Intern Blogs

The Cormorant Times

Written by: Stephanie Gomez, PHSS Intern

 Today I will be talking about patient 21-0992, an adult Double-crested Cormorant. It came in on May 23rd after people found him weak and quiet yet alert. During the intake exam, staff came across several findings. The patient seemed to be moderately dehydrated due to the mucous membrane observed as pale-colored and dry. A mouth swab was performed to check for any parasites it may have, and it came back negative. The patient was ultimately diagnosed with astasis, commonly found in birds, which is a lack in motor coordination with the inability to stand, walk, or even sit properly.

After the intake exam, this patient was given subcutaneous fluids for dehydration, Vitamin B Complex for protein growth, Vitamin E for helping maintain metabolic processes, Panacur, and Ivermectin for any parasites the patient might have. This patient was introduced to a liquid diet called Piscivores care, a special liquid diet for Piscivores (fish eaters). This is used to lighten the load on the stomach and is high in nutrients to get this bird back into shape. The clinic staff then proceeded to do an x-ray of this patient to check for any unusual findings inside not seen by the eye. They found that there was a hook fragment found in the GI tract. It was soon given the medication called Meloxicam which is used as an anti-inflammatory.

As part of the patient’s continued care, it was kept in a cage inside the ICU with plenty of comfort and enrichment. The method called the “cotton fish method” was done which is a process in which cotton is put inside a fish, the fish is given to the patient, in hopes that the hook fragment piece will attach to the cotton and the bird will regurgitate it out. This method is the first to be used because it is noninvasive. Hydrotherapy was also done once in a while to help relieve some stress off the patient and help with the condition of astasis. Hydrotherapy is performed by placing the bird into a big bucket of water to allow it to kick its feet. This also helps to enable the muscles to move in a lighter way inside the water. The veterinarian proceeded with a check-up on the hook fragment found and cleared the cormorant of the hook.

Finally, after seeing some progress inside and the patient was getting stronger, it was moved into an outside enclosure. Here the patient has the space to regain flight muscles, swim in the big pool, and continue healing. It began flying, standing much better, swimming, and was seen catching its own fish in the big pool inside the pen. After 24 days in care, it was cleared to be released! On June 17th, this Double-crested cormorant was released on the PHSS premises. It flew out of the cage and took a nice little bath once it reached the water.

During this process, I learned the importance of deworming a patient. Many parasites can enter the body of a bird, so taking precautions and treating them as soon as possible help prevent them from infesting a patient. Once these worms reach the gut, they can multiply. The main problem with worms is that they can suck up nutrients the bird needs, and as more accumulate, the bird becomes weak, lethargic, develops poor feather condition, and even reduces egg production. 

Sources:

https://vetafarm.com/worms-in-birds/

The Silent Raptor Killers

Written by: Marielys Gutierrez, PHSS Intern

A Cooper’s Hawk is a medium-sized hawk native to North America and found in South Florida. Adults are a bluish-grey color with warm reddish bars on the underparts of their body and thick dark bands on the tail. On June 24th, 2021, a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk (patient 21-1237) was brought in with singed and burnt feathers on the wings and tail. Its face was swollen, and the eyes were closed shut. The mean body temperature of a Cooper’s Hawk just after flight is 104.3 F (Custer, Feierabend, & Hoffman, 1990). At the time of intake, the body temperature of patient 1237 was 107.5 F. The initial weight of the patient was 273 kg. The suspected cause for the burns and reason for intake was electrocution or methane burn. 

Patient 1237 had an extensive number of injuries and the treatment plan had to cover lowering the body temperature, treating damaged feathers and eyes, pain management, treating inflammation and possible infections. After intake, patient 1237 was placed inside a large box with ice packs, and its body temperature lowered to 104 F. Initial treatments included flushing the eyes, and oral administration of meloxicam and tramadol. Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to relieve inflammation and pain and tramadol is an opioid used to treat more severe pain. After flushing the eyes, the corneas appeared intact, but bruising was present. The eyes were kept lubricated and tobramycin eye drops were administered. 

The initial care of patient 1237 focused on pain management and temperature control and the continual care shifted towards treating any possible infections, maintaining body weight, and plan towards the care of the skin and feathers. An x-ray was performed and revealed no significant findings. Meloxicam, tramadol, tobramycin, eye lube, and subcutaneous fluids continued to be administered twice a day. Spikes in temperature continued to be observed and it was believed the patient might have been fighting an infection. Sulfatrim, an antibiotic used to treat a variety of bacterial infections (such as ear, urine, respiratory, intestinal infections, etc.), was introduced orally to the patient twice a day. The current weight of the patient is at 262 kg. Due to the patient not being able to maintain its body weight, the staff started alternating between force-feeding the patient mice and tube feeding a liquid prescription diet. After five days in care, the patient’s eyes opened up and on July 1st, sloughing (shedding) of skin on legs was observed.

Cooper’s Hawk 1237 remains under the care of Pelican Harbor Seabird Station until it is fit for release. Throughout the care of the patient, I began to read articles about raptor-related burns and learned that methane burns result in similar burns found on the Cooper’s Hawk in our care. Landfills use a methane burner to convert methane into water and carbon dioxide. The flames shoot out of an exhaust pipe and are colorless. Raptors like to perch on the methane burners to inspect for prey. When a raptor flies into the flames, although they may survive the immediate injuries, most eventually starve due to losing their ability to hunt and fly (Deines, 2020). A creative solution, found by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent James Dowd, has been to add tops to the methane exhaust pipes with sharp points to deter birds from perching on them (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region, 2013). Power line electrocution is another leading cause of raptor mortality. Diagnosis is made according to the burns of the feathers and skin. Electrocution wounds are different in the way that they have a presence of an entrance and exit wound, and include skin lacerations, subcutaneous burns, bruising, vascular rupture, etc. (Kagan, 2016). Usually, landfills are in secluded areas, so it is unknown how many birds suffer a similar fate. The Cooper’s Hawk in our care was found in a neighborhood, leading the team at Pelican Harbor to suspect electrocution to be the probable cause of the injuries. Thanks to the work done at Pelican Harbor many of these birds are given a fighting chance, and we have hope that our Cooper’s Hawk will be able to heal all its wounds and molt the injured feathers with time. 

The Tricky Tibiotarsus of Fish Crow #1105

Written by: Izzy Swift, PHSS Intern

On June 3rd, Fish Crow 21-1105 was found with its nestmate and brought into Pelican Harbor Seabird Station. Fish Crows are one of two species of crows that are found in Miami-Dade County, the other being the American Crow. One of the main differences between the Fish and American Crow is their size and habitat: Fish Crows are smaller than American Crows and can be found along coasts and waterways while American Crows are found in fields, woodlands or forests. Once in our care, Fish Crow 1105 was given a full intake exam, given a dewormer to treat any parasites it might have, subcutaneous fluids to aid in rehydrating the nestling, and sprayed with an anti-mite, anti-lice spray to help treat the feather mites it came in with.

The Tricky Tibiotarsus of Fish Crow 1105 shoe - Izzy Swift.png

The first few days Fish Crow 1105 was in our care, it wasn’t very active and wasn’t eating on its own. To give the crow a better shot at surviving, we placed it in an oxygen chamber to help it breathe easier and also tube fed it a liquid diet called Omnivore-Care (O-Care). To see if there were any parasites responsible for 1105’s inactivity, we did a crop swab. To perform a crop swab, we take a sterile cotton swab and swab the inside of the bird’s crop or mouth. We then analyze the sample under a microscope to see if any parasites like trichmanosis are present. 1105’s crop swab was negative, which indicates it does not have any crop parasites and this was not the reason for its inactivity. After a few days, 1105 appeared to feel much better and began to eat a solid diet of fish, fruits and veggies, and other nutrients for a complete diet which we tong feed to nestlings until they are old enough to eat independently. We also noticed that 1105 wasn’t using its left leg and its left foot was curled and not fully extending. Due to this discovery, we decided to put a shoe on its left foot to force the bird to keep its foot in a natural position. Shoes are used to give the leg extra support so 1105 can put weight on the leg and start to strengthen the muscles again to prevent atrophy or the degradation of the muscle from disuse. We also gave 1105 some pain medication to help it stand on its leg and make it more comfortable in our care as its leg healed.

The next step for 1105 was to get radiographs (x-rays) taken of its leg to see exactly what was causing the crow pain and preventing it from using its left leg. The images taken showed that 1105 had a fracture in its left leg, specifically in the tibiotarsus. The fracture appeared to be old since it had already started to heal in the image. To help it heal the rest of the way, we began to give 1105 a calcium supplement that will aid in the healing of the fracture. After the radiographs, it was unclear whether the old fracture would affect the use of 1105’s left foot, but everyone was hoping with the proper care 1105 would be able to use its foot again and eventually be released back into the wild. As an extra precaution, we also performed a fecal test on 1105 to make sure it did not have any parasites affecting its recovery but did not see any under the microscope.

For the weeks 1105 has been in our care, its weight has continued to fluctuate and we have tried different bandage types to help it regain use of its left foot and begin perching on branches. We switched from the shoe, which keeps the foot in a flat position on the ground, to a ball bandage that gives the foot more curvature, almost as if the left foot is constantly in a gripping position. We still did not witness 1105 perching normally, but after a week with the ball bandage on, 1105 was able to grip with its left foot which is a drastic improvement from when it first came into Pelican Harbor.

As 1105 continues to improve, we will continue to keep it in an inside enclosure so we can easily keep an eye on the Fish Crow and administer its needed medications. While inside, it will have the company of two other Fish Crows sharing its enclosure and have constant stimulation with a variety of toys, fresh greenery, and diets. We will also begin physical therapy exercises with its left foot to give 1105 a greater chance to regain full function of its foot which is required if it is to be released back into the wild. Hopefully, in the next few months, 1105 will be back in the wild and find protection and company in a new flock.