Veterinary care of raptors

Raptors are commonly presented to veterinary surgeons in practice and typically comprise injured wild birds, individuals kept for falconry, zoo and conservation exhibits, and captive breeding birds. This article describes the common problems seen in captive and wild birds and outlines the basic approach to dealing with sick birds of prey. It provides practitioners with a basic understanding of the most frequently seen pathologies and highlights how to recognise when treatment is appropriate and when referral to specialist centres might be required. An article to be published in the February issue of In Practice will review musculoskeletal diseases in these birds.