This little Great Horned Owl, dubbed Wallingford, was found after receiving an unknown impact, causing swelling and bleeding on his left side and nose. Inspection of his mouth showed a very pale color instead of a healthy pink, a common sign of having high levels or rat poison in its system. Newer poisons called SGARs (second generation anticoagulant rodenticides) take many months to metabolize, so they build up quickly in birds of prey.
Let's explore how an owl lucky enough to be found in time can be treated!
From A Place Called Hope
The little Wallingford Great Horned Owlet (with excessive bleeding) has moved to an outdoor recovery aviary space. We are able to do this because he has responded to vitamin K1 shots, and we are no longer giving shots every six hours. He has graduated to every 24 hours... and he is no longer showing signs of bleeding under his skin. Regardless, treatment must continue for a full 4 to 6 weeks to be certain baby does not slowly succumb to the anticoagulants he was exposed to.
While it is a relief to know that there is an antidote to anticoagulant rodenticide overdose, FGARS and SGARS aka rat/mouse poison, if caught early onset, it is not as simple as one might think. And in most cases involving our wildlife, they don't usually get the help they desperately need in time. They come in actively dying and our attempts are in vain.
For the ones that we treat, typical care for early onset can involve constant monitoring, warmth, oxygen, subcutaneous fluids, vitamin K oral supplement, yunnan baiyao oral supplement, vitamin K1 injections (every six hours to begin with, wean to every 12 hours, wean to every 24 hours, if responsive) along with high protein meals. Oh and did I mention there is also a lot of worry, stress, worry, love, loss of sleep, worry, time and responsibility?
Our wildlife should not have to die simply because humans are not thinking about the consequences of choosing poisons to mis-manage rodent populations. It is time to THINK OUTSIDE THE BAIT BOX!
Sanitation/Exclusion/Non-toxic methods combined will address any level of issue. Visit www.poisonispoison.org to learn more.
Wallingford Owlet will join our adult Foster Great Horned Owls once we are confident there is no regression on the bleeding... while we finish out his treatment plan. We are hopeful the rest of this owlet's family are still alive since they were all likely exposed to poisoned prey. If they are, we will eventually return this youngster, with a lot of reservation since someone in the area is choosing poisons. It's just so unfair, to all of us caring for him for this duration while he should be with his family, learning how to be wild and free. But mostly unfair to him... his family... and his future. All because of rat/mouse poison that doesn't even work to stop a rodent problem.
SGARs block the metabolism of Vitamin K in the liver. Normally, this would break down the Vitamin K into proteins needed to allow blood to clot. Without these clotting agents, internal hemorrhaging will occur within a few days, and left untreated, will lead to death.
High doses of vitamin K reverse the anti-clotting effects of the poisons and stop the internal bleeding.
