WildAgain Wildlife Rehabilitation, Inc.

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After homeopathy helps to heal an ear infection

by Shirley J. Casey

(As published in Homeopathy Today, September/October 2007)
 

Wild animals with impaired hearing are bound to have serious survival issues. Their reduced success at hunting or finding food along with their decreased awareness of predators will, unfortunately, stack the deck against them. That’s why we wildlife rehabilitators rarely see animals with chronic ear problems. Instead, we see animals with ear problems that have resulted from some type of acute condition, such as an injury. This case of a baby bird brought in for rehabilitation is one example.

A Gardener's Discovery

While Anna was gardening in her yard one June day, she noticed a baby black bird cheeping loudly for food. She watched it all day and was surprised that a parent never showed up to feed it. The next morning, the young bird was in almost the same place—and still calling for food, but more softly. At lunchtime, Anna called Nancy, a wildlife rehabilitator, who agreed that something might be wrong. Anna put the bird in a small box and transported it directly to the rehabilitator to be checked out.

     Nancy examined the nestling Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanacephalus) and noticed that it seemed somewhat frightened, with a rapid respiration and heart rate. The bird was thin, and its skin was transparent and dry, a sign of mild dehydration. Nancy was surprised to find no signs of trauma, wounds, injury, or other problems. She administered a single drop of homeopathic Aconite 200c to help address the sudden, intense fear that is common when wild animals are first admitted for rehabilitation.

     She then placed the bird on heat in a small basket and carefully provided isotonic fluids by mouth to help rehydrate it. Nancy kept the bird in the same room as other songbirds, but in its own, separate basket; she was following quarantine procedures since she was uncertain about its health and needed to watch it for possible diseases or parasites.

     An hour later, when the bird seemed more stable and calm, Nancy offered it a special diet prepared for young songbirds. The baby bird quickly began gaping its mouth to demand food and ate eagerly! Nancy fed it every hour. Over the course of the next ten days, the bird ate well, behaved normally, and grew quickly. 

     After reading about the possible remedies in a materia medica, she found it difficult to decide which remedy was the closest match, but selected Ledum since it is often effective with puncture wounds. She dissolved a couple of pellets of Ledum 30c in a small amount of water and gave the bird a single drop.
     

A Spreading Infection

Less Cranky, a Good Sign

When Nancy went in to feed the young birds at 11 a.m., the blackbird was more willing to eat and less irritable with her and his cagemates. Nancy checked the left ear area again. The swelling seemed more localized. Again she used a warm wet Q-tip to lightly rub and remove the scab. This time a large plug of thick white pus came out attached to the scab, leaving a hole (this hole was actually the ear opening). The swelling in the area of the left ear immediately decreased when the pus came out.

     While the swelling over the right ear had also decreased somewhat at the same time, she noticed another small scab over it. No pus came out when she used another wet Q-tip to gently remove the scab over the right ear. She decided that Hepar sulph must be the correct remedy to match the bird’s symptoms since the pus had localized, and the bird seemed to be improving.

     The bird was more willing to eat during the next several feedings, and the swelling in the left ear did not return—a good sign that Hepar sulph was likely helping to dissipate the infection. But Nancy had not seen any further decrease in the swelling of the right ear. At 3 p.m., she checked the right ear again and rubbed it with the damp Q-tip. Just as in the case of the left ear that morning, the scab came off easily with an attached plug of thick white pus. The swelling on the right side decreased immediately.

     The bird soon started moving around normally—showing no irritability or discomfort. Nancy was impressed with this change. While she would have expected the swellings to decrease after the plugs were removed, in her experience working with wildlife, she found it unusual for all other signs of infection to be gone so quickly, too. She could only attribute this to the action of Hepar sulph. At 5 p.m., she called the veterinarian’s office, and they decided to cancel the appointment since the problem seemed resolved. Nancy was to monitor the bird and call if she needed further help.

Sweet Release

The little blackbird continued to develop and grow normally—with no signs of problems. After two weeks, he was ready to be placed in the outdoor flight cage to prepare for release. After he had practiced flying for two days, Nancy noticed some swelling over his left ear again. While there was not yet a sign of pus, based on his previous problem, she gave him one drop of Hepar sulph 30c in hopes of boosting his ability to address any infection that might be returning. By the next day, the bird showed no signs of swelling or infection.

     Nancy monitored him closely in the flight cage for another three weeks—during which time he was flying well and acting eager for his release. He had no further health problems and was released back to the wild.

Observation is Key

This case shows how important it is for the wildlife rehabilitator be highly observant and to have a thorough knowledge of the species being treated, including anatomy and physiology, habits and diet, and the types of problems that can occur—as well as knowledge and skill with homeopathy.
Although she strongly suspected that injury was the culprit, Nancy could never know for sure whether the bird’s infection was triggered by a puncture wound or by something else (e.g., a viral ear infection). Interestingly enough, Hepar sulph has a reputation for healing in cases where the slightest injury to any part of the body leads to an infection or abscess—but it is also known to heal ear infections (or other upper respiratory infections) that are associated with a lot of pus or thick mucus (e.g., a “ripe” cold). So in either case, Hepar sulph is a remedy that fit the bird’s symptoms.

     In many ways, however, it doesn’t really matter what caused the bird’s problem. Through careful observation of the symptoms (followed by repertorization and analysis of the likely remedies), Nancy was able to find a homeopathic medicine that helped this blackbird avoid a traumatic trip to the veterinarian’s office and recover quickly without the potential side effects of antibiotics. That is the beauty and elegance of homeopathic prescribing, especially for helping wildlife.

© 2007 Shirley J. Casey

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