I received earlier today a call from Catherina on the island telling me that she had sent an e-mail with photos of an adult female SMR that was showing signs of ill-health. The posture, plumage and behaviour of the bird were not good and furthermore its droppings were liquid.
E-mail communications followed with Rachel Bristol and I then spoke with Dr Melanie to the vets department on Mahe. It was decided to get a broad-spectrum antibiotic that could be administered by injection to the bird. So I then went to the vets department purchased a bottle of Oxytetracycline and the smallest syringes and needles available.
The treatment entails capturing the bird and injecting 0.1ml into the bird’s muscle tissue and repeat in 3 days or so. This method has been used successfully previously on SMRs. So it is to be hoped that this problem is based upon a bacterial infection and that the treatment reaps benefits.
Unfortunately by the time I got the call from Catherina it was already too late to catch the plane and there being no flight on Wednesday we will not be able to get the medicine to the island before Thursday – hopefully it won’t be too late.
The tetracycline has a long shelf life so we can keep it in the fridge on Denis for about a year and use it on other birds should the need arise.
Check back regularly for news on our poorly magpie-robin.
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