PATIENT:  Merlin, #11-2660

LOCATION OF RESCUE:  Richmond, Virginia

INJURY:   Fractured wing

ADMISSION DATE:  December 16, 2011

OUTCOME:  Euthanized December 28, 2011

On Friday, December 16, the Wildlife Center of Virginia admitted patient #11-2660 — a Merlin. This small falcon was rescued earlier in the week and held at a veterinary hospital near Richmond before it was driven to the Wildlife Center by a volunteer transporter.  The Merlin arrived at the Center with radiographs from the vet hospital and a diagnosis of a fractured left radius, which veterinary intern Dr. Adam Naylor confirmed during the initial physical examination. Dr. Adam also noted that the Merlin was dehydrated and thin; its left shoulder was also swollen.

Merlins are not common admissions to the Wildlife Center — only three have been admitted in the past five years.  These small falcons can be mistaken for American Kestrels, though Merlins are slightly larger and heavier.  They also lack the  the reddish feathers that kestrels have on their backs and tails.  Merlins are typically only seen in Virginia in the winter. 

On December 17, Dr. Adam anesthetized Merlin #11-2660 and took a series of radiographs to get the most recent picture of the wing fracture.  Dr. Adam determined that the fractured radius should be able to be fixed by inserting a pin into the broken bone, so he scheduled the Merlin for surgery on December 18. 

The surgery went well; Dr. Adam and team anesthetized the falcon and pinned the broken radius during the 22-minute procedure.  A body wrap was placed on the Merlin to help stablize the injured wing.  The Center’s diagnostic intern, Katie White, performed a complete blood count on the Merlin and discovered that the Merlin has plasmodium — a blood parasite, which is treatable with an anti-parasitic medication.

The juvenile Merlin will remain in a small enclosure in the Center’s holding room until the pins in its left wing are ready to be taken out in early January.  The Merlin is eating well – because this species is a bird-eating bird, it is currently eating quail or chicks each day.

December 28 update

Despite a feisty attitude and a healthy appetite, Merlin #11-2660’s condition deteriorated over the holiday weekend.  Dr. Adam noticed on December 24 that the Merlin had some abraded skin on its wing around the incision site; the wing also had a pronounced droop.  Dr. Adam treated the wounds and monitored the bird carefully.  The following day, the wound was worse — and Dr. Adam began to suspect that the bird was self-inflicting this trauma. 

On December 26, the Merlin’s pin was removed, and while the extension of the injured wing was good, the soft tissue wounds on the left wing were quite extensive.  Dr. Adam suspects that the Merlin sustained nerve damage in its initial injury–which sometimes can lead to self-trauma behavior. 

With such significant damage to the wing, the veterinary team decided to humanely euthanize the Merlin.

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