Sigh

[learnedax]

A couple of minutes ago dkapell and I treated a sparrow with a hairball. That is, a ball of hair binding a twig to its foot. We immobilized it and removed most of the tangle (some was too tightly bound to be cut off with it twitching, but didn't seem to be binding up the talons), and the bird's wings and feet seemed to be functioning alright, but it wouldn't fly. It might have been caught up for too long, and is now unable to fly without some further nursing. Too bad we're not actually trained for animal treatment.

Comments

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Have you thought about maybe taking it to someone who *is* trained in animal treatment? :)

Seriously - it may be that the bird is too badly injured or stressed or otherwise ill to make it (birds can look absolutely fine on the outside and be at death's doorstep inside), but this one's best chances probably lie with a vet. Get out the phone book, call a vet near you, and ask if they treat wildlife. If they don't, ask them to put you in touch with someone who does. Every clinic I've ever worked at has the numbers for a few wildlife vets or licensed rehabbers....