HELP! GS with broken leg!

[SBAnderson]

Please help! My male Green Singer has caught his leg between 2 very close bars in his cage. I believe it is broken, since it is just hanging. It is also bloody. I was able to get him free without doing any more damage, but it is late and all of the vets are closed by now. Should I at least put a human antibiotic on his leg? He is housed by himself (all my other birds are in another flight cage).

[Sally]

For tonight, I'd just try to keep him quiet and warm. Put a heat lamp on one end of his cage (can be as simple as a desk lamp with 60w bulb). You can try to clean him up if he is quite calm, but if he is going to panic over handling, I'd let it go for tonight, unless he is still bleeding. Is he perching at all? I'd put a water dish and some seed on the floor of the cage, also some spray millet. Do you have any NV powder or Thrive, supplements that provide energy and electrolytes? If not, you can add some homemade electrolytes to the water, see this topic: http://www.finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=18044

In the morning, you can evaluate and see if it is something that needs to be treated by a vet.

[delray]

Welcome to the forum. Hope your green singer gets better.

[MiaCarter]

I'm so sorry to hear about your GS.

Please beware that many vets will recommend euthanasia for a small bird with a broken leg.

Most offer amputation, but it can be very pricey. (Which is confounding to me, as how much expertise does it take to lop off a leg and sew up the stump? Heck, if I had access to anesthesia, I'd give it a go myself!)

Many vets are loathe to just leave the leg splinted (they tend to prefer euthanasia or amputation), but splinting is an option.

If you opt for this in the case of a severe break (which sounds like it's the case here, since you have a compound fracture --- that is, a break where the bone pokes through the tissue), the leg typically turns necrotic and falls off within a couple weeks.

In your case, where you have a compound fracture, you probably wouldn't splint with the intention of aligning the bones and promoting healing, as the damage may be too severe. Instead, splinting would serve to prevent pain from dangling movements and to prevent further damage to the soft tissues (and bleeding).
A bit of vet wrap (sold as self-adhering bandages in the drug store) and a straw (slit along the length and placed over the vet wrap) is a common splinting method. If you attempt it yourself, the straw ends must not be in contact with the skin as it causes abrasion. You want to ensure there's vet wrap under the entire length of the straw.

I'd definitely ensure that you request some potent antibiotics (since you have a high infection risk due to the bone coming through the skin) and some pain medications from your vet.

During healing, you'll want to feed a rich diet with lots of nutrients. Calcium is super important, as is D3 (required to absorb calcium) and protein.
I'd also provide NV powder or a homemade electrolyte solution and heat lamp until fully healed.

I hope he's feeling better soon! Poor little guy.

[KarenB]

I gut wrench every time I see about a tiny bird with a broken leg. I am so sorry this has happened to your green singer. I know exactly how you must be feeling right now. My owl finch hen broke her leg recently. Luckily it was not a compound fracture, so infection was not as likely, but I gave antibiotics for two weeks in the water, which was the only source of water that I offered. I put honey in the water to make it more palatable. Also I put Thrive and Rescue Remedy in the water to help keep her calm from all the stress.

Initially I wrapped the leg in hopes that it would heal. I subsequently rewrapped it because I had wrapped the back toe facing forward and wanted it to be placed correctly. When I rewrapped it, I used a smaller ligature wire for support, but it ended up stabbing her. She never bled much, but for some reason she lost blood supply to the leg below the break. It took a couple of weeks after that to fall off.

Finches are amazingly resilient, and now my little owl hen, Annie, is doing just great with her little stump. If you can get your GS past this initial trauma stage, he will be just fine.

[SBAnderson]

Thank you to everyone who responded about my little green singer. I am new to the forum, so I hope my replies are getting through. (I am not seeing them on-line!) He seems to be ok, is perching and some flying. The injured leg is curled up under his feathers and is not dangling any more. So, maybe that is a good sign, as it seems that he is able to hold it up. But he is not using it for perching. He is just sitting almost all of the time. I have put Rescue Remedy in his water, and will make up a batch of electrolyte water. Do I need a prescription for the antibiotics, or is that available at a pet store? Again, thank you all so much for your help. Oh, and one of the first topics I read here was the story of Annie the owl finch. She is an inspiration!

[MiaCarter]

SBAnderson --- You can get antibiotics from your vet by prescription or without a prescription at the feed store (Tractor Supply Store or similar, but I'd call ahead first just to ensure they have something suitable. The same meds that are used for pigeons and chickens and so forth can be used for finches, but since it's mostly farmers, I don't know if they carry small quantities or a pricey lifetime supply bucketful!)

I don't think you can get antibiotics at Petsmart or Petco, but it may be worthwhile giving them a ring. If you can find a smaller specialty pet store in your area, especially one that's big into birds, they may carry some of the common avian antibiotics like Amoxitex and so forth.
There's also a list of distributors on the Morningbird site:
http://www.morningbirdproducts.com/distributors.html

You can also get them online. I get mine from Laraine at LadyGouldian.com and I know she offers expedited shipping. She's super knowledgeable and can recommend the best one for your needs.

@KarenB -- See, Annie's a superstar! An icon for one-legged birds everywhere.

[wildbird]

If the leg is dangling, it may not be broken. That is a very good sign. He may not need antibiotics, but if you use them, be sure it is for small finches. Loraine, as stated above, will help you with that. Glad to hear he is doing better.

[wildbird]

I meant if the leg is NOT dangling. Having a lot of trouble posting.

[Sally]

SBAnderson If the bird is holding the leg up close to its body, then it may not be broken at all. It could be very sore from being hung up, and he won't put weight on it because it hurts. Often, this type injury will heal itself with a little time. I wouldn't worry about an antibiotic, as unless there is a bad break, there is no place for bacteria to enter the system. It doesn't hurt to keep a general antibiotic like Amoxitex on hand, but I don't give antibiotics as a preventative anyway.

I once had a bird that was hung up in a wicker nest, with his leg pulled out behind him. When I freed him, that leg stuck straight out behind, he could not bend it or use it at all. I figured it was probably broken. I gave him heat and rest, and within a couple of days, the leg was back in place, he was using it, and today you would never know he ever had an accident.

Welcome to the forum, though it isn't under the best of circumstances. There's lots of good reading at www.finchinfo.com, where you will find many articles on diet, housing, etc. If you put your general location in your profile, it makes it easier to answer locale-specific questions later on.

[SBAnderson]

I meant if the leg is NOT dangling. Having a lot of trouble posting.

OK, whew! I didn't think you meant dangling! Thank you!

[SBAnderson]

Thank you! I am waiting and watching. He is eating, and I have given him some millet spray, oyster shells, and I also bought some vitamins. I am not keen on giving vitamins as a rule, because I think once you start, then you should continue. But I might give him some now. The only reason that I thought antibiotics might be needed was because he bled a lot (for a little birdie). But it has not continued past the initial incident. So, watching and waiting it is! Thank you so much for your help; it is greatly appreciated!

[SBAnderson]

Thank you, Mia Carter, for all of the info on antibiotics!

[SBAnderson]

Welcome to the forum. Hope your green singer gets better.

Thank you! He is doing ok so far.

[finchmix22]

Wow, I just read your post about the GS. I hope this is just a sprain and the leg is not broken. You said there was a lot of blood? Was it from being cut or is there a visible break in the skin/bone you can see? Hopefully, he will recover quickly. If there was a cut, I'd give some antibiotic then probiotic afterwards. Just about 3-5 days, to avoid any infection. If no cut really, then Thrive or NV Powder would be fine to help the stress from the incident. Keep us posted.