Bolt the hawk presented to me today. He had been out hunting and got into a fight with a feral cat. The cat made a tiny scratch on his foot. His owner cleaned the wound and sprayed it with iodine but it seemed painful and was getting worse. He wouldn’t put the foot down.
Bolt came to see us with his owner for a consultation. He’s a majestic and impressive bird. His owner is an excellent handler and had a gauntlet glove with him. The picture above shows him in the consulting room.
Cat bites can be incredibly serious in both humans and pets. Birds, in particular, are very delicate and they have a weak immune system. They need a lot of help with an infection like this. On examination it was evident that he has a cellulitis which is tracking up his leg.
I gave Bolt injections of painkillers, antibiotics and antinflammatories. He made a bit of a flap but he was very good. I have protective gauntlets in the clinic that we use for fractious animals and they were a great help in handling him confidently.
He has gone home on a course of oral antibiotics and painkillers. I’ll update this blog next week and let you know how he is doing.
