The following journal provides a day-by-day look at the medical care Patient 26-519 received during her time at Ojai Raptor Center.

Wildlife medicine is rarely a straight line from symptoms to diagnosis. A patient's history, physical examination, bloodwork, imaging and response to treatment help determine which concerns need to be investigated first. As results become available, treatments may be adjusted, conditions ruled out and increasingly specialized testing considered.

In a critically ill wildlife patient, veterinarians must also continually balance the potential benefit of additional information against the stress and risk associated with handling, anesthesia and diagnostic procedures.

This journal has been prepared from Patient 26-519's medical record to provide the public with a better understanding of that process and a glimpse behind the scenes at the care involved in a complex wildlife rehabilitation case.

For this public version, the names of individual medical personnel, specific medications, dosages and some technical procedural details have been omitted. Medical terminology has also been translated into more accessible language where appropriate.