Beak Infection Sidelines Common Loon

The following story was shared with us by Clinic For The Rehabilitation Of Wildlife (CROW) in Florida.

An adult common loon was found on the causeway in Sanibel, Florida, on March 10. On presentation, the bird was alert, but it had an old constriction injury to its beak that turned out to be infected. The bird also had abrasions on its foot. The patient’s body condition score was 2/5 with a weight of 3.0 kilograms (about 6.6 pounds).

We gavage-fed EmerAid Intensive Care Piscivore for three feedings, and then we transitioned to whole fish. The wounds were cleaned, and the patient was given antibiotics.

Blood work indicated the infection was gone after about a week. The patient was moved outside to an enclosure with a large pool and a sandy beach so he could swim and preen. The loon was released to the wild after an eight-day stay.