Great-Horned Owl Recovers From Trauma

The following story about a great-horned owl was shared with us by Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in Colorado.

Early February brought the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program an injured and emaciated great-horned owl from Fort Collins, Colorado. The patient presented as subdued and weak, in poor hydration, and weighing in at only 964 grams (about 2.1 pounds).

An admit exam revealed the owl was suffering from head trauma and bilateral eye injuries. There was a superficial laceration on the right cornea. The left cornea was ulcerated, the anterior chamber was cloudy, and the iris was ruptured. Due to the injuries, staff was concerned the owl would not be capable of eating food on its own. Additionally, its poor body condition meant that the patient needed to be given calories in a slow and controlled fashion.

The staff’s go-to choice in cases such as these is EmerAid IC Carnivore food. The patient was tube-fed increasing amounts of the scientifically formulated diet until it was stable enough to transition to whole foods. In the meantime, the eyes were treated with antibiotics, pain medications, and anti-inflammatories.

Approximately a month into treatment, a checkup examination by RMRP’s veterinarians revealed that the left eye had healed nicely, with only a small, stable corneal scar that did not affect the bird’s vision. However, the right eye had developed a mature cataract with full thickness fibrosis and scarring to the cornea due to the initial trauma. While stable, this meant that the patient was not visual in that eye.

After recovering to a healthy body weight of 1,663 grams (about 3.7 pounds) the owl was extensively flight-and live-prey tested to ensure that it would be capable of hunting and navigating on its own if released. We are happy to report that the owl passed all of its tests with flying colors and was released in April of that year!