this is commonly mistaken as an infection or gangrene.
We use special water proof tape as a splint because it is light and strong. Bird bones are quite thin and if the splint is too heavy it might cause additional harm.
In this particular case the fracture is severe enough to warrant additional support. We used pieces of a tongue depressor under the tape, again because of its light weight and strength. The line shows exactly how long it is.
The tape needs to be snug to provide proper stability, yet not so tight that it compromises the blood flow to the foot. By using a small hemostat we can "mold" the tape to the specific anatomy of the leg.
This is the final result. It will stay on for approximately one month. During that time it will go to a licensed rehabilitator for routine care.
Heron Esophagus Laceration
This heron was presented to us in a state of shock and with a laceration to its neck.
Once it was stabilized we assessed the neck wound, which was more severe than originally appeared. It has a severe laceration to its esophagus, a potentially life-threatening situation.
The esophagus required extensive surgery due to the chronicity of the problem and the sensitive nature of the esophagus.
Eventually we put all the pieces back where they belonged.
Now the process of building up its strength and making sure it can use the esophagus began. After several days he continued to do well and was ready for release.
The heron was taken to an area on Long Beach near to where it was found. Dave Thraen and Dr. Petersen had the honors of releasing it since they did most of the work.
It didn't take him long to find a nice tree to hide in.
We have a short movie of his release that will take several minutes to finish downloading. Double click on the picture when it appears and it will play as long as you have Quicktime on your computer.
Archimedes
This is Archimedes, a sawhet owl that died in July, 200 who was the mascot for AWRE. You can learn more about him by going to the AWRE web site. The address is: http://www.awre.org The Long Beach Animal Hospital supports the non profit AWRE, and provides medical and surgical services for this worthy organization.
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