PATIENT:  Bald Eagle, #12-0001

LOCATION OF RESCUE:  Chesapeake, Virginia

CIRCUMSTANCE OF ADMISSION:   Found unable to fly

ADMISSION DATE:  January 1, 2012

PROGNOSIS:  Non-releasable

On December 31  a Bald Eagle reportedly “fell from the sky” near the intersection of Butts Station Road and Centerville Turnpike [not far from Stumpy Lake] in Chesapeake.  The eagle was rescued and taken to wildlife rehabilitator Lisa Barlow for the evening.  On January 1, the bird was brought to the Center by volunteer transporter Lona Wilson and was the first patient admitted to the Center during 2012.

Dr. Miranda examined #12-0001 — a mature Bald Eagle — and found that the eagle was thin, weak, and hanging its head — classic symptoms of lead poisoning.  An in-house lead test revealed that the eagle was positive for lead – with a result of .267 ppm. Chelation therapy was started immediately. 

Though the Bald Eagle is not stable enough for anesthesia, Dr. Miranda may take a very quick set of “awake” radiographs, to see if there is any lead shot in the bird’s digestive tract.  The eagle will be placed on the Center’s radiograph table and Dr. Miranda will don a lead gown and collar so that she may hold the eagle still while the x-rays are taken.  

January 3 update

Dr. Miranda reports that Bald Eagle #12-0001 appears to be slightly brighter today.  Dr. Miranda has been unable to take  “awake” radiographs since this eagle is a little more energetic — but she anticipates that the eagle will be stable enough for anesthetized radiographs on January 4.   However, the staff knows that the Bald Eagle did have at least some buckshot in its GI tract — because rehabilitator Suzy found a lead pellet in the eagle’s feces this morning!  The Bald Eagle has been eating several small meals of chopped mice each day, and Dr. Miranda is encouraged that things seem to be “moving through”.

January 4 update

Dr. Miranda took a very quick “awake” radiograph on Bald Eagle #12-0001 today.  Because this Bald Eagle was fairly alert and flappy, Dr. Miranda was only able to take one radiograph, rather than several different views. 

Radiographs revealed a pellet in the eagle — but not in its digestive tract.  Based on the one radiograph, the veterinary team can’t pinpoint where the pellet is  – they need a lateral view of the bird’s body to determine exact placement.  Based on the shape and location of this pellet, Dr. Dave thinks that it’s likely that it is not a lead pellet — and is from another incident, unrelated to the eagle’s recent lead exposure. 

No additional pellets were found in the eagle’s feces today.  Chelation therapy continues, and the eagle is eating several small meals each day.  

Sifting for pellets …

January 6 update

Bald Eagle #12-0001 will receive its last treatment of chelation therapy today and Dr. Miranda will re-check lead levels on January 7.  While the eagle appears to be brighter, it is still having difficulty standing.  Dr. Miranda notes that the bird’s legs appear to be stiff, making the eagle a little wobbly when it tries to stand.  This is likely a side effect of the lead toxicity.  

The Bald Eagle continues to eat well, and meals are gradually increased in size each day.  

January 10 update

Blood was drawn from Bald Eagle #12-0001 on January 7 for a re-check on lead levels.  With a result of .07 ppm, it appears as though the chelation therapy did its job.  The veterinary team will schedule another lead re-check in the next couple of weeks, just to ensure levels don’t start to rise again. 

On Sunday, the eagle was anesthetized for a complete set of radiographs; as Dr. Miranda noted before, the eagle does have one pellet, lodged in the soft tissue near its liver.  Based on the pellet’s location, this is likely from a shooting incident that was unrelated to ingesting lead.  The pellet appears to be non-lead and should not need to be removed. While the eagle was anesthetized, Dr. Miranda performed another eye exam; she found a small retinal tear at the very edge of the eagle’s left eye.  Based on its location, this shouldn’t compromise the eagle’s eyesight.

At this point, Dr. Miranda is most concerned with a cardiac arrhythmia that she’s noted during the eagle’s physical exams.  The team can’t be sure of the cause of this arrhythmia – it could be due to lead toxicity, though it could also be something that the eagle has developed prior to the lead poisoning.  The veterinary team will need to continue to monitor this problem.

On January 10, the Bald Eagle was moved into a slightly larger indoor enclosure.  The eagle is now mostly standing – though it still is a bit stiff and wobbly.  The eagle continues to eat well.

January 13 update

Bald Eagle #12-0001 has been making small improvements over the past couple of days in terms of its posture when standing.  The eagle seems slightly less wobbly.  Because the bird was still having difficulty with balance, a thick foam padding was provided on the floor of its enclosure; this padding will be removed today and replaced with a sturdy, low perch.  The veterinary team will observe how the eagle handles this adjustment. 

An additional lead test was performed today. The result was slightly elevated compared to the January 7 check — 0.113 ppm.  A slight elevation after treatment is not all that uncommon.  Dr. Miranda is considering another round of chelation therapy.

January 20 update

After a second round of chelation therapy, Bald Eagle #12-0001’s lead levels were rechecked again today.  The bird’s lead levels are now at 0.049 ppm. The veterinary team will give the bird a break from treatment for several days and will perform another lead test again next week, just to ensure that levels do not rise again.

Meanwhile, the Bald Eagle continues to stand and is gaining weight.  The eagle is still a little wobbly on its feet, and doesn’t particularly want to perch on the low, stable perch that has been provided in its enclosure. 

January 26 update

Bald Eagle #12-0001 continues to stand and eat well, though the bird is still wobbly in its indoor enclosure.  On January 26, the veterinary team drew blood from the eagle for another in-house lead test — the results came back “low”.  This means that the levels are below .033 ppm — a good sign.  

The eagle will remain indoors until it shows signs of more stability when standing.  Another lead test will be performed next week, just to ensure that levels remain low.

January 30 update

Over the weekend of January 28, Bald Eagle #12-0001 showed slight signs of improvement with its stability — though still continues to be wobbly on its feet.  On January 30, the veterinary team decided to move the eagle to a small outdoor enclosure.  The Bald Eagle was set up in one of the Center’s C-pens with several low perches.  The bird will be monitored to see how it adjusts to being outdoors.

Another lead test will be performed on February 2.

February 6 update

Bald Eagle #12-0001 is still a little uncoordinated with its movements, though it seems to be navigated the small outdoor enclosure [a C-pen] fairly well.  On the latest lead test, the level was 0.041 ppm — still low, but a little higher than the last result.  This is probably because in chronic cases, lead can be absorbed into a raptor’s bones — and over time, the lead can leach back out into the system.   The veterinary team will continue to monitor the eagle and will test lead levels again in two weeks.  At this point, they don’t feel that another round of chelation is needed.

The eagle continues to eat well.

February 15 update

The veterinary staff have not had to catch up Bald Eagle #12-0001 this week, though Dr. Adam reports that the eagle does seem to be making small improvements.  On February 14, the veterinary team was near the C-pen complex where the eagle is currently housed; they were able to watch the eagle hop up to a higher perch in the enclosure. 

Another lead test will be performed on February 20.

February 20 update

Blood was drawn from Bald Eagle #12-0001 for another in-house lead test today.  The result was 0.038 ppm — a lower level from the lead check two weeks ago.  The veterinary team reports that the eagle is bright and alert and is utilizing all of the perches in its enclosure — but the bird is still a bit uncoordinated as it lands on the perches.   At this point, Dr. Adam feels that the eagle is not yet ready to move to a larger space.  The team will continue monitoring the eagle and will perform another lead check in a month.

March 19 update

Bald Eagle #12-001 remains bright and alert.  While the bird is still exhibiting slight neurological symptoms, the eagle has shown that it can maneuver around in the small, outdoor C-pen just fine.  The veterinary staff is eager to put the Bald Eagle in a flight pen to further assess how the bird is able to fly and perch, though at this point, the team needs to wait for an available flight pen!  Within the next two weeks the eagle should be able to move up into a larger space.  Another lead test will be performed the next time that the bird needs to be caught up for a monthly complete blood count.

April 2 update

Bald Eagle #12-0001 was moved into a flight pen on March 31; the eagle is now currently residing in FP4. The rehab staff report that the bird is able to fly the length of the 45′ enclosure, and maintain height — though is a little wobbly and unbalanced on landings.  This is likely due to lingering, possibly permanent, neurological damage caused by the lead toxicity.  The staff will continue to monitor the eagle in the coming weeks in this larger space.

The veterinary team drew blood when the eagle was moved so that another lead test could be performed; the results came back at 0.039 ppm, which is consistent with the last lead test that was checked more than a month ago.

April 27 update

Bald Eagle #12-0001 has been showing very small signs of improvement over the past few weeks — the eagle is able to fly from perch to perch in the 45′-long flight pen, and is only a little wobbly on landings.  The staff would like to get this bird into a larger enclosure soon to continue to assess its flight capabilities … it will just take a little “bird shuffling” first!  The staff hope to juggle some birds during the week of May 1 so that this bird can have a larger flight area.

May 3 update

On May 1, Bald Eagle #12-0001 was caught up for a physical examination, including a thorough eye exam.  Dr. Miranda found additional retinal scarring in the eagle’s left eye — more extensive than what was previously noted in January.  This slow degeneration is likely due to the lead toxicity that caused the bird’s admission.  With this additional “blind spot” in the bird’s eye, Dr. Miranda has determined that this eagle is non-releasable.

To assess if this Bald Eagle would be a good candidate for placement, the eagle was moved to A1 with Bald Eagle NX.  The staff have been observing the eagle’s flight via web cam; while the eagle is still wobbly on landings, and has some balance issues, Dr. Dave believes that the eagle has made some improvements.  At this point, it’s too early to say if this eagle will be a candidate for an educational placement.  The staff will need to continue to monitor the eagle’s behavior as well as the eye lesions.

May 11 update

Bald Eagle #12-0001 was moved to A3 today to continue to serve as Bald Eagle NX’s roommate.  The staff will monitor how the eagle adjusts to this larger, higher enclosure.

Your special donation will help the Center to provide state-of-the-art medical care to this Bald Eagle … and to the 2,500 sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals the Center will treat this year.  Please help!