20180129-Eastern Screech Owl

Via volunteer Louie: On January 29th, 2018, volunteer Gary contacted me telling me a friend of his had an injured screech owl. Upon my arrival at a home residence in Fremont, IN, I was met by Greg H.  Greg had an adult gray phase eastern screech owl contained in a plastic cat carrier.  He had found the bird on the ground, near his mailbox.  I examined the bird and found blood on the beak, and its right eye was closed. The keel was in the three range*. The owl was transported to the Pine Valley Veterinary Clinic and transferred to Dr. Funnel. An intake card was completed and photos are attached. *A bird’s keel is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 representing extreme thinness and 5 representing plumpness. 02/17/2018 After close examination, this bird has a dislocated right shoulder, right eye injury, and a dislocated 4th digit on the right foot.  He was started on Meloxicam for pain and inflammation and Flurbiprofen drops in the right eye for pain and swelling.  His wing has a bandage on it to keep his right wing close to his body to prevent it from moving too much.  This bird had an eye exam and it revealed a corneal ulcer in the middle of his right eye.  This is a condition where the outer layer of the eye is inflamed causing pain. 03/25/2018 This bird is non-releasable due to vision problems.  But the good news is that he has a home!  He will be going to the St. Louis Zoo.