Episode: "Brothers"
Location: Colorado State University
Veterinarian: Dr. Julie Gionfriddo

A great horned owl is brought to Colorado State University with a badly damaged cornea and a fractured humerus. As a bird of prey it relies on its incredible eyesight to hunt and is in serious need of medical attention.

It undergoes a procedure on its damaged wing and is then brought to the ophthalmology department for its eye.

Dr. Julie Gionfriddo attaches a piece of living muscle to the damaged section of cornea, which grows onto and over the wound like a living Band-Aid.

After several weeks of recuperation, Dr. Gionfriddo assesses whether the damage to the cornea has healed significantly. She determines that a second procedure is required to allow the owl to finally see again.

Using a specialized microscope, Dr. Gionfriddo cuts the muscle away and the wound in the cornea is stitched over. The eye is also stitched closed to aid in the healing process because the cornea needs the proteins from the inside of the eyelid to heal.

The eyelid is unstitched several days later and the owl is eventually released back into the wild.

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