The Raptor Center’s hospital received this great horned owlet with a broken leg nearly beyond repair. Early nestling raptor’s long bones can grow as fast as 0.5 inch in length in 3 days! Because baby bones are still developing, we cannot use the same fracture repair techniques as we can in fully grown raptors with well developed bone structures.
with expert skill, our veterinarians placed an intramedullary (IM) pin through the hollow center of the broken leg bone (tibiotarsus) in order to keep the bone pieces aligned, supported by a brace (splint).
The initial surgery and splint placement was a resounding success. Within 11 days after the surgery, the bone had healed enough that both the IM pin and the splint could be removed. Within 15 days, the bone had fully healed. For context, this fracture would have taken 30-40 days to completely heal in an adult owl.
The successful care and release of this owlet despite the odds stacked against it is more than just one feel-good moment. This owlet was able to give us excellent insight into effective fracture treatment techniques in nestling raptors, and its fight for a second chance at life will impact out future success at treating young raptors in need of our care.
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