Leg band emergency!

[L in Ontario]

It looks like it "may" still be constricted but yes it certainly is much darker now.

I think others have had this type of injury and the foot has actually fallen off on it's own. I can't recommend leaving it to do that as infection "could" travel further up the leg.

The bird itself doesn't appear too badly off; he seems alert and not puffed or squinty-eyed. So that is good!

[Ursula]

Poor thing!

If the vet can just amputate it I can't imagine the bill will be too high. And maybe they can do it so they can save a leg stump, so he can at least rest the left side on it somewhat. I don't think I would wait either for fear that it would only get worse...

[konkata]

I'd much rather have the vet remove it than allow it to fall off on its own. I'm really not a vet person and I know he'll probably charge me a pretty dollar, but it would make me feel a lot better if it was taken off professionally.

Hopefully he won't charge me an arm and a leg. I believe I get a discount since I'm a member of the bird rescue group in my area, but it'll still hurt a bit financially. At least I'll have peace of mind.

[lovemyfinch]

So sorry you are going through this.

[monotwine]

Oh shame that is not good! Looks like the bone/joint was damaged after all / he damaged it further when the swelling reduced.

On the up side, like others have mentioned he can live quite happily with one leg though matings may not be successful from now on if he cannot clutch the hen.

Let the vet have a look and in the very least he might give you some antibiotics to prevent any infection. Hope the costs are gentle and it does not cost you a leg and wing.
Sometimes the price covers the cost of our worry and assurance that we have done the best we can for our feathered friends and that alone is priceless.

[Ursula]

Sometimes the price covers the cost of our worry and assurance that we have done the best we can for our feathered friends and that alone is priceless.

[konkata]

Just got back from the vets!

I spoke with the vet and told him that around 1am this morning the leg was doing alright. The swelling went down and the color was good, and when I checked on him after I got up this morning, the foot was black. He examined my little guy and said that he probably would have rebounded perfectly, but sometime during the night he must have broken the leg, and thats what did him in. I told him everything I was doing to treat him and he said it was 100% correct (thanks guys!) but this stuff just happens sometimes.

He took a sample to see if there were any infections and he said that based on what was in his poop, he's on a wonderful diet (yay me!). There were some bacteria but in such a small amount he normally wouldn't worry about it, but since he's ill and stressed, we put him on antibiotics just as a precausion. He also gave me pain medication to give him.

The foot is still slightly alive. They cut one of his nails and it bled very little, but it bled. We're going to wait for it to completely die and we've scheduled for it to be amputated next Friday.

So on the bright side, he's a very healthy little bird! On the downside, he'll lose his foot. On another bright side, it didn't cost me a WING and a leg, just some dark meat, and on an even brighter note than that, he'll make a good recovery.

On the downside, looks like his breeding days will be over. I'm just happy that its being taken care of. I'll keep everyone updates as it goes along. Thanks again for all the advice!

[G8love4finches]

OUCH!...It is so hard when our little guys are hurting!....Hope all goes well and he can start a speedy recovery

[L in Ontario]

That's a great prognosis and the best we could hope for. Continued best wishes!

[Sally]

Just catching up with this thread, and so sorry you (and your little bird) had to go thru this. I have had several one-legged finches, and they do fine, adapt amazingly well. I had to amputate one myself, a BC hen that somehow just about cut off her foot, just hanging by skin, didn't even bleed when I cut it.

[ac12]

Yup, the foot is dead.
If you leave him alone, the dead part of the leg will fall off in a while (I don't remember how many days the leg/foot of my zebra took to fall off).

Give him good food (seeds, egg and veggies) and vitamins to help him recover and he should be OK.

Since he will be putting all his weight on the remaining leg, I would try to make is easier on him. Set up platform perches and a nest, so he can plop himself down on the platform and nest rather than have to hold himself up on the one leg.

[kenny]

hi
i know its sounds harsh but i dont think the vet would do anything else but amputate,as you can see he can hold on with one leg,if its any consolation i had a green singer with one leg and he even managed to breed and still sing his great song,and its incredible how fast they recover from it


ken

[konkata]

Yes, we are doing an amputation

I'm really leaning towards just nipping it off myself, to be honest. I feel the sooner its done, the better off he'll be, and I'm not freaked out by medical procedures. I do most of my animals vetting at home (when they need it), just this situation was new to me so I wanted a vet's opinion.

I checked on him today and feel as though the foot is completely dead now. I just have to decide whether I should just nip it off or let the vet do it.

[Ursula]

I'm glad he's otherwise healthy, that means he'll recover.

I could never do an amputation myself! But I agree, why wait until next Friday? Did the vet tell you the reason why he wants to wait for a week?

[lovemyfinch]

I am wondering if maybe the vet was thinking to wait till Friday for 2 reasons. 1. So that he could see exactly at what point the leg died, thus just cutting off what was absolutely necessary and avoiding any further blood loss. 2. That the leg would likely fall off on its own during this time, thus cutting costs for the owner.