The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill are an iconic symbol of San Francisco. What is less known is that when these colorful birds become sick or injured, more likely than not Mickaboo is called in to help them heal and to find them new homes.
Anza and Irving (pictured) are two such birds, both coming to Mickaboo after their fledgling flights ended in collisions. Our latest newsletter describes the adoption journey their new guardian took to add the conures to his family, and some of his experiences with these unique birds.
Meet some of the volunteers who care for our rescued birds at Mickaboo's Third Annual Spring Fling, June 5 in Hayward. It's a casual afternoon potluck for birdlovers and supporters alike - learn more and RSVP here.
Speaking of saving dates - put a big gold star on your calendar for Wednesday, June 15. It's GlobalGiving's next Bonus Day - and with a 50% match rate, it's the best one of the year! Online donations from 6 am Pacific onward will count, until the $110K in matching funds are gone. Give early (before 8 am is recommended!) to maximize the effectiveness of your gift, and ensure your funds are matched! We will send you a reminder when this online giving event starts.
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On behalf of the 450+ birds in our rescue flock (all looking for new homes - maybe yours?) and the dozens of volunteers who care for them in their homes and their hearts, we thank you for your support, now and ongoing.
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Today is a GlobalGiving Bonus Day! GlobalGiving will match ALL online donations, up to $1,000 per donor per project, if the donation is done today before 9 pm Pacific. (In today's event, the exact matching percentage depends on the donation total collected by GlobalGiving for its nonprofit partners.) Go to Mickaboo's GlobalGiving page now to help us meet our $15,000 fundraising goal for today (about half a month's veterinary bills)! Track our collective progress toward our fundraising goal here!
YOUR generosity enables Mickaboo to continue its mission of rescuing, rehabilitating, and re-homing the hundreds of birds we serve annually. What follows is a story of one such bird, Izzy, a cute and spunky female canary.
Mickaboo recently took in several birds from a local shelter. The county had rescued them from a home where they'd received a lot of love along with some not-so-great care.
After taking these birds in, a volunteer noticed that one of them, Izzy, had an abnormal bulge in her lower abdomen. She also saw that Izzy's feet looked unusually gnarly. Some of her toes obviously needed a nail trim while others were missing their nails altogether, possibly due to her environment. Her skin and nails also showed signs of vitamin deficiency and lack of bathing.
At the veterinary clinic, the doctor saw that her gizzard and small intestine were clearly visible outside of her abdominal muscle and under her skin. She clearly was in danger of digestive blockage, and the doctors originally thought that she might need separate surgeries, one to remove an egg and another to repair her hernia.
X-rays (shown in this project report) clarified the problem. The bulge on the bottom left of the picture is Izzy's gizzard pushing through her abdominal wall. The grainy-ness in her bulge is partially-dissolved grit that hasn't passed through her digestive system yet.The bright rock-like objects in the middle are grit. When this xray was taken, it had been at least a week after Izzy had last eaten grit.
Based on all of this, Izzy's current diagnosis is that she ate too much grit, and ate it too fast for her digestive system to dissolve it. The excess rocks and sand in her digestive tract caused distress and straining, which caused her hernia. This is a good example of why Mickaboo recommends against feeding birds grit, even though (unfortunately) some pet stores still sell and recommend it.
Izzy just had her follow-up vet visit. Her gizzard is protruding slightly less and is straining less against her skin (like a balloon that is less deflated). Her diet is much improved. After settling in to her new home and exposure to sunlight through a window, she's started to bathe in her water dish and does so often. The bathing and improved diet have left her feet looking much better, and she's been given a nail trim.
Izzy has already had a lot of veterinary care and will need more, even without surgery. She seems to be heading in the right direction but her prognosis is still uncertain. For now, we are playing it day by day.
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The financial support of people like YOU enables Mickaboo to help Izzy and birds like her. Please consider going now to Mickaboo's GlobalGiving page to take advantage of this opportunity.
As always - THANK YOU for your ongoing generosity and support.
P.S. Email us at coordinator-FinchCanary@mickaboo.org if you'd like to adopt Izzy when she's better!
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Due to your help and that of many other generous souls, we were able to take in several birds recently. Here are a few of their stories:
Goldie is a blue-and-gold macaw about 29 years young. When Goldie came to Mickaboo, we found she had been hiding a terrible sinus infection with a “superbug” (a drug-resistant bacteria). One of our amazing avian veterinarians launched a major assault of various medicines and daily nasal flushes (Goldie HATED that part). Goldie is back in her foster home now, and feeling better. But she racked up a large vet bill, and she's not out of the woods yet.
Willie appears to be a clean, white, happy Umbrella Cockatoo in the picture attached to this project report. Only a short time ago, she was a filthy gray bird, living in a tire shop with her insides hanging out -- literally. Willie had what they call a “prolapse” of her lower intestinal area. Willie was in a lot of pain, and would not have lived much longer without treatment. An animal control agency rescued Willie, connected with Mickaboo, and Mickaboo sent Willie to one of the nation’s finest avian vets. The doctors are still working on Willie's "derriere problem" - major surgery has been scheduled.
Bernie the cockatiel was surrendered to Mickaboo due to changes in his human family's lifestyle. When he came to us, his tiny cage and toys were filthy and full of bug debris; his perches were of the sand paper type. His diet consisted of grocery store seed mix, cuttlebone, and grit - all unsuitable, given our current knowledge of avian husbandry. Bernie hadn't had proper vet care in a while, as evidenced by his inability to walk or perch well. When Mickaboo took him to a vet, the doctor said that Bernie could be in a lot of pain in his left knee from severe arthritis. He is now on anti-inflammatory oral medications and will need a recheck to see if his dosage can be reduced. He is being housed in a comfortable tub with no perches above the ground. He still drags his left leg and prefers to stand still.
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We are able to help these birds and many others because of YOU and the unflagging, generous help of our volunteers, two of which were profiled in O Magazine's article, "No Ordinary Love".
Email us at pr@mickaboo.org with questions or comments about the above. We will continue to keep you posted on Mickaboo happenings. For now, circle March 16 on your calendars - we'll tell you later about a special event happening then!
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