ABOUT THE SNOWY OWL
General Information
The scientific name of the snowy owl shown in Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals is Nyctea scandiaca.
Snowy Owls and Allergies
Do snowy owls REALLY have allergies?
Facts
“Yes, they do,” states Tom Ricardi, Birds of Prey Rehabilitator. “I’ve had several owls here that have allergies. Their eyes will be dry, swollen, and red and they may have difficulty breathing.”
According to Tom Ricardi, because owls’ eyes are so large, they will sometimes have trauma to their eyes. They have a special membrane that protects their eyes called a nictitating membrane. Sometimes, the whole eye will get hurt and swell up. When that happens, Tom says he puts a cool compress on the eye by hand and holds it in place for a while.
Cause
An allergy is a body’s response to a substance. Like humans, birds can have allergies to dust, mites, pollen, and even other kinds of animals.
Symptoms
According to Tom Ricardi, if an owl has allergies, its eyes will be swollen, dry, and red. It may also sneeze, have a runny nose, or have difficulty breathing.
Diagnosis
It is not always easy to determine if an owl has allergies unless it is in captivity, such as in a rehabilitation facility. In this situation, a diagnosis can be made if the owl’s symptoms improve once a suspected allergen is removed.
Treatments
If an owl has allergies, a veterinarian will prescribe eye drops that are a lot like people’s eyedrops, or artificial tears. The eyedrops have a lot of ingredients, but one of them is often salt. If the allergen can be identified, it should be removed from the environment.
Fiction
Although they perch on the ground or on low posts, snowy owls are not commonly found sitting on icebergs, as in Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals. They are usually found in open fields and tundra where they find food more easily.
Learn More
Reference
Tom Ricardi, Birds of Prey Rehabilitator, Conway, Massachusetts
Image Credit: iStock.com/Carol Gray
