This weekend we were unlucky enough to loose one of our Arucana’s (still refered to as ‘the babies’, even though they are more like teenagers now. We had returned home on Friday to find Irena huddled in the corner of the run, trying to back away from her sisters, she was immediately removed from the run and brought into our isolation/special care unit (the large cat carrier in the sun room). She stayed there looking quite content and eating her own weight in mealworms, joining her sisters in the garden every night.
Tonight I decided it was time she rejoined them as there appeared to be nothing physically wrong and she was eating like a horse. I took her out of the carrier and she immediately fell over revealing a prolapse. I phoned my neightbour to ask for some assistance all the while reassuring her it was going to be okay & that we would fix it. Unfortunately she started fitting and died in my arms mere seconds before Trish appeared at our gate.
I had hoped that none of our birds would meet such a fate and indeed have spent most of today racking my brains as to what I could have done differently. The trouble is birds cannot talk, as no way that she could have told me what was going on, from the outside she appeared fine and by the time the symptoms were showing it was too late. We gave her the traditional viking send off in the back garden this evening. She is survived by her two sisters Esme and Carmen. Goodbye my little love, your time with us was too short but we shall never forget you.
(right to left Carmen, Irena & Esme)
