From
https://www.facebook.com/groups/243241724058357 Bald Eagles Live Nest Cams and News
&
https://www.facebook.com/NewEnglandWildlifeCenters
Feb 27th
This morning we admitted the Eagle colloquially known as “MK” to our Cape hospital. She was found in a cemetery in Arlington down on the ground, weak and unable to get significant lift off the ground after many attempts to fly away.
Our veterinary team is currently working to stabilize her, but she remains in critical condition. She is severely anemic, lethargic, and barley able to stand. She also has a significantly delayed blood clotting time. Lab work and physical exam lead us to strongly suspect anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning as the primary cause of her condition. This occurs when a raptor eats a rodent that has already ingested the poison. Thankfully initial radiographs showed there are no broken bones and there is no evidence she is carrying eggs.
Right now our team is focused on getting her through the first 24 hours. We have started treatments to help counteract the clotting effects the poison causes as well as fluids, pain meds, and oxygen support. Our veterinary team will be by her side and monitoring her closely as we try to get her through this.
MK’s journey has been well documented. She was hatched in Waltham back in 2016 and she and her mate “KZ” have attracted scores of fans as they have frequented the mystic River watershed. This pair is considered a true ecological success story here in Massachusetts and a testament to how far the Mystic River and its habitats have come over the past few decades. They even had a children’s book written about them!
We will do our best to help get “MK” back to “KZ” so that they can continue their linage and legacy here in Boston. Thank you all for your support and we will provide updates when we can along the way
Update Feb 28th. MK Update
MK made it through the night, although it was a rough one. We had staff with her around the clock monitoring her closely. She remains in very rough shape and is still too weak to lift her head or stand. We have been able to continue treatments and are hoping they begin to have a greater effect soon. On admission she was severely anemic, meaning her red blood cell count was was less than 1/3 of what a healthy birds should be. Just like humans birds depend on these cells to carry oxygen and other nutrients around the body, especially to the brain. When the body is deprived of oxygen it results in the very weakened state that MK in is.
We unfortunately see this far too often in animals exposed to second generation anticoagulant rodenticides ( SGARs) because the rodent poison causes uncontrollable bleeding and interferes with the body’s ability to stop that bleeding by natural clotting processes. A very minor injury can cause massive blood loss, so quickly that the animal's body can not regenerate red blood cells fast enough. The continued blood loss causes their red blood cells to drop to dangerously low levels, like what we are seeing with MK. Our current treatment protocol includes medications to help MK’s blood clot and stop any further blood loss. We are also giving additional meds to support red blood cell regeneration, which will increase the number of red blood cells in her body.
We want to thank you for all of the support and kind words. We will continue doing everything we can to get MK back up on her feet and will provide updates as often as possible. Cases like MK's take significant staff and resources. If you would like to make a donation to help MK (and our other patients) please follow the link
Newildlife.org/donate
https://www.newildlife.org/donate/?fbcl ... KClSIs8KtM
If you would like to support the effort to help curtail the use of anticoagulant rodenticides in Massachusetts please write your local legislator and ask them to support and sponsor HD 577 - put forward by Rep. Hawkins and SD114 - put forth by Rep. Feeney. Thank you All!