‘Chulita’ is a macaw in her early 30’s, with an unusual medical problem.
Chulita’s owner Jane Hunts explains, “I don’t know what she did to herself, but she lost a big chunk out of her beak – and so Dr. Everett has built her a fake beak.”
Dr. Sheree Everett of the Everett Veterinary Clinic points out that the ‘Klamath Smiles’ clinic provided dental cement to help with the repair, “We’re just trying to fabricate something to cover that hole, so it’s not a socket for food and bacteria and everything to just sit in there.”
Macaws can live 60 years or longer.
Chulita is still on antibiotics, and is being weighed regularly to see how well she’s eating. It could take a year or more for her beak to grow out naturally.
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