A beautiful juvenile Eastern Screech Owl was brought in to see Dr. Emily Leahey for assessment after being found on the side of the road near a construction site. Our friends at @willow_bend_nature_center were concerned that one of his eyes was injured because it was closed, but during his exam, we were happy to find that the eye itself was healthy!
This little guy was experiencing anisocoria, a condition characterized by unequal pupil sizes, and potentially Horner’s Syndrome, a disruption of the nerve pathway on one side from the brain to the face and eye, causing one eye to droop. These symptoms are usually seen with a traumatic head injury in birds (usually from colliding with vehicles).
Tasha assisted Dr. Leahey with radiographs to determine if there were any broken bones, but other than being dehydrated and underweight, he appeared a healthy bird with the potential to be re-released into the wild after overcoming his injury. Our team treated him with fluids, pain & inflammation medication, and kept him overnight to continue treatments into the next day.
He surprised us all by eating a full meal overnight and was discharged to the rescue for continued care. Thank you to all of our wildlife and conservation groups for working hard to protect our animal friends!
#animalia #settinganewstandard #vetmedicine #wildliferescue #owlsofinstagram #conservationmedicine #franklintn #nashvilletn