The photos at left and above, show close-up views of the Kirschner Apparatus. Almost immediately, the bird began to use his operated leg for weight bearing. This indicated that the leg was comfortable. | ||||
Photograph by Emerson Wells In this photograph, taken a few days before the eagle was released, he looked elegant and he appeared to feel fine. |
This adult, male Bald Eagle was struck by a vehicle while down on a road in February. He sustained a closed, complete, displaced fracture of the right tibiotarsus that had begun to heal in a malposition. As he could still fly, no one was able to approach him until 11 days later. By then, he was malnourished, dehydrated and so weak that he couldn't hold his head up. For the first three days, we hydrated, fed and started him on a course of antibiotics so that he could safely undergo anesthesia and surgery. Our veterinarian did an open reduction of the fracture. He stablized it with a Kirschner Apparatus and the injury healed without incident. In June, the eagle was released in the area from whence he had come in February. |
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