The Story of Kovak (or how I lived through it all)!

Kovak so sick he couldn't stand.

One of the injury areas.

If you read this blog, you have probably seen a photo of Kovak or read brief descriptions of him. Kovak is an amazing African Grey. He came to the attention of one of our board members through a series of circumstances. Kovak was very ill when Casey met him. He couldn't perch and could only lift his head.  He had self mutilated (cause still not completely clear) to the point that he had open wounds on his left leg that involved tendon and muscle. These areas had become infected and had permanent damage to certain areas of the leg. The owner agreed to let Casey try and help him. At the point, Kovak was launched on an odyssey of surgeries, recovery and months of wearing the dreaded cone.  The Exotic Bird Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida took on his care and slowly brought him back from the brink. This photo isn't completely clear but here is one of the primary injury areas. The vet worked hard to restore some use and mobility to the area. Kovak took many medicines and had multiple followups. His vet bill is enough to scare a person, LOL. At one point, Casey and I sat in the vet's office and asked some hard questions about Kovak's future and what his quality of life would be. We were very concerned that Kovak be able to recover enough to live as a "bird". We chose to let Kovak fight and so he did! Kovak slowly improved over a period of six months and began to emerge from his fog of illness. His personality began to appear and little quirks of his sense of humor. What a joy it was to see him get strong enough to protest having to wear the cone of shame!!! Soon he was interacting with other birds in the house. Awesome!!! I knew that he still was experiencing pain and stiffness and had trouble with range of motion in his injured leg, but he was ALIVE and starting to live again.  He continued to have monthly vet appointments and was getting well enough to gripe about his multiple medications. Every grumpy little moment was like a victory! Now Kovak has periods of time where he is cone less!!!! I supervise him very closely during these times but he has actually been able to take a nap with his head tucked into his back (his preferred sleeping position). I am so happy for him. He is now doing his exercises everyday to strengthen his legs and his gait. I don't think he will every climb but, who knows? At one point we weren't even sure he was going to live.  He may surprise me yet. Kovak will be a permanent member of our rescue because of his special needs and ongoing vet care. You will hear about him on a regular basis and I hope you come to love him as we have. If you are able to, you can make a donation to contribute to his vet bill. There is a link on our website. www.parrotsaspetsrescue.com