Vet AI Scribe for Wildlife

Case RTHA 25-0417

Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 7:40 AM

Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), adult, sex undetermined — admission exam

Subjective

Presenting Circumstance

Found on the shoulder of a state highway by a member of the public and transported in a cardboard box. Suspected vehicle strike. Reported as unable to fly but able to stand.

Intake History

• Found approximately 14 hours before admission; held overnight in a dark, quiet box without food or water, per phone instructions.
• No supplemental heat provided; ambient overnight temperature approximately 48°F.
• Finder reports the bird was beside a deer carcass on the verge.
• Admitted under state wildlife rehabilitation permit and federal migratory bird permit; no ownership; disposition governed by release or humane euthanasia.

Objective

Vitals

• Weight: 980 g
• Body condition: 2/5 — keel prominent, pectoral muscle mass reduced
• Temperature: 104.1°F (low for this species; normal range approximately 105-107°F)
• Hydration: Estimated 7-8% — reduced skin elasticity over the foot, dull corneas
• Mentation: Alert, responsive, maintains a defensive posture

Physical Exam

• Right wing: Dropped at rest; pain and crepitus on palpation over the coracoid; full passive range of motion at the shoulder, elbow and carpus
• Left wing: Normal
• Ocular: Both pupils responsive; anterior chambers clear; fundic exam shows no pecten damage, no retinal haemorrhage
• Oral cavity: Pink, moist; no blood in the choana or glottis
• Keel and coelom: No palpable fracture; no coelomic distension
• Feet and legs: Grip strength strong and symmetrical; no bumblefoot; talons intact
• Plumage: Flight feathers intact; no broken primaries or rectrices; mild soiling of the ventrum
• Neurologic: No head tilt, no nystagmus, no proprioceptive deficits

Diagnostics on Admission

• Blood lead (point-of-care): 0.18 ppm — below the threshold for chelation, consistent with incidental exposure
• PCV/TS: 38% / 3.4 g/dL
• Radiographs, two views: Simple, minimally displaced fracture of the right coracoid; no other fractures; no evidence of metallic foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract

Assessment

Primary Problem List

1. Right coracoid fracture — simple, minimally displaced
2. Dehydration, 7-8%
3. Hypothermia and negative energy balance from overnight holding without heat or support
4. Poor body condition — 2/5, likely pre-dating the collision
5. Lead exposure, sub-clinical — relevant given scavenging behaviour at the carcass

Prognostic Note

Coracoid fractures in raptors generally heal well with cage rest and carry a fair to good prognosis for release, provided flight is restored fully. The determining factor here is not fracture healing but whether this bird regains the flight capacity to hunt. A raptor that cannot hunt cannot be released, and a non-releasable raptor has no acceptable outcome short of placement under permit or euthanasia. Body condition 2/5 before the collision raises the question of whether an underlying problem preceded it.

Differentials for Pre-existing Poor Condition

• Chronic lead exposure below the chelation threshold
• Parasitism — Trichomonas, Capillaria, Serratospiculum
• Aspergillosis
• Inexperience, if this is a first-year bird dispersing

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Plan

Stabilisation — first 24 hours

• Warm to 85-90°F ambient before any fluid administration; do not feed or give fluids to a cold bird
• Fluids: 50 mL/kg/day divided, subcutaneous, warmed
• Analgesia: Meloxicam 0.5 mg/kg PO q12h
• No food for the first 8 hours; then begin with a small, easily digested meal and build gradually
• Minimal handling; visual barrier on the enclosure; no unnecessary human contact or vocalisation

Fracture Management

• Figure-of-eight wrap with body wrap, right wing, for 5-7 days only — longer immobilisation risks patagial contracture
• Strict cage rest in a padded enclosure with low perching
• Repeat radiographs at 14 days

Further Diagnostics

• Faecal flotation and direct smear
• Oral swab for Trichomonas
• CBC and biochemistry once rehydrated

Release Pathway

• Wrap removed at day 5-7; passive range of motion assessed daily thereafter
• Move to a flight cage when radiographs show bridging callus and range of motion is full
• Flight conditioning — creance work, then free flight in an enclosed flight barn; must demonstrate sustained flight, height gain, and controlled landing
• Live prey test before release
• Weight at release should exceed 1,050 g with body condition 3/5 or better
• Release at or near the site of capture, weather permitting, in the morning

Non-Release Criteria

• Incomplete range of motion, persistent drop, or inability to gain height after conditioning
• Recurrence of the lead level above the chelation threshold with neurologic signs

Finder Communication:
The finder was thanked and given the case number for follow-up. Explained that keeping the bird dark, quiet and contained was the right call, and that adding heat is the one thing worth doing next time before transport. Advised that food and water should not be offered to a cold, dehydrated raptor. Noted that this bird was found beside a carcass on a highway verge, which is a recurring pattern in this area, and that the finder's report helps document collision hotspots.

— Dr. Iona Bramwell, DVM