Carol was a mother to many babies as part of a "bird mill" before the breeder abandoned her in a park, along with four of her tiny flockmates, for being too old. She was in horrible condition when we found her. With bleeding, shredded feet and only one eye, it's hard to imagine how she managed to survive for even one day in the busy parking lot with no food, water, or protection from predators.
Since
her rescue and recovery, she and her flockmates have been thriving --
until this spring, when sadly, her sister Nancy died while trying to
push out an egg that was too big for her tiny body.
Now Carol is facing almost the same troubles. After years of being bred, her reproductive tract broke down. Instead of moving down through her body, the egg-in-progress got stuck midway down. With no shell, the egg material cooked into a hard mass, where it now sits inside her, rotting and making her sick with infection. The only treatment is surgical.
The good news:
- We caught Carol's condition early enough that it doesn't have to be fatal
- The skilled veterinary team at Avian & Exotics of Monterey are so experienced at this type of surgery that her chances of surviving are strong!
The not-so-good news:
- Surgery on tiny birds requires painstaking precision. Because of Carol's tiny size, surgery will likely be more even expensive than usual.
Can you help Carol?
Any donation you can make -- no matter how small -- will be a huge help. And it's tax-deductible! (Receipt issued automatically upon donation, or emailed by request!)
- You can call in a donation right to Carol's vet, Avian & Exotics of Monterey: 831 647 1147 if you'd like to skip the middleman. They'll gladly take a credit card donation over the phone!
- You can also PayPal a donation (to avoid the small fees) to info@henharbor.org
Carol is still feeling plucky, so we hope to raise enough to put an acceptable down payment on her surgery within this week, while her chances of survival are still good.
