An Accident. ..

[lovezebs]

Hi all.

I came home, to find one of my Zebra boys suspended by one leg and covered in blood.

I went Into emergency mode, my kitchen turning into trauma central.

It took a while to get his foot untangled from the wire loop that attaches the door to the bars, and I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or not, when he opened one eye and looked at me. Part of me was hoping that he was gone.

What a mess. Somehow he'd managed to get caught up in there and must have fluttered and twisted a couple of times, dislocating the leg, possibly breaking it, ripping his wing Into bloody shreds on that side of the body.

First thing to do, was clean the blood off him, to be able to assess the damage.
He had stopped bleeding, so that wa one good sign. Wrapping him in paper towels, I kept him warm, allowing the towels to soak most of the moisture from him.

Then I used Polysorine antibiotic cream on the open wounds.

Looking at my poor broken bird, I tried to think of what do do next.

I whipped up some warm electrolyte solution and dripped it into his beak, to keep him from going shocky on me, then did a one handed search for some stretchy tape that sticks to itself but would not stick to his feathers.

Putting his wing nub and twisted leg Into as natural a position as I could, I taped him up.

Spooned a bit more electrolyte solution into him, and placed him in a tiny cage with accessible water and some spray millet close by and a warm light over him.

Several hours later, he's still alive.

[Sally]

Omigosh, poor baby (both you and the bird!). That was quick thinking on your part, you've certainly done all you can to give him a chance. How do these little birds manage to get themselves into the worst messes?

[Babs _Owner]

lovezebs

Im with Sandy on this one. One second everything is fine, child proofed and considered "safe"

Next thing you know (usually while you're in the bathroom) , like a toddler they have found more trouble to get into than we had thought of.

Good thing you arent shy about blood and panic. I hope his leg and wings rebuild after that panic situation.

Where in the heck is Mia? Best triage emergency poster we had here.

[lovezebs]

Sally and Babs

I was out walking the dogs when this happened, so he might have been hanging there like that for well over an hour.

My poor beautiful little boy, and he's not a young bird either.

Not sure if he'll pull through or not. Not sure if a dislocated leg can heal, not sure about anything really, sigh....

Just doing what I can to keep him comfortable, and hopefully alive.

I think I watched him mate with my little white hen a day or so ago. Maybe I should put her somewhere with a nest. Maybe I'll get a baby from him.

[Arama]

Poor fellow, I'm glad he has you to look out for him.

[lovezebs]

Arama

Thanks Trisha.

So far he's managed to get himself out of his bandage (the little scamp).

[Jen]

lovezebs
Well all I can say is if I ever get myself in a tangled up mess I hope you are around! Sounds like you did everything you could possibly do for your baby. Let us know how he progresses....poor little guy. Sending him some little birdie prayers...

[lovezebs]

Jen

Thanks Jenny.
If your ever hanging by one leg...... I would certainly do my best to help .

Little Zazu, is still with us.

[lovezebs]

Just administered some more electrolyte solution, and realized that it's not Zazu, but rather Max, that was injured.
Good grief, but my eyes must have been crossed when I Initially looked at him.

That said, he likes the electrolyte solution, and appears to be a little stronger. However, his leg has turned black, not sure if it's all the way up (don't want to man handle him too much at this point). Good news is, he is managing to pull in under him to some extent.

[Spreckles]

Can you take him to a vet? Sounds like the leg needs to be assessed for blood supply. Black? Like bruised? Can you touch it? Is it warm? You are a good Bird nurse. I thought your ER setup and interventions sound first rate. I hope he makes it. The poop is hitting the fan for you between this one and Pokey. Is every one else ok?

[rcharrod]

lovezebs

So sorry to hear, Elana - hopefully he will recover. I had a Society a while back that basically had a nub on one foot, and only like one talon left on the other - she could still perch and fly, though, so seemed happy enough. Did that happen in your f030 flight?

[Spreckles]

It's late really tired. Your doing a great job with this Bird. Will be looking for updates. You could probably be a vet tech. I would've freaked to have seen that. Good thinking. Have you dealt with injuries like this before?

[lovezebs]

Spreckles

Hi Karen.

Max is resting comfortably at the moment.
I actually saw him take a bite at the spray millet almost like he was angry at it.

I will check on the leg again tomorrow, if he survives the night. If the blood supply was cut off for too long, then the leg may wither and die. I've heared of toes and feet doing that, and eventually falling off (not so sure about a whole leg though).

The fact that he's managing some limited movement, gives me some confidence that there is hope for the leg.

The possibility of infection always rears it's ugly head (where there are wounds and abrasions), however the fact that he bled quite a bit makes me hope, that whatever impurities entered the wounds, might have washed out.

Regarding taking him to a Vet: I think the trip and the upset etc., would cause more harm than good at this stage. I find with most sick or injured birds, that the stress and anxiety are usually worse than the actual injury.

We shall see what tomorrow brings, and hope for the best.

[lovezebs]

rcharrod

Hi.

Thanks, I hope he will make it through the night. With that first night under our belt, I'll feel more hopeful.

As I mentioned above, he does appear to have some limited mobility in the leg, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[lovezebs]

Spreckles

No sense in freaking out when faced with an injury . Panic serves no purpose in these situations.

Have I dealt with injuries before?
I've raised two boys , so yes I've dealt with my fair share of people injuries.
I've also dealt with bird Injuries over time, some successfully, some not.