Another Eye Injury, Another Remedy

A veterinarian called a wildlife rehabilitator to pick up a Saw-whet owl that had been brought to his clinic. This full-grown and still tiny owl (8 inches long and weighing just 3 ounces) had been hit by a car and was bruised and undoubtedly sore. Upon examination, the veterinarian noted that the owl’s left eye was hemorrhaging internally. He gave a very poor prognosis for the owl’s ability to recover for release.

The rehabilitator first gave Aconite 1M and then Arnica 1M, for the same reasons as described in the osprey case above—and the owl started improving within two hours, showing increased alertness, more willingness to open his eyes and move, and normal eating—but the eye was still full of blood. (photo with the red eye)

After more case-taking, repertorizing, and studying remedies in the materia medica, the rehabilitator gave the Saw-whet Lachesis 200c since this remedy addressed the full suite of symptoms: eye injury, intraoccular hemorrhage, eye closing, head injuries, and general injuries. The owl’s eye exhibited noticeable improvement in three hours, and was fully recovered in five days (photo to right). That single dose of Lachesis 200c had been the exact match to his condition—and stimulated his body to recover. The rehabilitator and veterinarian were both thrilled to see the bird’s eye healed! The Saw-whet was released five days later after demonstrating consistently normal behavior and flying skills in the outdoor flight cage.

©Shirley J. Casey (photos by Darleen Frechen)