FoxersArtist
01-31-2011, 01:27 AM
Miss Isabel is a scarlet macaw that came to Macaw and Cockatoo Rescue of NM in July 2010 after 48 parrots were taken from an individual's basement where they had been living, free flighted together. The birds owner had passed some four years earlier and though the spouse was not as into birds as her husband, it seemed she could not bare to let the animals go. Like many of the birds in this situation, Isabel came wearing scars and fresh wounds from fighting to survive among the mixed flock of macaws, cockatoos, amazons, african greys, conures, and smaller birds. When Isabel was first rescued, the vet who saw her thought she might have cancer and wanted to put her down. We offered to get a second opinion for Isabel, and we felt grateful when that chance was given to us and she was given to our rescue along with some of the other special needs birds from this group.
When we first took Isabel in to be vetted, it was hard to tell what of her problems was the result of age and what was simply poor care and lack of nutrition. We were optimistic that perhaps she wasn't as old as she looked, despite missing many feathers, having a badly malformed leg from an old break, a preen gland that had been destroyed, blindness, and newer looking wounds that had promise to heal with TLC. Since those initial visits, we have really had the chance to learn more about Isabel and her body. It is now evident that this bird is incredibly old based on the way her feathers grow, that her body is extremely slow to heal, and the realization that a boost in nutrition has done little good in restoring strength to her weak body and ability to grow feathers. We would not be surprised if Isabel wasn't at least 50 or more years old and she has been such a trooper through what has seemed to be a very rough life.
Once we realized that Isabel's overall health condition was not as much dietary related as we had hoped and more related to age, we made the decision to keep her under our care until she passes away - and this way we can promise her with 100% certainty that we will do everything possible to keep her happy, comfortable and loved while she is still here. Isabel and I have formed a very special bond and she lights up when she hears my voice. She loves to be scooped up and craddled like a little baby and she closes her eyes with peace written in her expressions when I rub her soft head feathers - the feathers that were once so brittle and dry that I thought they might fall apart if I touched them. Isabel has really touched the lives of those who visit the rescue and it is nothing more than a joy and a pleasure to be able to hold her and look into her gentle, soft eyes. She is precious and we cherish every moment with her.
Right before thanksgiving last year, my vet did a surgery on Isabel where she opened up her left hawk to try to clean the site of a pressure sore that had been infected for years. We did not realize at that time how poorly Isabel's body responds to healing and the surgery was not only unsucessful, but set Isabel back a great deal in her recovery process. For many months we kept Isabel, who was often in a great deal of pain even with medication, in an incubator, praying that her leg would heal and that the swelling would come down. In late december, my vet suggested that if Isabel didn't improve soon, it might be time to consider what might be most humane for the bird and though I agreed, i was crushed. Within that same week, we were astounded to see that Isabel was finally starting to respond to antibiotic therapy and her swelling and pain seemed to come down considerably.
By early January, my vet gave me the green light to move Isabel back into a cage after stopping antibiotics and this time I decided she would be most comfortable away from the other birds where she could rest in peace and quiet most of the day. We set up a nice big cage in our bedroom for our precious girl and had hoped that she would really be much more comfortable perching instead of standing flat flooted like she had been in the incubator. I was sad to see that she was still unable to perch, even though her foot had healed quite a bit and so after a few days we moved all of isabel's things to the bottom of her cage, where she was constantly sitting.
When Isabel was first here and occupying a cage, our hearts broke to see that she would climb down to the bottom of the cage to sleep at night because she was afraid of falling from her perch. We tried to pad the bottom of her cage, but she just chewed up the padding and seemed to enjoy the feel of the cold bars under her feet. This time we made a special "crib" for her to sleep in at night where she would feel safe and secure by holding onto the sides with her beak so she wouldn't fall off. We have to tuck her into her little bed at night for her to choose to use it, but she really seems to love her new sleeping arrangements now.
Overall Isabel is feeling much better and we are very happy that her foot is no longer bothering her the way it used to. It brings us great joy to spoil her and to give her whatever she wants to eat in her bowl (she may explode from walnuts). I look forward to tucking isabel into bed every night and I kiss her little cheek and tell her that I love her. I know that she understands me because she blushes a little and gets this sweet look on her face and sometimes grumbles something at me to let me know she heard me. We are honored to have this sweety in our lives and though her life may not be long, every day will be a treasure.
Today for the first time since before her surgery, Isabel started climbing in her cage and went up to the top to perch and eat out of the food bowls we had left in their rings, just incase she decided to climb for a treat. We were very proud of her and hope this is a sign of continued recovery and progress.
Isabel right before she had surgery. She was starting to look pretty good!:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/BeforeSurgery.jpg
My vet holding miss Isabel before surgery:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Contos-1.jpg
Giving my sweety some comfort while in the incubator - she seemed like she was in so much pain:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Incubator-1.jpg
The little crib we made for isabel once she was ready to come out of the incubator:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Crib.jpg
That first night she reverted back to old habits and huddled in the corner of her cage to go to sleep. I felt so bad for her that I decided to make her up a little bed down there so she would be more comfortable - and I certainly didn't want her to get cold as it was only 20 degrees outside that night and she had been used to the warmth of the incubator:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Cagefloor.jpg
At first I set up all her toys and perches high in the cage hoping that she would be comfortable up there but she only wanted to be on the bottom. After a couple of days, we realized she wasn't going to perch and moved her dishes, toys, and perches down to the bottom where she obviously seemed more comfortable. We left one set of dishes up top just incase:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Cage-4.jpg
Soaking Isabel's foot in a warm saline bath seemed to really help fight the infection:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Bath.jpg
Isabel will now sleep all night in her little crib if I tuck her in. some people have asked if Isabel has grown any feathers back. she has grown a few feathers near her rump that seem to sprout out and then she clips them off. But there are some other feathers that have grown in to stay! Look at that silly little patch of feathers right by her nostril. I'm very proud of those little feathers and hope to see more face feathers when she's feeling better. She hasn't had anything like a real molt yet and we are hoping for one soon.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/HeartPillow.jpg
Tonight I watched Isabel climb her cage for the first time since before surgery and eat out of the food dish we left up there "just incase." It might be time to move some her perches back up to the top!!!:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Perching-2.jpg
Many apologies to those who have been wondering about miss Isabel for a while now. We have had very few volunteers this winter and I haven't had a whole lot of time or energy to do many updates. I am doing my best to be more active on the forums as soon as possible. You are all in my thoughts and prayers daily.
-Anna
When we first took Isabel in to be vetted, it was hard to tell what of her problems was the result of age and what was simply poor care and lack of nutrition. We were optimistic that perhaps she wasn't as old as she looked, despite missing many feathers, having a badly malformed leg from an old break, a preen gland that had been destroyed, blindness, and newer looking wounds that had promise to heal with TLC. Since those initial visits, we have really had the chance to learn more about Isabel and her body. It is now evident that this bird is incredibly old based on the way her feathers grow, that her body is extremely slow to heal, and the realization that a boost in nutrition has done little good in restoring strength to her weak body and ability to grow feathers. We would not be surprised if Isabel wasn't at least 50 or more years old and she has been such a trooper through what has seemed to be a very rough life.
Once we realized that Isabel's overall health condition was not as much dietary related as we had hoped and more related to age, we made the decision to keep her under our care until she passes away - and this way we can promise her with 100% certainty that we will do everything possible to keep her happy, comfortable and loved while she is still here. Isabel and I have formed a very special bond and she lights up when she hears my voice. She loves to be scooped up and craddled like a little baby and she closes her eyes with peace written in her expressions when I rub her soft head feathers - the feathers that were once so brittle and dry that I thought they might fall apart if I touched them. Isabel has really touched the lives of those who visit the rescue and it is nothing more than a joy and a pleasure to be able to hold her and look into her gentle, soft eyes. She is precious and we cherish every moment with her.
Right before thanksgiving last year, my vet did a surgery on Isabel where she opened up her left hawk to try to clean the site of a pressure sore that had been infected for years. We did not realize at that time how poorly Isabel's body responds to healing and the surgery was not only unsucessful, but set Isabel back a great deal in her recovery process. For many months we kept Isabel, who was often in a great deal of pain even with medication, in an incubator, praying that her leg would heal and that the swelling would come down. In late december, my vet suggested that if Isabel didn't improve soon, it might be time to consider what might be most humane for the bird and though I agreed, i was crushed. Within that same week, we were astounded to see that Isabel was finally starting to respond to antibiotic therapy and her swelling and pain seemed to come down considerably.
By early January, my vet gave me the green light to move Isabel back into a cage after stopping antibiotics and this time I decided she would be most comfortable away from the other birds where she could rest in peace and quiet most of the day. We set up a nice big cage in our bedroom for our precious girl and had hoped that she would really be much more comfortable perching instead of standing flat flooted like she had been in the incubator. I was sad to see that she was still unable to perch, even though her foot had healed quite a bit and so after a few days we moved all of isabel's things to the bottom of her cage, where she was constantly sitting.
When Isabel was first here and occupying a cage, our hearts broke to see that she would climb down to the bottom of the cage to sleep at night because she was afraid of falling from her perch. We tried to pad the bottom of her cage, but she just chewed up the padding and seemed to enjoy the feel of the cold bars under her feet. This time we made a special "crib" for her to sleep in at night where she would feel safe and secure by holding onto the sides with her beak so she wouldn't fall off. We have to tuck her into her little bed at night for her to choose to use it, but she really seems to love her new sleeping arrangements now.
Overall Isabel is feeling much better and we are very happy that her foot is no longer bothering her the way it used to. It brings us great joy to spoil her and to give her whatever she wants to eat in her bowl (she may explode from walnuts). I look forward to tucking isabel into bed every night and I kiss her little cheek and tell her that I love her. I know that she understands me because she blushes a little and gets this sweet look on her face and sometimes grumbles something at me to let me know she heard me. We are honored to have this sweety in our lives and though her life may not be long, every day will be a treasure.
Today for the first time since before her surgery, Isabel started climbing in her cage and went up to the top to perch and eat out of the food bowls we had left in their rings, just incase she decided to climb for a treat. We were very proud of her and hope this is a sign of continued recovery and progress.
Isabel right before she had surgery. She was starting to look pretty good!:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/BeforeSurgery.jpg
My vet holding miss Isabel before surgery:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Contos-1.jpg
Giving my sweety some comfort while in the incubator - she seemed like she was in so much pain:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Incubator-1.jpg
The little crib we made for isabel once she was ready to come out of the incubator:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Crib.jpg
That first night she reverted back to old habits and huddled in the corner of her cage to go to sleep. I felt so bad for her that I decided to make her up a little bed down there so she would be more comfortable - and I certainly didn't want her to get cold as it was only 20 degrees outside that night and she had been used to the warmth of the incubator:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Cagefloor.jpg
At first I set up all her toys and perches high in the cage hoping that she would be comfortable up there but she only wanted to be on the bottom. After a couple of days, we realized she wasn't going to perch and moved her dishes, toys, and perches down to the bottom where she obviously seemed more comfortable. We left one set of dishes up top just incase:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Cage-4.jpg
Soaking Isabel's foot in a warm saline bath seemed to really help fight the infection:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Bath.jpg
Isabel will now sleep all night in her little crib if I tuck her in. some people have asked if Isabel has grown any feathers back. she has grown a few feathers near her rump that seem to sprout out and then she clips them off. But there are some other feathers that have grown in to stay! Look at that silly little patch of feathers right by her nostril. I'm very proud of those little feathers and hope to see more face feathers when she's feeling better. She hasn't had anything like a real molt yet and we are hoping for one soon.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/HeartPillow.jpg
Tonight I watched Isabel climb her cage for the first time since before surgery and eat out of the food dish we left up there "just incase." It might be time to move some her perches back up to the top!!!:
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa154/Foxersartist/Fosters/Perching-2.jpg
Many apologies to those who have been wondering about miss Isabel for a while now. We have had very few volunteers this winter and I haven't had a whole lot of time or energy to do many updates. I am doing my best to be more active on the forums as soon as possible. You are all in my thoughts and prayers daily.
-Anna