A few weeks ago a friend of mine and I found a juvenile Southern crested caracara (Caracara plancus) on the road in Brazil. Its leg was badly injured, fortunately after some treatment, the bird is almost ready to go back to freedom. The problem is that it got some kind of beak infection (see pictures). As we live in a very small town it is very hard to get appropriate help but maybe someone could help to identify the disease and/or suggest the treatment?
THE DISEASE: On the 16th of December we noticed some accumulations in the throat and the smell was really bad. We suspected that the bird might have Frounce or Candidiasis. The vet suggested to give a course of Flagyl (metronidazole) in small doses for 7 days. It helped to get rid of the bad smell and the lesion got dry, but the dry part is still expanding which worries us a lot. The bird started to be anorexic so we stopped giving the medicine because we were afraid that it might damage its liver or kidneys. And unfortunately the vet has nothing to offer anymore. Now the appetite is slightly reduced but not too bad and there are no signs of pain or unhealthy behavior. The bird is ~7-8 weeks old, he is strong, very active and curious, he has already learned how to fly.
P.S. The eye in the picture is not damaged, he was just blinking the moment the picture was taken.
Last Edit: Jan 5, 2016 15:41:51 GMT -5 by rutukutu
Post by chesapeakehawk on Jan 4, 2016 21:40:58 GMT -5
Hello, There are a number of things this could be--if your vet is willing to try a few more things there are certainly a number of other things to try that will not cost too much money, should be available locally and could help resolve the issue. You can send me a message to get in contact with me via email, and I will be happy to help you.