Milton Parakeet Sucked Into Vacuum Cleaner, Survives

BOSTON (CBS) – A parakeet survived a horrifying ordeal in a vacuum cleaner in Milton.

The 8-year-old named "Birdie" crawled into a Shop-Vac on February 23, moments before her owner Marie Margarone turned it on, not knowing her parakeet was inside.

"I was convinced that Birdie wouldn't make it given how violently she was thrown around the canister," Margarone said in a statement from the Angell Animal Medical Center, where she rushed the bird

"But she's a member of my family just as my other pets are, and I wanted to do everything I could to help her."

Birdie was bloodied, barely conscious and couldn't move her broken left wing.

The fracture was so bad, the only way to save her was to partially amputate the limb.

The surgery was done three days later. An Angell spokesman said Birdie "soared through the procedure."

She spent a day in recovery and returned home.

"I'm thrilled to have her back in our home where she belongs, and obviously we'll ensure she stays well clear of the vacuum from here on out!" Margarone said.

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