Leg band emergency!

[konkata]

I checked on the cutthroats this morning and noticed me male holding his leg up. I caught him and stretched his leg and noticed that his ankle was very swollen and the leg band appeared to be tight right above it. I slowly pulled the leg band up his leg. I couldn't find anything to remove it so I got the nail clippers out and wore away at it until I could finally pull it off.

The leg around the ankle started bleeding immediately. The scales around the leg kind of fell off (probably died from being constricted) and I'm afraid to say it because I haven't truly examined it yet, but I feel as though the foot may be unresponsive. I ALMOST thought it was going to fall off.

Because the removal of the band was very stressful (he got away and I had to catch him a few times, and he kept biting me, and it was just a slow process) I put him back in his cage to relax for a moment before I get him back out and clean the foot and really examine it.

I'm a bit worried about it. If it doesn't turn around by this evening I fear I may have to take him to the vets to get it removed. I feel like a horrible mom for allowing this to happen. Looks like I'll be removing all of the bands from my birds today.

Is there anything you can tell me that I should or shouldn't look for in the meantime? I'm letting him settle for about a half hour before I dive in on him again.

Oh boy

[L in Ontario]

Sorry to hear about the leg band. I hope the leg has stopped bleeding but if it hasn't, you'll have to catch him up again and apply some flour (or cornstarch) to the wound - hold it on there so it can stop the bleeding.

If it has stopped on it's own then I would catch him up once again anyway and apply a thin layer of an antibiotic ointment on his leg (if you haven't done that already. That should help to sooth and promote the healing process.

The only thing (I think) to 'watch for' would be his foot/leg turning black. That's not a good sign.

[G8love4finches]

Hope your little guys legs gets better....Its so hard when they are hurt, it's almost like having kids!

[konkata]

Thanks for your replies. I moved him to a small hospital cage. The bleeding has stopped but he seems a tad shocky. I covered the cage and I'm leaving him alone for a little while.

I literally thought that the foot was going to fall right off the second I removed the band with how he was holding it when I was halfway done.

Its normal color right now (other than being stripped of blood) and its not dark or black yet. I'm going to do repeated checks on him through the day. He's sitting at the bottom of the cage the last I checked. I'm not sure if thats because he's shocky or if he just doesn't want to perch.

[konkata]

Can I use a human antibiotic cream or should I try and find some at the petstore? I have peroxide, would you suggest cleaning it with that?

[lovemyfinch]

So sorry for you and the little guy You must both be in shock.
I use regular polysporin when I find a knick or cut.

[konkata]

I just took some pics and his leg does seem a little dark, but I don't know whether thats from lack of blood or if its dieing.
Here are some pics:







I moved the nest into the hospital cage and put him in it so he had somewhere to sit without being on the floor. And wouldn't you know it...there were EGGS in there.

I removed the eggs though. Not this time.

[L in Ontario]

His ankle is quite swollen. I would just put the leg under gently running WARM (not hot) water and then pat dry (gently) with a paper towel. I'm a little concerned about the swelling. Can you examine it with a magnifying glass to ensure nothing is wrapped around his leg? The colour looks okay at this time, a little darker than the other leg but still okay for now.

Yes, you can use human antibiotic cream that you have at home - Polysporin or Neosporin are good but don't put a thick layer on that he will rub off with his beak - just a thin layer will help a lot. have you got a heatlamp on his hosp cage - that would be good and I like that you put a towel over it to give him peace and quiet so he can recuperate.

[konkata]

The swelling really freaks me out. A friend suggested cold cotton balls for the swelling but she's not a finch/bird person so I'm going to take your advice. I can examine the leg again but I'm almost certain it was the leg band constricting it in some way. Although I did switch teir nesting material to coconut fiber, so many it got dangled in there?

He's got a blanket over his hospital cage and he's in a quiet room. I'll dig out the heat lamp and set it up as well. Thank you do much for your advice everyone! I'll keep updates and I'll probably be asking more question, and more advice would be greatly appreciated as well!

[L in Ontario]

I think the swelling should go down with the leg band removed - I just want to ensure there is no other constriction that may have started this off.

I don't think it would be the leg band that started the constriction on his leg (I guess it's possible but not too likely IMHO). They are typically loose and free-moving up and down the leg and usually rest on the ankle.

[Mozelle]

Oh no : (
Good Luck - they're little legs are so fragile, and there's just no way to prevent every injury...

One note on Hydrogen peroxide.. if you've ever used it on yourself --- it Stings. I work at a vet clinic, and the only time we ever use it is when our furry patients are anesthetized, and that's for large animals.
Birds are sensitive creatures at the best of times, and prone to shock with any injury. Additional pain will only make that worse.
As well - Hydrogen peroxide is terribly drying and a little caustic.

Sounds like you're getting great advice with the Polysporin

[konkata]

I ran his leg under warm water and he layed still for the entire time. I cleaned it up and examined it. I didn't see any tiny fibers that were wrapped around. I even dug inside the wound a little bit (which he didn't appreciate) with tweezers. I did end up pulling some fibers out of the wound but I didn't find any tangled in there. I don't have a magnifying glass but I didn't see anything that could continue to hurt him. I'll continue to check it through the day and hopefully get a magnifying glass this afternoon.

I ran his leg under warm water for about 10 minutes and then took some pictures.







I also put some antibiotic cream on his leg before I put him back.

I don't know what could have caused it. I may me imagining things but it seems to look a little better to me (or maybe its just because its been cleaned up). I massaged it as I ran it under water to try and help the blood flow best I could and it bled a little bit more but not much.

I'll keep the peroxide on hold! Thanks for sharing!

[L in Ontario]

Hopefully this incident won't shock he too much. Now I would put him back in the small cage with the heatlamp at one end of the perch, he'll need it to dry and warm up. I would try to leave him alone now as much as possible for at least an hour without disturbing him and then just a visual check. He may even just sit on the floor of the cage if he leg is too sore.

[BigBear0007]

I'm sorry to hear about the leg on your Cut throught.
You did the right thing by removing the band.
He may have got it cought between some wire and kept pulling till he got free.
The leg actually looks good and is on it's way to healing.

I had a canary witht he same problem.
I am amazed in the similarities, the legs look exactly alike.
It took about two weeks for the leg to heal, but the canary kept his leg.
The leg was never exactly the same, some scarring thickness was alway there.

I did great and he won't lose the leg.
Just keep him warm and alone so other birds don't touch his leg.
Also some vitamins to help get over the shock.

Good Luck,

Jerry

[konkata]

For whatever reason I can't edit my above post since I accidently posted the same picture twice, so heres the one I goofed up on posting:



I didn't set a perch up since he's not interested in perching, but I did put a nest in there and he's been in there and puffed up ever since. I've left him alone and will probably let him be for the rest of the day. I can't fit the heat lamp on the cage with the blanket on there so I set up a heating pad (out of his reach so he doesn't get burned)

Thank you EVERYONE for all your advice!