|
Some time ago a regular client at the Fairfield Veterinary
Centre rescued a badly injured pigeon. The poor bird had
become entangled around wires and cables at the factory
where he worked. Undaunted by the fact the bird was unable
to escape from its natural predators and would never be
able to fly again he took it upon himself to look after
this bird and named it "Penny".
"Penny" has thrived for over 4 years in her adopted
home where she has been well looked after - despite an initial
anxiety that the fine diet she was offered may only have
been a prelude to her becoming a feature on her owners menu!
However, "Penny" started to become severely lame.
Her foot became very swollen below the metal ring attached
to her leg and she was in danger of losing her leg and probably
her life.
I expressed my doubts and concerns to her owner regarding
the difficulty involved in removing the ring without damaging
her leg. Nevertheless, spurred on by their optimism we treated
"Penny" with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories
in an effort to reduce the swelling and allow metal cutting
equipment access to the ring.
The following day, with a considerable degree of anxiety
on both mine and "Penny's" face, as a result of
the degree of force required, we managed to cut through
the ring successfully.
The vast majority of avian wildlife rarely recover from
a single major trauma event. "Penny" seems intent
on achieving a record!
|
