A gull with a broken leg

A friend of mine who is a vet nurse found an injured gull by the side of the road near Forfar last Thursday. An x-ray on Friday revealed a closed, mid-shaft fracture which explains why the bird couldn’t walk or stand.

The bird who we have called Piper is an adult weighing 1.5kg and is eating and drinking well. She’s been getting pain relief for the fracture and we had some advice from a veterinarian at a wildlife hospital in Somerset that this is a perfect candidate for an IM (intramedullary) pin.

We spent a long time ringing vets in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Most only treat cats and dogs. The only vet we found who was remotely interested quoted over £4000. We searched further afield and found Fife Exotic Animal Vets who gave a good prognosis and estimate a cost of £500 which is very reasonable. Piper is booked in for surgery on Tuesday morning 10th March. I’ve started a Go Fund Me to raise money for the surgery. Please donate if you can or share the link.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/surgery-for-piper-injured-gull


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2 responses to “A gull with a broken leg”

  1. Katrina Avatar

    Sorry to hear of the gull’s demise, but thank you for making it less lingering than it might otherwise have been.

    1. Rachel M Avatar

      Thanks. I’m disappointed with the outcome. More so that we automatically euthanise birds when we think they won’t be able to fly again. But they could go to a sanctuary to live out their days.

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