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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 2:48:23 GMT 1
Hi all.  This is an on-going tale so it's a long one. : Sorry. If nothing else it can be used as a sleep aid. LOL! ;D He had an accident. Hello all. He was flying across the street without looking both ways first and was struck by a car. Luckily the people in the very next car witnessed the accident and stopped to pick up the unconscious American Robin. They placed him in a box and immediately brought him to see me. Having recovered somewhat, the Robin was fluttering in a panic and perhaps he ~could~ fly be I needed to make sure all was well before he could be released. Well ... CRAP! He had a slight head tilt to the right, his right eye was closed and he was breathing very rapidly. Upon closer examination, his right pupil was the size of a pinpoint and the other eye appeared normal. That is a sure sign of brain trauma. There is a *slight* dent in the top of the skull too. I could find no other fractures. His head drifted to the side a few times as he lapsed out of consciousness but I told him to hang in there ... and he did. He was given intravenous steroids for the control of shock, brain swelling and pain control, some fluids and was immediately placed in an oxygen tank to get a higher concentration of oxygen. That is the most important part of the therapies for brain swelling and concussion. The system had added heat to keep the little beat up Robin warm. And we waited.... Within 20 minutes he was able to keep his head up without falling over. Within 30 minutes his right eye opened and I could see the pupil was not as contracted as it had been. RAH! He's doing better! And then he started to move around his toweled enclosure. I covered the oxygen tank with a towel so he would not flutter and further stress himself. The lady who brought him in asked if she could see him and she was happy to see him standing and walking around. "What's his name" the lady asked? Barry! His name is Barry. Barry continued on oxygen through the day. Later in the afternoon he was given a bowl of water, chopped grapes, pine nuts and mealworms. He did appreciate the grapes and went to sleep ......... Later in the day he finished the mealworms, the grapes, had a drink (and a poop) in the water. The right eye was intermittently closed. I brought Barry home and continued the oxygen supplementation, the heating pad for added warmth and more food. He ate many mealworms, waxworms and earthworms. Barry has had medication for his pain, concussion and antibiotics plus the oxygen for three days. The supplemental oxygen concentration was slowly decreased yesterday afternoon and today he has been without the added oxygen for four hours now. He continues to do well. In a few days I'll take him to the avian specialist and the ophthalmologist to have a more thorough exam and evaluation. She types with fingers crossed .... I believe Barry will survive his trauma. The only issue would be if there was damage to the eye. I saw no bleeding within the eye as we did with Mr. Cardinal so maybe he'll be OK. Hopefully once his skull fracture is healed and his eyes are verified as healthy, Barry can once again go outside and do what Robins do. ~*~*SIGH*~*~ And so the struggle to help the birdies, or whoever, continues...... Here's Barry within hours of his arrival in the oxygen tank. ------------------------- Barry continues to improve and get stronger. His right eye stays open almost as much as his left although he still seeks the darker area of his ICU. He also tends to stay where the heat source is located more than not. The pupils appear to be the same size now. Mr. Cardinal wanted to be kept warmer for a few weeks as he recovered; Barry will decide for himself when he no longer needs the added warmth. Mr. Cardinal had the chamber of his eye filled with blood ... just like one would see in a human eye injury of his severity. Barry doesn't have blood in the chamber. His trauma is more of the brain and reflected itself in changes of the eye. Too early to tell about his ability to be released. He will get an evaluation by the avian vet and another opinion from the vet ophthalmologist. I don't know if there are specific vet. avian ophthalmologists but this vet ophthalmologist will evaluate eyes of birds and most everything else. I know of one vet ophthalmologist who will examine all species except reptiles. Personal choice I guess. It may be that the best measure of the severity of the injury has nothing to do with pupil size or head tilt but rather our Receptionist, Olive the Yellow-naped Amazon Parrot. When she saw Frosty the baby squirrel she thought his conditions was "Very worrisome." Our little beat up mouse was determined to be "Ooooooohhhhh! I brought Barry in and set up the oxygen tank at home with the usual questions of What's that? Whatcha doing?... " She saw the Robin and asked in her most proper English .. Who dat birdy? I told her that this is Barry. " Well, HiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! How are you? You're a pretty birdy. HiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" It seems she knows he has a better chance. Barry continues to get his medication and he's eating very well. So far so good. ............ |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 2:52:21 GMT 1
Two important things to tell you about Barry. * He flies! * He still has his tail! Need to get hm down from the now poopy curtain rod! LOL! ------------------ All is well. We enlisted the help of our esteemed ~welcoming comittee~, namely his speckled highness, Kramer the Starling and baby Cheeky the Ring-necked Dove. I opened the door to the aviary and called Kramer and Baby Cheeky out into the living room. Being the good boys they are, they promptly came out to see what's up. While they were given some treats and I went about giving Olive the Parrot some grapes and water ... Barry was watching. Soon Kramer took up his favorite position .. on top of my head! Baby Cheeky was perched on my shoulder and I went about whatever I needed to do. Barry flew down and landed on a branch next to Olive. Oooooooo! She's in love! HiiiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiiiii Sweetheart! You the pretty bird? You the pretty bird! Kramer flew over to Barry and they just looked at each other. After about a half minute Kramer introduced himself. I'm sweet sweet Kramer! Sweet! Sweet! (~Wolf Whistle~) He's always the *perfect* host. I'm sure Barry had no idea what to make of these characters but seemed to be put at ease that these birds are NOT frightened by me. I sat on the couch and played with Baby Cheeky and Barry flew down and ran past me and went up on the planter next to where I was sitting. I talked to Barry and told him that although he looks *very* delicious, I was not going to eat him. As I talked to him I got ready to grab for him. GOTCHA! He was placed back in his ICU. He is **VERY** poopy too! Sooooooooooo...... How did Barry get out? I was holding him and giving him his medicine. He started to wiggle and soon I had him by the end of his body rather than the center of his body. I said out loud: "OH NO! NOT THE TAIL!" and promptly released him! He gains little altitude at the moment. He does fly but can go up maybe 3 ft. at a time. So up on the coffee table ... over to the couch ... the back of the couch ... over to the table with plants on it ... to the tree on the table and up to the curtain rod! There's blankets covering the couches in anticipation of a first flight so that was easy to pick those up and give them several washings. Took more time to pick up the overturned orchids and pots that were on the carpet.. Barry tried to find worms in the soil of the banana tree. And we needed the exersize to climb up and down the ladder a few times to de-poop those areas. No real harm done. We're just happy Barry has improved so much! That's pretty much how Mr. Cardinal started his flights after his accident last year. But I learned. So far, Barry has his tail feathers. But on the other hand ... there's still time! I know. I am so not normal. LOL! Barry will meet with the avian specialist and the ophthalmologist on Monday.... |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 2:57:47 GMT 1
Barry has changed soooo much just in one day! He's bouncing around his enclosure. He's eating everything he's given and the refills. He's a pooping machine! He's singing a variety of sweet Robin songs and seems to feel much better. It is as though he suddenly became fully aware of his surroundings and he wants OUT! We explained he needs to get a little stronger and go through the parole board before he is released. So far he looks and acts *very* good! We just need to make sure his eye is OK then when he can fly and gain altitude properly he can go and find a Mrs. Robin. From what I have seen, Barry is A-OK and ready to leave our bed and breakfast. He flies. He sings. He eats. He preens his gorgeous feathers. (Gotta look nice for the ladies, dontchaknow? ) He wants to leave! As much as we have enjoyed his visit here, we too want him to leave and enjoy his life renewed. All that stops him now is the final exam by the parole board made up of the avian specialist and ophthalmologist. If they say he's ready to leave then he will be released. I'll letcha know. Thanks for coming along with us and helping Barry to recover from his accident. When he was moved to the larger free flight area Olive interrogated me. "Whatcha doing? ... Are you sure? ... How's the pretty bird? ... OhhhhHHHHHhhhoooooooo! ...: Once she saw he really can fly and he is stronger and he's sooooo very active ... she agreed. Very well. Pretty birdy is very well! So there you have it. Olive's expert opinion. Maybe we'll cancel tomorrow's appointments? :-) ----------> Olive is just in lust. She's not an ophthalmologist and we're not quite done with him yet. Barry gets to stay with us for at least another month! The internal pressure of his left eye is more than double that of the right eye. He has glaucoma as the result of his accident. The other components of his eyes are fine as is the rest of him. So ... Barry needs to get eye drops twice daily for two weeks and then rechecked. If the medication helps we may try to wean him off the medicine and see if this is a temporary setback. If the medication doesn't work or if he can't be without the medicine, he might become a permanent resident. It's just that he's so frightened when I try to catch him. I don't want him to panic and hurt himself. I DON'T want a hand full of tail feathers either! Mr. Cardinal learned to tolerate getting handled so I'm sure Barry will too. *********** Well ..... CRAP! I'm still in jail! ----------------------- |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 3:01:21 GMT 1
Barry's got more ~furnishings~ in his jail cell now so it isn't so stark and cold. There's a Hoya winding its way down one of the branches and he's got a fern to tear up or hide under if he wants some privacy. There's also orchids and other planty things all around so he can pretend he's hiding. When Barry and I got back from the doctor's appointment, Olive screamed at the top of her birdy lungs: "WHERE WEEEERRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEE YOOOOOUUUUUUU?!?!?!?!?" I told her what had just transpired and she said: All Right! All Right Sweetheart! OOOOooooooOOOOOooooOooohhh! She took the words right outta my mouth! OOOOooooooOOOOOooooOooohhh!  |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 3:02:31 GMT 1
Hello everyone. It's ME!
My stark jail cell now has some vines on the branches and I can hide under a large fern for privacy. Everyone here is quite odd. Some form of human feels they need to catch me twice daily. So far they have not eaten me but appear to be preparing me with a special seasoning they instill in my eye.
I try to get away but cannot get far so I bite as hard as I can but it does not phase them. They try to calm me with a gentle rub on the neck. I caught myself stretching out my neck a few times because it did feel good! I corrected the trance like state I was in and bite the human again.
And how do they retaliate? I have a bowl of worms, some skinny things called mealworms and a special delicacy known as waxworms. These are very chubby and delicious. The bowl is always filled. A separate bowl of an assortment of chopped fruits of watermelon, two kinds of grapes, kiwi fruit, cantaloupe, honeydew, blueberries and strawberries are given twice daily.
A third bowl has moistened dry dog food and canned dog food. Can you believe it? In some respects these humans show some intelligence but I am a bird and they are giving me dog food. I only ate it because I wanted to be polite. They do seem to care about me but I am not sure why. I don't like this at all but am told this is part of my recovery and I will go free.
I tried to take a bath but just had a relaxing foot soak when no one was watching. One of the worms went for a bath but the smaller human removed him and put him back in the container with soil. No matter. I'll find him later.
They say they don't know what day I am to fly this coop. I hope they are not leading me along and I will be their captive like that guy in the speckled jacket. Although .... He doesn't seem upset that he is employed as a greeter of sorts. He visits my jail cell often and we talk then he goes back and tells the other captives.
He is an intelligent and very likable fellow. Sweet sweet I believe is his name. Oh, I need to go and poop now. Excuse me.
Barry
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Post by 4pygmies on Apr 24, 2008 6:36:53 GMT 1
You are quite bonkers, C3D, but only in a good way! Barry sounds like a lucky chap to me - are you sure he will want to leave? His life sounds much more interesting now than when he spent his life flying about aimlessly looking for a mate, in fact he was so bored then he started to play 'chicken' with the metal monsters!
Very pleased that he is recovering so well - you are a saint! X
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Post by madonplants on Apr 24, 2008 10:07:10 GMT 1
You are quite bonkers, C3D, but only in a good way! Barry sounds like a lucky chap to me - are you sure he will want to leave? His life sounds much more interesting now than when he spent his life flying about aimlessly looking for a mate, in fact he was so bored then he started to play 'chicken' with the metal monsters! Very pleased that he is recovering so well - you are a saint! X Thoroughly agree with both these bits. It's so nce to hear stories like this, hope it has a really happy ending. In our country, with it's injuries, it would probably have had the dreaded injection!  Keep us posted won't you? |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 12:15:32 GMT 1
I *am* a few fries short of a Happy Meal aren't I? ;D Glad you're safe on the other side of the Atlantic, aren't you? LOL! Barry, sweet Barry, does want to leave and we want him to be able to do so. I can't imagine if he would need the drops in his eyes forever! He'd be jailed forever. If that should come to pass, we hope he would learn hs name and come when called like our other birds. (TRUE!) Not everyone would do as I have done. Many wouldn't invest the time saying "It's ~just~ a bird." Well, he is a bird and he does want a chance to recover and we have done just that. Most of our birds are primarily seed eaters or seed and insects. The Robin is more of a worm and grub eater and some fruit. That's trickier to handle but so far so good. Barry is doing well this morning. We just need to see what his next eye exam will say as far as prognosis for a full recovery. Barry or I will keep you posted. LOL! |
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Post by Sleepy on Apr 24, 2008 12:18:28 GMT 1
I *am* a few fries short of a Happy Meal aren't I? ;D Glad you're safe on the other side of the Atlantic, aren't you? LOL! Barry, sweet Barry, does want to leave and we want him to be able to do so. I can't imagine if he would need the drops in his eyes forever! He'd be jailed forever. If that should come to pass, we hope he would learn hs name and come when called like our other birds. (TRUE!) Not everyone would do as I have done. Many wouldn't invest the time saying "It's ~just~ a bird." Well, he is a bird and he does want a chance to recover and we have done just that. Most of our birds are primarily seed eaters or seed and insects. The Robin is more of a worm and grub eater and some fruit. That's trickier to handle but so far so good. Barry is doing well this morning. We just need to see what his next eye exam will say as far as prognosis for a full recovery. Barry or I will keep you posted. LOL! You're a star. Over here in the UK a bird only has to hold his neck at an angle and he has to fear for his life. |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 12:32:30 GMT 1
You're a star. Over here in the UK a bird only has to hold his neck at an angle and he has to fear for his life. Really? That's very sad! I *know* there are caring people in the UK! I "talk" to them almost daily! If I can help a bird, anyone can! Granted I have more toys than some but just to offer shelter, warmth and care may be all that's needed most times. It's true for anyone, isn't it? We all want to be warm and loved. ~~~~~~> Thanks for resizing the jail photo. It uploaded to photobucked HUGE. LOL! Me |
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Post by bogmyrtle on Apr 24, 2008 12:53:17 GMT 1
I think you are wonderful! Bless, I hope Barry is ok - he is a lucky bird to have been brought to you, I also want to carry on hearing about his exploits though as well!
If you are able to release him, will it be near your house and, if so, do you think he will stay around but be free? That would be great - best of both worlds!
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 13:18:05 GMT 1
Hi.
If Barry can be released we'd let him out in our garden. Some Robins migrate south for the winter and others decide to tough it out here. I don't know what Barry would decide. I'd go south where it's warm and sunny if it were up to me! ;D
He was trying to bite me this morning and grabbed hold of my finger. Oh! Excellent! While he held his head still, he got the drop in his eye!
C3D
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Post by Sleepy on Apr 24, 2008 16:38:23 GMT 1
Please tell us any stories you have like this - they are so heart-warming. When I was I child my father bought home a baby pigeon he found under some railway bridges on a foggy day. We named him Foggy, and he is still fondly remembered by all the family. When I drove a taxi I found a pigeon with a very badly damaged wing. I took him to the vets who amputated the wing and provided a home for him. The vet told me he couldn't be released as he would only be able to fly in circles ;D And when I worked with the homeless in the east End of London yet another pigeon came into my care. this one had been shot through the wing with an air rifle. I bathed it's wing in a mild TCP solution and fed him until he was strong enough to fly, then released him. The world needs more people like you  |
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Post by Sleepy on Apr 24, 2008 16:49:50 GMT 1
You are sooo very kind C3D, I've got everything crossed that Barry makes a full and speedy recovery. Will you/can you ring him?  He's a wild robin The witch. He can't be expected to answer the phone!!! And once released what would his number be??? :sigh You really don't know much about wildlife! |
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Post by Sleepy on Apr 24, 2008 16:55:50 GMT 1
He's a wild robin The witch. He can't be expected to answer the phone!!! And once released what would his number be??? :sigh : Silly boy! Now come on The witch, look at things from Barry's point of view. Barry's OH "And where have you been for the past few weeks?" Barry "Errr... I was in a car accident. I had a fractured skull, and a lady I've never met before looked after me until I got better" Barry's OH "A likely story. And WHY is she still calling you now??? Eh???" Not worth it The witch, really not worth it. |
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Post by debbiem on Apr 24, 2008 17:18:17 GMT 1
The parole board - I love that. ;D What a lovely world you have there C3D - I love reading your stories, and they're true too! I don't think you're potty in the slightest - you care and the creatures around your neck of the woods are lucky to have you. I'm really glad Barry's doing so well.  |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 24, 2008 18:57:30 GMT 1
LOL @ Mrs. Barry taking him to task for his lame excuse for being missing AND engaged! ;D He'll get far more serious injuries than what he's already survived. Awwww. Well done with rescuing the pigeon. We had a Ring-billed Gull. Her name was Ivy. She too had an injured wing. Hmmm. That's another story! LOL! *Then there's the story of the Mourning Dove named Who. *Kramer the Starling has a story. *So does Marcello the Finch. *There's Grace the Starling who lived here 8 months. *I think I told you about the squirrel that was loose in the house and the Cardinal. So many to choose from. (Sorry. Didn't mean to make that sound so threatening.) So which story do you want next? Barry's is an on-going drama. I know how the other stories end. LOL! I don't ring or mark my patients or birdy guests. They come here as they are and leave with out additional bling-bling. Oh yes. Everyone must get through the parole board hearings before they are released. |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Apr 25, 2008 13:17:09 GMT 1
Nothing new to report about Barry other than I got to pick up a dried up worm from the floor this morning that he had tossed out.  Poor worm.  Barry seems just fine to me! Either he's getting acustomed to being caught or I'm just quicker. Either way ... both of us are less stressed. |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on May 5, 2008 20:08:45 GMT 1
It is not good news for our dearest Barry Robin. He had his appointment this morning with the ophthalmologist and the pressure in his eye has not improved. It is still too high. Now there is no light reflex so it is thought that there is permanent damage to the optic nerve and Barry is blind in the left eye. He is not someone who is considered releasable. I asked what was the next step for Barry and the ophthalmologist said: "Euthanasia!" EEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!! Oh no. We're not having that! Not now. Barry is now on another kind of eye medicine which he gets three times a day plus continue the medicine for pain. He'll get the pressures checked next week. If there is no improvement then there are not too many options left. He would either need pain medicine forever or get the eye removed so the source of pain is permanently gone. I can't imagine killing Barry. He sings, he flies, he eats and is a very charming fellow! If the worst comes to pass he would have his eye removed. We certainly don't want him to be in pain all the time! This is very upsetting and I *hate* the idea that he has lost his freedom. On the other hand .... Mr. Cardinal was diagnosed as permanently blind too fairly early on but after living here 5 months he was released after he had been healed. Maybe Barry needs more time and he certainly deserves every chance he can get. So .... Barry will be living with us for a while longer. *~*~*~*SIGH!*~*~*~* |
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Post by 4pygmies on May 5, 2008 20:17:50 GMT 1
Poor Barry....still, as you say, there is no need to give up hope is there? Euthanasia is not an option so he has time to heal some more - and I'm sure he wiill adapt to an aviary if that proves to be the only way he can survive. I think, with your loving care, he is a very lucky bird whatever the outcome C3D X |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on May 6, 2008 20:23:06 GMT 1
I couldn't bump off little Barry! As it stands now, Barry has already lost his eye. That cascade of events happened with the initial impact injury. He is also As it stands now, Barry has already lost his eye. That cascade of events happened with the initial impact injury. He is also considered too high maintenance to go to a nature center that houses unreleasable birds. He's now getting Pilocarpine 1% every 8 hours along with pain medicine by mouth. There's a whole host of other medications that can be tried should this latest rounds of meds not work. Since his pain is controlled the actual removal of the eye would be the last option. Outwardly Barry seems 10000000% normal. Once caught he seems 100000000% OK .... except .... he has no ~menace response~. That is to say if you make a motion toward his face on the left side, he doesn't blink or react in any way. He cannot see. On the right side he blinks; he turns his head; he bites. He sees. Sometimes the rescue and rehabilitation of a bird or other animal doesn't go as smoothly as would be hoped. He survived the initial concussion and skull fractures and bruising. He's made it this far and since he was brought to my door I need to make sure he is 100% sound to go back outside. That includes the very important ophthalmologist exam which all our refugees must go through prior to release. Would it be so bad to live out his life here? There's a moral dilemma. I know he'd be happier outside flying free and running across the green grass. To be a captive in a small cage and being caught three times a day and get some drops in the eyes? Not so great. To be a captive, minus the painful eye, and free to fly in a huge flight cage with other birds safe from hawks, well fed and not getting caught daily, not too bad at all. The number one priority is to have Barry pain free! The second priority is restore his sight if possible. The last would be the best. A release into the wild. I think we need to try all our options to let Barry save his eye and perhaps have his sight restored before we make that irreversible decision to remove the eye and sentence him to life without parole. Hopefully he needs to just be annoyed with us for a while longer then he can go free? I *hope!* The re-check for Barry was free. I only had to pay $21.00US for the medicine. Keep ya'll posted. Let's Roll! |
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Post by The witch on May 6, 2008 21:23:30 GMT 1
My  for Barry. |
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Post by Sleepy on May 7, 2008 11:18:19 GMT 1
We are all plugging for him C3D... |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on May 9, 2008 11:48:40 GMT 1
Hmmmmmm .... How you say in English? WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO! Barry CAN SEE! Yesterday I went to give him his medicine and checked if there is any response to movement on his left side. He turned his head and nipped at me! Maybe he got a cue from something else so both Mike and I tried to approach his left side from different ways. He saw us coming each time! How well can he see? I have no idea but it is a HUGE improvement with just two days of the new medicine. The pressure in his eye must have reduced at least some allowing the optic nerve to function. Would his glaucoma resolve completely and he can be off the medicine? Don't know that either but at least we are on the right track again. I've **NEVER** been so happy to get my finger pecked! ;D x 13! Why does the caged bird sing? This morning we have been treated to two hours of Barry's sweet Robin song! How cool is that? He's given us snippets here and there but this was the full blown lilting early morning song they sing when all is dark. Yesterday's afternoon and evening eye treatment was met with the same reaction to seeing motion on his left side. He turned and bites! It was not just a fluke or delusions of hopefulness. Barry can see. How well? Time will tell. He's *got* to be feeling better if he feels well enough to sing. That's the most important aspect of Barry's imprisonment ... that he is comfortable and on the mend. Usually if one bird says something here the whole herd joins in. This morning all was quiet except for the soloist, Barry. He was only interrupted once when Kramer said, Sweet! Sweet! He's got a full house appreciative of his song and more importantly thrilled to tiny mint balls he's doing better! It took a couple of months before our Mr. Cardinal would serenade us with his songs. Eventually we heard four distinct melodies from him. We do hope Barry just needs more time for things to heal and he can get off his eye medicine and go free. Hooray for Barry! |
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Post by Sleepy on May 9, 2008 11:56:48 GMT 1
That's wonderful news. I've just been sharing it with the others in my office. It has made this Friday and even better day ;D
Thanks C3D
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