A one eyed harris....HELP!

[Ben C]

Before we launch into this problem I am booked in to the vets a 5pm this afternoon :)

Cody has over the last day and a half been closing his left eye intermittantly, he now does even when I am looking at him through the wire of his mews.

He has NO marks around the eye, No feathers missing, he is NOT scratching it, there are NO marks on the cornea, it is NOT swollen, his casting is tight and large, his mutes are excellent, his weight is fine and he is eating well. He is jumping around the mews, picking up stones, throwing sticks and generally behaving well.

Whats wrong?

My only hunch is that it may be the little hairs on his eyelid growing back and being a little bit itchy. So closing his eye lid allows them to grow back without them pushing into his skin?? Has anyone ever heard of an ingrowing feather. ?

(A very worried) Ben and Lucy

[Varmint]

Hi Ben, a blood test should reveal his white cell count and tell you if he is in any way fighting infection.

Dont panick, there are plenty of good anti biotics still effective on the market to deal with eye probs.

I once had a Saker's eye's go completly white, and she went blind.
Turned out she had a synus prob and the white cells clouded her eye's??

2 days on anti's and she was as good as new with eye's clear and bright.

Chin up and dont panick until you have to mate!

[Ben C]

Blood test!! The vet will do that as a matter of course I take it??

[Varmint]

Depends on your vet?

I wouldnt bother going to a vet unless that was the first thing he did, otherwise it's just the old "well give him some steroids!" cop out and a bill for £30.

It actually a good idea to take your freshly moulted hawk to the vet once back out to routinely have a blood sample and swab taken, it will cost you maybe £60, but at least your starting the season with a fit and healthy bird.

You wouldnt set off for France in the car without checking the oil would you?

[Loopy]

Thanks Varmint, hopefully we will get it sorted this evening. Poor Cody must think I've gone mad, I spent most of yesterday trying to sneak up on him to catch him with his eye closed so I could get a good look at his eyelid.

[Kornie]

You wouldnt set off for France in the car without checking the oil would you?

unfortunately, varmint thats exactly like what our family would do!! :shock:

At least with cody he is still behaving normally and still perky. Hope he's okay,

[Ben C]

He is close to finishing anyway so we can kill two birds with one stone. Cheers :)

The thing is Kornis in the back of my mind is a voice saying "they never show illness and then they drop dead". However we should be OK/

[Mr_Colin]

Just read this thread, sorry to hear about Cody, I am sure everything will be fine. Keep us informed please so we can keep an eye(excuse the pun) out for it. As for not panicking, I think I would be the same mate if it was Willow.

Anyway are you on your 6 week holiday yet, lol

See you in a couple of weeks mate.

[Ben C]

3 days, mate 3 days........we are now in the computer room doing 'educational' surfing on the web, while the rest of the school is on sportsday.....the 4 year 10's say hello!!!! :)

[Mr_Colin]

Shame the hunting season isn't in the summer really,lol, hello to the 4 year 10's.

Oh and by the way I immediatly thought you were talking about the bash in 3 days, thought I got it completly wrong on the dates front.

[Ben C]

Well MR-C, if Cody's eye isn't too bad and its only a minor prob he will be moulted out before we go back to school mate. I give him about 2/3 weeks. So that will give me a month...but I'll double check with my Falconry vet tonight. Fingers crossed :)

[Mr_Colin]

I hope it goes well.

[Tanith]

Hi Ben and Loopy,

I hope everything goes well for Cody tonight. We will be thinking of you.

I know when we had our concerns wiyh Trinity earlier in the year I by passed my vet and went straight to the avian specialist at the Dick Vet in Edinburgh.

There is a condition in dogs called entropian where the eyelid turns inwards but I don't know if birds can suffer with this. Anyway I must not speculate and as a nurse I should no better.

All the best for tonight, I know from experience the enormous worry you will be both be feeling right now.

[Darren]

hope it isnt too big a problem & he is sorted soon mate

[Ben C]

Right folks thanks for the concerns..........Lots of lessons to be learn't for BEGINNERS especially and hopefull a few of the old hands as well.

Martin Danks is a Vet who flies Peregrines and Gos's and breed Harris Hawk (has done for years and years). His prognosis and bottom line observations were CONJUNCTAVITIS OF THE NICTATING MEMBRANE, probably brought about by his flying into something or bashing himself. He has a lot of branches in his mews and I personally think it was one of these poking him in the eye when he was jumping/messing about (he does that alot :) ).

We have been prescribed VISTAMETHASONE (Betamethasone drops) to be given 3 times a day for 3 days. Any problems go back and visit.

On the plus side he said Cody was in 'excellent condition' and feather perfect (top marks for us). That he had two feathers to grow back and it is unusual for a Harris to have got full adult plumage so soon (again top marks).

Cody took the hood straight away and did not bate in the mews. We removed the hood and he bated once in the practice, but took the hood straight away in front of Mr Danks and a very bright light which had been shone in his eye. He didn't make a sound AT ALL, even in the waiting room. However he was sick all over me on the way home and sprayed quail meat into my face and now I smell like baby vomit!!!!. He is now on his perch, roused and with one leg up.

So if you have any branches in your mews with sharp, brittle pointy bits...........get rid. They may be natural but they can cause you grief :) :) :)

[Afshimo]

glad to hear he'll be ok, I know what its like to have eye drops, had them for 6 months...ughh....not nice! Fell sorry for the fella!

[Loopy]

Thanks Hannah, he was not at all pleased with the eye drops. Poor Cody, but it will be well worth it if it sorts him out. Glad it's only a few days and not 6 months!

[Ben C]

Just for those who want to know.......................we put the first set of drops in this morning and the blood shot, red nectating membrane has gone down to a white pearl colour and there are now only two little capillary type red markings.....so the antibiotics and steroids did the trick. We shall keep it up for the next couple of days though....wicked!

Cody stepped up, was carried out of the mews and was cast without bating or making a noise as well................champion little Harris :) :)

[Bubo]

glad to hear cody is ok.

[Mr_Colin]

Good News buddy, glad to hear he is doing well.

[Darren]

glad he is getting better

[Kornie]

as a nurse

Oh, I forgot...geez well, anyway.

Glad to hear its very treatable ben, and its very complimentry to hear from an avain vet, and a falconer himsefl that he is is feather perfect! Well done.

[Coedhirion]

However he was sick all over me on the way home and sprayed quail meat into my face and now I smell like baby vomit!!!!.
Glad to hear your birds going to be fine !!
You did learn summit else too..dont feed a bird before travelling or casting it. There have been cases of birds choking to death.... Just a note !!
Glad he is going to be fine :supz:

[Ben C]

Coey..........I have no idea where that meat came from, I had not fed him since the night before??? But you are right, it was a bit of a worry. I have had one or two close calls like that, thankfully I pulled the straps quickly enough.

Kornie: He has two feathers to grow out.......I came home yesterday and my stupid, bloody, thicko landlord (very big estate being renovated with 13 £450'000 houses) said he would leave the removal of my fence and placing of footing near Cody's weathering until I came back from the vet, F CUKING LIED. They sent a bulldozer through my garden while I was at work. The old fence was then placed up against the weathering and Cody was VERY VERY agitated. The place is like a BOMB site. If these last two grow back without stress marks I will have been lucky. He is gonna have to come into the spare bed room for a few days. I am really gutted. :)

[Saker-Clive]

Send the vets bill to your landlord saying all the work has caused him stress etc. :lol:

[Varmint]

Glad it worked out well for the three of you :wink:

I cant imagine he would be that badly effected by the recent events, just chill.

I could tell you a lot of stories regarding natural branches in chambers, but to be totally honest, no one takes any notice anyway until it's too late so i wont bother :!:

[Mr_Colin]

Has anyone got any pics of stress marks as I don't know what I would be looking at if Willow had them.

[Ben C]

Thanks fellas (oops and dom god)........thing is folks even though it makes sense what i should have done aftewards, the learning curve is steep when SOMETHING actually happens. Its as if Cody has said "right you've done fine up until now, lets just mix it up a little and give you a pain....not too much, just enough to keep you on your toes."

I LOVE FALCONRY :) :) :)

[Ben C]

I could tell you a lot of stories regarding natural branches in chambers, but to be totally honest, no one takes any notice anyway until it's too late so i wont bother :!:

I am now a convert to man made perches after this little event.....I blame the Harris, too much time on his talons, too big a brain and too much mischief. :) :)

[Saker-Clive]

Has anyone got any pics of stress marks as I don't know what I would be looking at if Willow had them.

I don't have any feathers with them on but they are basically horizontal lines going across the width of the feather(s). Sometimes the feather may grow short or stubby........................

[Ben C]

The problem then is they snap easily......however it will improve your imping skills mate!! :) :)

[Mr_Colin]

Yeah practising on some old ones, as you never know. Never had to do it on a bird yet.

[Ben C]

Its quite difficult (although some will disagree), there is a lot of pride in getting it spot on. I don't know why, but it makes me feel like I've acheived something important, bizarre eh?

Also another thing that (hopefully you won't) you might have to do is these bloody eye drops. Cody has now sussed that every time I go in he gets caught up......he is now flapping away and becoming far more wary. He keeps giving me sideways glances. You can see his brain workng and struggling between stepping up and knowing that if he does he's gonna get the drops, poor ****** :) :) Anyway last day today and then a couple of weeks to settle back to normal and grow the last feathers back and we are away. Oh and the bash in between!!! :) :) Perfect timing really :) :)

[Varmint]

For some life is just simple! :partyman: 8)

[Mr_Colin]

She broke one at the end of the season but as she was going in the moult a week later I coundn't be bothered to do it, lazy I know but I didn't see the point of stressing her out when she was just going to shed it anyway, how-ever she still has that one, bloody bird :roll:

[Kornie]

Lol varmint Ive been sitting there watching that smiley for about three miniutes now! lol its great!

[Ben C]

Update:

Cody's left eye got better but he was continuing to close it. So we have just got back from the vets and he is going in for a full series of swabs and tests on Wednesday morning.

However he is still eating loads (whole quail today), very chirpy, not problems with casting, good mutes, and has now dropped his last two feathers.

I personally don't think there is anything biologically wrong, but it looks like there are three small hairs touching his eyeball and I think it is those annoying him. I hope it is anyway.

[Sean]

Benn just to let you know the best harris ive seen(I aint seen that much ) has one eye, it never effecting its hunting at all. even ask varmint, he seen how agile it was even with one eye!

[Mr_Colin]

Yes that is maybe Sean but I don't really think Ben want to have a bird with one eye if he can help it, :rolleyes: :butthead: :lol:

[Finnish]

MOVED THREAD TO CORRECT PLACE :!:

[Kornie]

Yeah ben. I think you'll have to get lucy on Cody to curl his eyelashes. Bit of maskara. (sp.?)

[Ben C]

Cody has had a swab and blood test today. The vet washed they eye out and said it was draining properly. No infestation and he was totally calm and collected throughout the process.

Results back tomorrow, so fingers crossed. I've got some chanel mascara on hold Kornie so just wait and see mate :) :)

[Sprout]

Did the vet mention anything about ingrowing lashes? (technical term is ectopic cilia if tiny hairs growing inward onto the cornea)

[Ben C]

Thats what I said and he said he couldn't see any and that any feathers touching his eye ball wouldn't cause him any problems!!!!! But I can see three of em touching the eye. Anyway tests back today. If they are negative what next?

[Ben C]

Blood test clear, swab result saturday :)

[Sprout]

Feathers touching the eye will cause discomfort, especially the small ones on the lid as they are relatively short and bristly. Ask your vet to put a feather in his/her eye and see if it causes them discomfort! If the feathers are there they need to be removed carefully but I would have expected your bird to have problems before now. Are you sure there are feathers there rubbing on the cornea? Ask your vet to check again, and to be honest, with the small hairs it may require a short anaesthetic and a very close look with an ophthalmoscope to see them.

[Ben C]

They are the lashes on the bridge of the eye and on the upper lid area, like the ones on the cere. Its difficult to tell as he moves his head a lot. He has either got small scratches on the cornea or the hairs (feathers) are touching it. :)

The problem has not got worse so its not biological. Could it be that he just likes closing his left eye and we have only just noticed it. It seems to happen when he is stationary, and he opens it when we approach him, so we could have missed it for a long time.

[Dave G]

may be he loves you loads and is winking lol

[Dave G]

ps hope you get it sorted

[Ben C]

:)

[Kornie]

I have seen many an owl resting with one foot up and one eye closed...if that helps.