Amazon attacked by Hawk, need advice

[Wthensler]

My 26 year old red lored Amazon Bo was attacked in my garage by a hawk. I had Bo with me while I was vacuuming my car’s carpets with the door closed and briefly opened it 1/2 way to shake one of them out. i went back to vacuuming and suddenly heard a scream. I didn’t see the hawk fly in, but it was on top of him when I ran around the cars and managed to get the hawk away.

Bo is lucky to be alive, he got a head wound and damage on each inside wing, one penetrating the outer air sacs but not his lung. He has seen the vet and they did triage and X-rays, the wound close to his lung by far being the worst.

He’s on augmentin as an antibiotic and gabapentin for pain (this incident occurred Sun late afternoon).

We’ve been administering meds multiple times a day orally and this AM we cleaned out and flushed his worst wound (Samantha is an MD). It is encouraging that it looks uninfected (it is pretty deep).

The good news is he’s acting normally (of course not happy about the collar he’s wearing) and the wound looks as good as it can - no signs of infection.

But he’s not eating much and drinking just some. Shall we wait before another day before force syringing him with Exact nutritional supplement ?

He’s a good boy but a terrible patient, so we want him to try to recover as best as possible on TLC and the plan we’re following without unduly stressing him out. He’s resting now and needs R&R.

I can’t express how bad I feel even though this was a total fluke, the hawk must have literally been just outside the door for this to happen, and the brazenness of the attack shocked me, happening deep inside the garage.

 

[merlinsmom13]

So sorry this happened. Will he eat scrambled egg? I wonder if the meds are making him queasy. I would worry more about him not drinking. Add a little children's pedilight to his med routine?

 

[Parront]

Oh My how horrible for both of you! When does he see the vet again? Prayers for him!

 

[Wthensler]

He is drinking a bit on his own. We’re closely monitoring his condition. He ate some peas, not a whole lot ( Bo has always been a very picky eater).

I’m sure the antibiotics are wreaking havoc on his gut. Just wish he would eat more. It’s been three days since the attack.

The most severe injury actually looked better, we flushed it with saline and he didn’t complain - it’s really his lack of appetite we’re concerned about. If we don’t see any improvement in his intake tomorrow I’ll bring him in to the vet in the morning.

 

[Wthensler]

So sorry this happened. Will he eat scrambled egg? I wonder if the meds are making him queasy. I would worry more about him not drinking. Add a little children's pedilight to his med routine?

We can try, he never liked eggs though. We have some nutritional powder we can liquify and syringe him, but that comes with an element of risk.

 

[Toy]

I'd suggest probiotics & or ask the vet for nausea meds.

 

[Parront]

He is drinking a bit on his own. We’re closely monitoring his condition. He ate some peas, not a whole lot ( Bo has always been a very picky eater).

I’m sure the antibiotics are wreaking havoc on his gut. Just wish he would eat more. It’s been three days since the attack.

The most severe injury actually looked better, we flushed it with saline and he didn’t complain - it’s really his lack of appetite we’re concerned about. If we don’t see any improvement in his intake tomorrow I’ll bring him in to the vet in the morning.

Please keep us posted on how he's doing. Poor baby!

 

[Wthensler]

Please keep us posted on how he's doing. Poor baby!

We’d hope he’d be doing better by now. We’re going to bring him in this morning.

 

[merlinsmom13]

Checking on Bo

 

[Wthensler]

We brought Bo to the vet today, they triaged him (since he was not seen there previously) and did blood work, looked at his respirator function, and looked at the X-rays taken on Tuesday.

His nostrils were clogged (most likely blood from the attack) which they cleared, we were told his breathing is normal, and his blood work is good so far - no signs of infection and normal kidney and liver function.

The one deep wound is still in the early stages of healing, but does not appear to be infected. They said not to flush it anymore. They also gave him Tramadol, a stronger pain med, and he’s still on Augmentin.

They want him in a small cage (which we have), he’s not highly mobile given he’s wearing a collar.

Still not eating or drinking much, just a little bit, and of course he’s quiet and very tired (exhausted from the visits).

By far we are not out of the woods, well wishes and prayers are welcome - we’re hoping he can pull through the next several days and survive this horribly traumatic event. It’s been difficult on all of us.

 

[Clueless]

Prayers up.

 

[Parront]

He is on my prayer list!

 

[Wthensler]

The Tramadol seems to be having a beneficial effect on Bo’s pain. He had by far his most restful night since the incident .

We got a good look at the most serious injury, it’s horrible but beginning to scab and will take quite a while to heal.

Meanwhile, three times a day he is being given augmentin and tramadol.

We’re getting better at handling him, administration of the meds, and minimizing the drama.

He‘s ate some peas (a little this AM) and he’s eating a little apple right now.

We are cautiously optimistic he’s turned the corner and hopeful his appetite will continue to improve.

Acting more like a slowerversion of his old self.

Two days ago it really appeared he wasn’t going to make it.

Please keep sending your prayers and thoughts Bo’s way!

The collar is him chewing on it - keeping a close eye n it………

 

[MommyBird]

This has been almost too difficult for me to read, I can't imagine going thru it.
Prayers will continue for you and Bo

 

[Wthensler]

This has been almost too difficult for me to read, I can't imagine going thru it.
Prayers will continue for you and Bo

Thank you. None of us want to go through something as traumatic as this, but sometimes we do what we must.

Yes it’s been difficult and we are collectively exhausted……the worrying, the waiting, the not knowing.….the wondering how this will all shake down.

FWIW, Bo’s sound asleep on me as I type this, he is much more comfortable. He needs R&R more than anything (and nourishment).

i do hope we’ve turned the corner on a tragic, dark moment in our lives. next few days should reveal more.

 

[Parront]

The love you have for him is so evident. Will continue to pray for you and him.

 

[Zilga]

I'm so glad he's getting better! When olive was really ill last year, getting her to eat was hug challenge, and she even needed a couple weeks of crop feeding. Our vet also had us give her reglan, which helped with her appetite. Keeping weight on her was the biggest long-term challenge for us, so I hope Bo keeps eating!

 

[Wthensler]

I'm so glad he's getting better! When olive was really ill last year, getting her to eat was hug challenge, and she even needed a couple weeks of crop feeding. Our vet also had us give her reglan, which helped with her appetite. Keeping weight on her was the biggest long-term challenge for us, so I hope Bo keeps eating!

Bo has always been overweight, which in this case may be a bit of a blessing. He was 440g on Tuesday. I’m sure he’s down from there at the moment.

We cut back his augmentin and tramadol treatments to twice daily starting today. His blood work was clean on Thursday and his vitals were good. The tramadol does quite a number on him, almost like it’s suppressing his appetite. Also it’s less stressful for Bo (2x as opposed to 3x).

He‘s been eating and drinking a bit, and alert during the day. All good signs, we feel this is going to be a long recovery, which we are prepared for.

He has never been a great (healthy) eater, but he’s eating peas and apple along with a little bird food.

We’re less than a week into this (tomorrow afternoon will be one week), so we’re giving it time and keeping a close eye on him.

Bo slept well again last night, we‘re dosing him just before bedtime. Right now R&R are the best thing for him, and seeing a slight uptick in his appetite is (will be) a blessing.

Right now he’s in his favorite place - on my shoulder. It relaxes him, he’s preening and chewing holes on my shirt (all normal behavior).

But……we know it’s going to be a long road ahead, and there is still plenty of risk for things to go sideways.

Keep your prayers and positive thoughts coming. They are greatly appreciated.

 

[Wthensler]

Forgot to add, assuming the present course continues, the plan is to see the vet sometime later next week. We will inquire about Reglan should we still feel his appetite is lacking.

 

[HelenVanessaDavies]

Poor guy, it sounds like you're doing a great job nursing him - I hope the check up goes well next week