This is a 4 week old sun conure that accidentally swallowed the rubber tube from his handfeeding syringe. We were able to get it out of his crop without surgery, and he suffered no damage from the ordeal.
Meet Baby Boy Sullivan, who dislocated and tore open his right ankle. After 3 weeks in a bandage, and with the help of antibiotics to prevent infection, he is ready for action and whistling again. For more info on treating wounds, click here.
More pictures coming soon!
One day, for reasons nobody knows, Tiffany Eldridge decided to chew the skin off of her lower back. She had to wear this "whiplash" style collar for a month to keep her from chewing the wounds, which healed completely.
Birdie Harter had difficulty standing, wouldn't eat, and was severely depressed. Bloodwork indicated anemia and liver damage due to lead poisoning. He made a complete recovery and is now admiring himself in his mirror. The lead came from drapery weights he had chewed. For more information on many household hazards click here.
Maybelline Morriss survived a dog attack that broke her right wing. Infection in the bone prevented it from healing properly, but she did not lose the wing. Bird nurse Julie adopted her and says she is now Queen of the bird room.
Charlie Barrett gives her Dad a kiss on the nose while Mom holds her. She is going home following surgical removal of her preen gland, the oil gland near the base of the tail. A small tumor was removed a year ago, but it caused permanant blockage of the gland that did not resolve after two surgeries.
Zachary Garroutte was treated for a broken leg, and as you can see the bandage is looking pretty ragged after a month. The bandage was removed and he was able to use his leg immediately, with only a small bump on the bone and a few missing feathers to indicate which leg had been hurt. For more info on broken bones, click here to see our fractures page.
This little guy, Keno Hopkins, has had three operations in two years for tumors and cysts on his wings and chest. The first one was an emergency when it began bleeding profusely. We hope he does not grow any new lumps.
Sport Harper has a long and interesting history. She was found outside in Florida, suffered copper poisoning after chewing on artificial stained glass, had to wear a collar after chewing a wound under her wing, and was recently hospitalized for a severe infection. What's next?
Jojo Ralston suffered a fracture of her wing, apparently deciding that if her human friend had to wear a cast, Jojo wanted to wear one too. Her wing has healed nicely, and she should return to normal soon.
Another baby sun conure had to have emergency crop foreign body retrieval. His bird parents fed him an entire kernel of dried corn, which could have blocked his digestive tract. It was removed by using the alligator forceps down his throat without anesthesia.
Harriet Calvin came to us as a baby with her head upside down due to a deformity in her neck. By wearing a collar like the one Tiffany is wearing above, the muscles were stretched and strengthened. She is now able to live a normal life and talks up a storm.
Tinker Schmidt, an Orange Winged Amazon, has had an accumulation of fluid in his belly. After blood tests, fluid analysis, and barium Xrays, he finally had an ultrasound done, which still couldn't tell us why the fluid was there. He is doing well now and hoping not to fill back up again, because next time he will get a CAT scan, and we know how birds feel about cats!
Apparently it wasn't enough for KC Dille to have a hysterectomy in 1998. Her uterus had filled with undeveloped eggs, which made her belly swell as if she had a tumor. She also recently developed a hernia which required surgery to replace her intestines, which were hanging in a sack of skin under her belly. She is now a very valuable cockatiel!
Joey Howell can finally breathe normally. He had terrible episodes of struggling for air off and on for over a year. Lab tests did not reveal the cause of his problems, but after finally trying him on cortisone as a last resort, he has returned to normal. They don't make tiny little asthma inhalers for birds or we would try that instead. For more information on breathing emergencies, click here.
Tweakie Alford had a tumor on her wing that infiltrated into the bone and muscle. Since there was no other way to remove it completely, we amputated the end of her wing. She will never be able to fly again, but she should now be able to live many more happy, healthy years.
Flo Lester is a Blue and Gold Macaw who was stolen from her owner's home. We contacted every pet store in the phone book, called all the bird clubs to alert them, posted information on multiple websites, and sent out email to almost 750 bird owners. She was finally returned to her home after 2 weeks when the owner ran an ad in the paper offering a reward. We can't claim credit for this miracle, but we sure tried to help! Flo's identity was proven by her band number. Do we have your bird's band number recorded?
