PATIENT: Turkey Vulture, #11-1878

LOCATION OF RESCUE:Rockingham County, Virginia

CAUSE OF ADMISSION: Abandoned/Orphaned

ADMISSION DATE: July 31, 2011

PROGNOSIS: Poor

On July 31, a private citizen from Linville, Virginia, brought a young Turkey Vulture to the Wildlife Center of Virginia. The Turkey Vulture was found abandoned in a barn on the rescuer’s property. After first observing the young vulture alone, the rescuer waited a few days to determine if the vulture’s parents were still providing for it, and when it became apparent that the vulture was abandoned (or orphaned) the rescuer contacted the Center and made arrangements to transport the hatchling.

Upon arriving at the Wildlife Center, the Turkey Vulture was examined by Dr. Dave McRuer, who determined that the vulture was lethargic, and suffered from dehydration and nutritional deprivation. The vulture also had lice.

For the first few days of its stay, the young vulture was tube-fed and given a variety of medications to help alleviate its conditions. It was during this period that Wildlife staff members observed that the Turkey Vulture was also ataxic — noticeably uncoordinated.

On Friday, August 5, the young Turkey Vulture’s condition improved enough to allow the Wildlife Center staff to begin hand-feeding it. The vulture’s weight continued to increase and on Sunday, August 7, the Center staff ceased hand-feeding; the young vulture has been eating on its own since.  On Tuesday, August 30, the bird was moved into an outdoor enclosure where it still remains under observation.

Throughout the month of August, the Turkey Vulture’s weight has increased significantly — so much, that on Friday, September 9, Dr. Dave recommended that its diet be trimmed a bit to prevent the vulture from becoming overweight. The vulture is still receiving daily subcutaneous injections of fluids to prevent dehydration.  The Turkey Vulture is shy and wary of Center staff members and still appears slightly ataxic, but its condition continues to improve and the Wildlife Center veterinarians remain guardedly optimistic about its future.

September 16 update

On September 13, the veterinary staff decided to test the young Turkey Vulture in a larger outdoor enclosure and moved the bird to a pen that is roughly 13′x8′ in size.  Because the vulture is still having issues with balance, Dr. Miranda decided that the best option would be to allow the Turkey Vulture to roam around the enclosure during the day, but place the vulture in a large crate at night with its food.  This system is working well so far — the vulture continues to eat, but has some room during the day to practice moving around.

By September 15, the daily report was that the vulture’s balance was improving, though it still has a long way to go.  The staff hope to continue to see improvements with this bird.

October 13 update

Turkey Vulture #11-1878 is continuing to present a difficult case for the Center’s veterinarians. The immature vulture is capable of making short flights on its own now, which is a considerable improvement from when it was first brought to the Wildlife Center in July.  However, the vulture is also still visibly favoring its right leg and the Center’s veterinary staff has been unable to identify any obvious issues with it. The Turkey Vulture‘s radiographs and blood work have revealed no identifiable complications or problems.

The Center’s veterinary technician, Leigh-Ann Horne, and Dr. Miranda Sadar are arranging for Turkey Vulture #11-1878 to have further diagnostics, such as a CT scan, in the near future.  They hope this will be able to help explain why the vulture continues to act lame.

November 15 update

Further diagnostic testing has not revealed any cause of Turkey Vulture #11-1878’s lameness in its right leg, and the pronounced lameness continues to persist.  The staff moved the vulture into a larger pen to observe its flight and to see if the bird would act any differently with a greater variety of perches.  Injured birds with leg and foot problems often develop complications with their “healthy” foot as well — due to the imbalanced way in which they stand.  The veterinarians are closely monitoring the vulture, though if improvements are not seen, the bird will likely have to be euthanized.

November 18 update

Yesterday afternoon the difficult decision was made by the Center’s veterinary staff to humanely euthanize Turkey Vulture #11-1878.  After more than three months of treatment and diagnostic tests, the lameness in the bird’s right foot persisted without any improvements.  The vulture’s body will be sent to an outside lab for a necropsy, in hopes that we may learn more about the vulture’s injury.

The Wildlife Center depends on the donations of caring individuals for the health care provided to this Turkey Vulture– and to about 2,500 wild animals in need each year.  Please help!