Sticking your tongue out is not always rude

As a child I was always told that sticking my tongue out was rude. However we needed to encourage a buzzard to show us its tongue when a quick look in the mouth revealed it was not quite right. There was a white crust on the tongue which looked sore and inflamed. A swab was taken using a cotton bud and wiping it on a microscope slide. Strangely it appeared to be worm eggs which could have been transmitted from prey it may have eaten that was carrying the parasite.

  

The buzzard was given tablets to combat the worm alongside a course of antibiotic and painkiller. Despite how nasty the tongue appeared it did not stop the bird from eating. Once the course of medication had finished we put it into one of our outside aviaries so we could continue to monitor the tongue.

On recent observation in the mouth there appears to be improvement however the buzzard needs to be kept under observation for a little bit longer.

      

After a couple of weeks and a re-check with the vet hopefully it can be released back into the wild with a healthier looking tongue. It just proves having a tongue stuck out at you is not necessarily rude!

By Michelle Bite

Sponsors of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre and Cattery

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