Raptor Education Group:
In early May we admitted a banded Bald Eagle. Banding records came back with the news that he was 24 yrs old and had been banded in Upper MI. The eagle had a fractured wing...which included a major joint. We hoped to be able to release this handsome eagle. After 2 aggressive rounds of antibiotics the wing/joint looked much better. The eagle was beginning to use his wing in a normal way and was put into the flight building to begin conditioning. Yesterday morning he was found in the flight with an open wound on the site of the joint injury. Osteomyelitis had developed in the bone.
The old eagles condition quickly went from serious to critical. After a call to our veterinarian Dr. Sarah Lautzenhiser emergency surgery was scheduled for last night. The surgery at this point was to save his life not his flight.
A partial amputation of his wing was done. He will not fly again, but will live a comfortable life at Raptor Education Group, Inc and work as a foster parent with our other foster parent Bald Eagle, AMP. ( See photos in post earlier this week)
A HUGE thank you to Dr. Sarah Lautzenhiser and the Antigo Veterinary Clinic for doing this surgery. It made their already long day much longer. We cannot say enough about Dr Sarah or her team. This complicated surgery to save the life of our special critically ill Bald Eagle required a very accomplished surgeon...and we had that in spades with Dr Sarah. It take a special veterinarian where skill and compassion meet and are so well balanced.
The eagle patient is recovering well today. He was awake and standing within an hour after arriving back at REGI. This morning he was not only standing, but wide eyed and checking out the clinic for breakfast. He had a great lunch a bit ago and it on his way to health once again. Antigo Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Sarah Lautzenhiser...please know how grateful we are.
After surgery
