This morning, while preparing the leashes/harnesses and dogs for their daily walk, I noticed my female JackRussell was outside in the yard playing with some sort of ball. After realizing that there were no balls outside, I then saw what it was that was in her mouth and being tossed about. It was a baby sparrow. The badnews is it's still alive!!!
After throwing my female off this poor creature and seriously scolding her (I know, she's just doing what comes natural) I assessed the health concerns of this tiny bird. Tail feathers severly damaged, severe respiratory distress (porbably due to it's little chest cavity being crushed) and the worst and most horrific malady was, after counting the number of legs, I could only come up with a grand total of #1. The other was nowhere to be found and I shudder to think that it lies within the stomach of my jackrussell who is now known as, "The Devil Kaytee". The poor thing's leg had been snapped off at the top of it's thigh. It can no longer standup, but 2hours have passed and it's still alive in the little open shoebox I have provided for it that now sits out of doggy reach ontop of a trashcan and out of immediate sunlight. It is within reach of the mother sparrow that keeps flying overhead.
Does anyone know what the chances for the survival of this bird would be given the description of it's condition? There was no blood visible save for what was at the mutilated stump of what's left of the leg and it seems to have stopped bleeding.
I have an older birdcage that I used 2 summer's to nurse a baby robin back to health, but this is a different predicament with much more serious conditions.
Furthermore, is there anyway to condition this behavior out of my Jack for good?
My male will sniff small animals but leaves them be. He will chase what runs from him but wont harm the smaller critters. (Squirrels and rabbits are his arch enemies for now, but I don't think he would know what to do with one if he were to actually catch it.)
Any help with this would be great,
Thanks!
-Shmee