Kestrel

[den]

Yesterday I picked up a male nankeen kestrel, a raptor about the size of a pigeon and half the weight. His was holding his left leg out straight and his foot was limp. I couldn't find anything broken but I suspected a dislocated hip, so I took him to the vet and left him. The zoovets were busy so I took it to my pet vet. Michael x-rayed him and discovered the femur (the drumstick) was broken just above the knee.

I picked up the bird today. Poor little thing was really groggy but really really relaxed. His foot is being held at a better angle and the tendons are tight. We'll know in 3 weeks if the operation was a success. In the meantime he's in a heated box at the Raptor Lady's place.

It took Dr. Michael 2 hours to pin the bone.

He did it for nothing.

I know the coolest vets.

Comments

[dragonpearl.livejournal.com]

Boy, you sure do. :)

[fledchen.livejournal.com]

with all the fuss my budgie puts up at the merest hint of having his nails clipped, I don't even want to contemplate how difficult it would be to deal with a small raptor with a broken leg. Poor birdie. Glad to hear he's patched up, though.