MagnaWave For Birds

When people think of MagnaWave, they often picture horses, dogs, or livestock benefiting from its innovative therapy—but did you know it can also help birds? From raptors recovering from injuries to pet birds experiencing pain or inflammation, MagnaWave’s pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) technology offers a gentle, non-invasive way to support healing.

Harlaut: A Bald Eagle’s Journey to Recovery

Rebecca Lessard thinks outside the box, and Harlaut, a bald eagle currently residing in Michigan, is very glad she does. While diving in a pond for a snack, Harlaut became entangled in the aviary net. When rescuers found him the next day, they called Lessard, who operates Wings of Wonder raptor rehabilitation. After assessing Harlaut, Lessard wasn’t sure he would make it.

“The temperatures had dropped down into the teens that night,” Lessard said. “With all his thrashing, this bird had splashed water on himself. He was covered in ice. His legs and toes were like ice cubes,” she said, noting a back toe on his right foot had been bent upward in the net. “It may be broken or have a torn ligament,” she added.

After slowly warming him due to hypothermia, Lessard attempted to feed Harlaut some fresh meat. While she was encouraged by his interest in food, she was more concerned that he was also sluggish and cooperative—two things a wild bird should not be. These symptoms sounded warning bells, but Lessard needed help with such conditions.

In addition to the frostbite, it appeared Harlaut was also suffering from a broken toe. That’s when she contacted local MagnaWave practitioner True North Equine LLC. Lessard first met one of the owners of True North Equine, Haylee Fisher, while MagnaWaving her horse. She was very impressed with the results and hoped the incredible healing technology could also be applied to raptors.

Knowing that True North Equine, where Lessard takes riding lessons, had a MagnaWave machine, she gave them a call. “Could MagnaWaving work for birds?” Lessard was hopeful but unsure. Fortunately, the answer is yes, it definitely can!

At first, True North Equine’s owners were also not sure what results might occur. They have been Magnawaving small animals and horses for years but never a bird before, let alone a bald eagle or any other type of raptor. MagnaWave provides practitioners like True North Equine with the industry’s best certification and training available today. There are even resources to help people learn the use of equipment for new avian rescues like Harlaut.

Harlaut received three sessions in the first week. He was laid down in a container atop the MagnaWave’s coil. The equipment is quiet, and the sessions are short, which is suitable for use on animals, particularly stressed ones like Harlaut. More concentrated sessions are also applied to specific areas of concern. Harlaut’s right foot appeared to have the worst injuries.

“What I like about this is it’s very quiet,” Lessard said of the MagnaWave sessions.

“Before the first session, he looked like he had given up,” said Fisher. “This is typical when birds lose the use of a foot. But after his first session, he was tearing up fish again and much more active.”

Harlaut’s first MagnaWave session allowed the eagle to stand on both feet again by the end of the day. After his second session, Harlaut began showing some more typical eagle sass.

“He showed lots of energy afterward,” Lessard said, describing how he was stretching and flapping his wings. “He walked into his crate with both feet and was using his right leg.”

It will be a few months before Lessard will know if Harlaut can return to the wild. She notes that frostbite can take weeks to surface on a bird’s feet. In the meantime, True North Equine and MagnaWave assist with the eagle’s continued progress. His initial response is encouraging.