A bald eagle under the care of the UF Small Animal Hospital was released to a rehab center Wednesday.
Bacon, the 5-year-old adult male bald eagle, was admitted three weeks ago. He was in poor condition when he was found in Suwannee County.
Bacon suffered bone fractures, one of which was aligned and another that required surgery to hold the bone together. To keep him calm and avoid re-injury while being examined, Bacon was given acupuncture twice to control the pain. Five acupuncture needles were used to sedate him to allow the team of vets to examine him.
The needles, which were designed for human hands, were 0.1 millimeter in diameter.
Dr. Justin Shmalberg, a clinical assistant professor of integrative medicine, administered the acupuncture.
“He freely let us manipulate the wing and place him on his back when needles were present, and he would often relax his posture during the treatment,” Shmalberg wrote in an email.
However, when five pictures of Bacon receiving treatment were posted on the college’s Facebook last week, some of the viewers didn’t agree with the procedure.
People commented: “Maddening. Sad. Frustrating.”; “At least humans have a choice of not having pins stuck in them.”; and “What is this madness?”
But treating animals with acupuncture is nothing new. UF routinely performs acupuncture on thousands of animals annually, Shmalberg wrote.
According to the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture in Hygiene, Colo., and the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, it can alleviate pain and has been a treatment for degenerative joint disease, respiratory problems and neurological and urinary tract disorders. Acupuncture is common among arthritic dogs and cats, and is popular for horses.
Sarah Carey, director of public relations for the College of Veterinary Medicine, said she was surprised by the feedback, and that there was discussion over deleting the pictures.
“My initial reaction was that this was a unique opportunity to share some of the cool things we do here,” Carey said. “It’s just not that often that you get to see these beautiful bald eagles.”
Before being released to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Bacon was “standing, eating and displaying normal behavior for a wild eagle in captivity,” Shmalberg wrote.
Shmalberg stands by his decision to use acupuncture despite the Facebook controversy. But, he wrote, he values the commenters’ input.
“We obviously don’t insert needles, no matter how small, or handle any animals without consideration of the risks and benefits,” Shmalberg wrote.
