Successful, Full-Thickness Skin Graft in a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).

A subadult, male bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was evaluated after being found unable to fly, with large eschars on the dorsal head and right stifle. Because of the appearance and location, the lesions were believed to be caused by an electrical injury. Treatment included oral antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medication, surgical debridement of the eschars, and trephining of the affected inner table of the cranium. A full-thickness skin graft was performed to expedite wound healing and minimize holding time. After 6 weeks, the bird had new feather growth on its dorsal head and was released. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of a nonmesh, full-thickness skin graft in an avian species. Full-thickness skin grafts should be considered as a surgical option in juvenile or adult avian patients with large dorsal head wounds.

Electrocution of Raptors on Power Lines: A Review of Necropsy Methods and Findings.

Decades after the problem was first identified, power line electrocution continues to be a cause of avian mortality. Currently, several federal laws protect eagles and other migratory birds, meaning that utility companies may be liable for electrocution-related deaths. Veterinarians and veterinary pathologists called upon to diagnose and treat electrocuted birds should keep this in mind when conducting clinical and postmortem examinations. This review details necropsy findings and methods used to diagnose electrocution. A combination of gross, subgross, and radiographic examinations can aid in identification of subtle injury. Diagnosis is made based on the presence of skin and/or feather burns. Other necropsy findings may include skin lacerations, subcutaneous burns, bruising, limb avulsion, hemopericardium, and vascular rupture. At the US Fish and Wildlife Service's National Forensics Laboratory, from 2000 to 2015, 417 raptor deaths were determined to have been caused by electrocution. Bald eagles and golden eagles were the most commonly submitted species. In a retrospective review of 377 cases, for which whole bodies were submitted, 18% of the electrocuted birds had only a single, small (less than 3 cm in diameter) external burn. Small, isolated burns tended to occur on the undersides of the wings at and distal to the elbow and on the lower legs and feet. These areas should be most carefully examined in cases where electrocution injury is not immediately apparent.

Electrical Injuries in Animals: Causes, Pathogenesis, and Morphological Findings.

Electrical injuries in animals occur most often accidentally. They comprise contact to various forms of currents, including alternating, rotary, or direct currents. Depending on various parameters of the current (including the type of circuit, voltage, current and duration of exposure) and conditions of the animal (such as wet or dry hair coat and pathway of current through the body), lesions may be absent or may include early or localized development of rigor mortis, signs of acute circulatory failure, or severe thermoelectrical burns. Such burns may present as external current marks, singed hair or feathers, metallization of the skin, or occasionally internal electroporation injury resulting in muscle necrosis, hemolysis, vascular damage with thrombosis, injury to brain and spinal cord, or skeletal fractures. Furthermore, lightning strikes occur regularly in grazing animals, which have greater risk of death from step potentials (ground current) in addition to direct strike and contact injury. Such cases may have no lesions, external signs of linear or punctate burns, keraunographic markings, or exit burns on the soles of the hooves or the coronary bands. Besides detailed information about the circumstances at the location where the animal was found, electrical injuries in animals require a thorough morphological workup, including additional investigations in conjunction with certain knowledge about the possible lesion spectrum.

Atmospheric flash injuries in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus).

The pathological and histopathological examination of two female roe deer found dead after a severe thunderstorm is described. One of the two roe deer was killed by a direct hit of atmospheric flash, while the other animal, lying 1.5 m from the first one, died as a consequence of ground current strike. The major part of the coat and skin of the animal that was killed by a direct hit was covered with scorched streaks. The trachea and bronchi of both animals contained a considerable amount of aspirated light-red foam. Necropsy revealed diffuse haemorrhages over the epicardium of the right atrium with a diameter of 1 millimetre. The liver and the kidney exhibited severe congestion.

Effects of tap water on esophageal burns in dogs from button lithium batteries.

Incidences of swallowing lithium batteries have been increasing. A lithium battery is more dangerous than button alkali batteries because the tissue erosion and perforation of the esophagus is more rapid than with button alkali batteries. We hypothesized that a bolus fresh water wash out or dilution of the alkali produced by the direct current flow, and/or inhibition of the alkali production by interrupting the direct current flow, might lessen the severity of the necrotic injury at a contact esophageal site with a battery. Model CR2032 lithium batteries were fixed in the esophagus of 21 adult mongrel dogs for 15, 30, 60 or 90 min. In 9 of the dogs serial 20 mL boluses of tap water (adjusted pH at 7.0 by bicarbonate) were administered at 15-min intervals after placement of the battery. The esophageal injuries were graded microscopically according to the depth of the necrosis. The consumed electricity of the batteries was also evaluated. Serial bolus administration of water reduced the consumed electricity of the batteries significantly 30 and 60 min after fixation and delayed the corrosive change in a contact esophageal area during the first 30 min. Dosing with tap water as soon as possible within 30 min after ingestion seemed a useful first aid measure to prevent esophageal injury after accidental swallowing of a lithium battery.

Esophageal electrochemical burns due to button type lithium batteries in dogs.

Incidences of swallowing lithium batteries have been increasing. More severe tissue damage may be produced by the flow of electric current through tissue due to a lithium battery than a button alkali battery, because the former has the higher voltage of 3V. In this study, model CR2032 lithium batteries were fixed in the esophagus of 5 adult mongrel dogs for 15 or 30 min or 1, 2 or 5 h. On microscopical examination of the esophagus 15 min after fixation of the battery, necrosis was demonstrated from the lamina propria mucosa to the inner muscular layer. Thirty min after fixation of the battery, the esophageal epithelium had completely disappeared to form a blackish-brown area and the outer muscular layer was partially necrosed. Histological findings after 1, 2 or 5 h were similar to those after 30 min, and the blackish-brown area became larger with time. The necrosis extended to the trachea after 1 h. The necrosis developed sooner in tissue in contact with the lithium battery. An ingested lithium battery appears to be more dangerous than a button alkali battery unless it is removed quickly.