August 7 Treatment Expands as New Results Arrive

Specialized heavy-metal testing returned a zinc concentration of approximately 4.53 parts per million. Interpreting this result was not straightforward. Low levels of lead were found but still within range.

Unlike some domestic species, well-established reference ranges for zinc in Bald Eagles are limited, and normal values can vary among avian species. Earlier testing had not shown an elevated zinc concentration.

Nevertheless, given Patient 26-519's severe unexplained anemia and the new laboratory result, the veterinary team could not ignore the possibility that heavy-metal exposure might be contributing to her illness.

The team initiated treatment intended to bind and remove certain metals from the body. (Zinc and lead)

Patient 26-519 did not tolerate this treatment well and developed significant gastrointestinal upset.

That response again required the medical team to balance the potential benefit of treatment against its effects on an already critically ill patient.

Another increasingly important possibility was an abnormal immune-mediated process in which the body's own immune response contributes to destruction of red blood cells. This condition is considered uncommon in birds but has been reported.

Treatment directed at suppressing an inappropriate immune response was therefore also initiated.

By this point, however, the veterinary team was increasingly concerned about whether Patient 26-519's body could recover from an illness that had already been affecting her for an extended period.