Leg band emergency!

[konkata]

I believe he pegged the exact location of death on the leg. He wanted to wait for it to completely die to prevent any unecessary blood loss though. He cut a nail on the foot and it bled VERY little, but it still bled, indicating that even though the foot was dieing and almost there, still wasn't completely dead yet.

I do think he wanted to wait for my benefit as well. I'm part of a rescue group and I get a 15% discount, but my husband wasn't helping me on this one and I work a part time job, so I told him exactly how much I had to spend today and that I might need a payment plan to help me through (He'd do the payment plan for me since I was part of the rescue). I get paid every Friday so I think he was

A.) Going to wait for the foot to die before amputating
B.) Seeing if maybe the leg would come off on its own
C.) Helping me out by placing the appointment for the next time I get paid

I'm fine with doing it by myself. I used to give my own horses stitches and doctor my own pets. Of course if I needed a vet, I'd get them in to one for an opinion or a procedure thats over my head but other than that, I'm pretty good at handling medical issues.

So I guess I get the corn starch and some nail clippers? Should I cut just above the black or exactly where the black begins? Might need to wait for when my husband gets home so he can help me hold him at least.

[ac12]

NOT above the black, that would be living tissue. And you would have to deal with a bleeding leg.
I would cut inside the black part.

My preference is to leave it for a week and see what happens on its own.

[konkata]

haha...oops >_>

I just took his foot off before I read your reply. I cut it just below the part where it was black and he didn't even bleed. I don't even think he felt a thing. I gave him some pain medication just in case, sanatised the stump and called the vet.

The vet said to keep our appointment and that I made the right call, so thats a relief. We'll be doing a wellness check next Friday to see how he's doing.

[konkata]

A good update today!

My little guy started chirping today. He hasn't sung yet, but after I gave him his medicine and put him back in his cage this morning, he started chirping. The stump is looking good as well. No discoloration in the remaining leg

[Sally]

Good news! Birds will adapt very well to the loss of toes or limbs. As Gary mentioned, you might want to put some sort of flat platform-type perch in his permanent cage, so he will have a place to rest without constantly holding on with one leg. Some people use wire platforms. I use flat rocks sold by http://www.birdontherocks.com. These are quite heavy, so may not work on all cages, the cage has to be sturdy, but my birds love them. If you decide on these, be sure to let them know that they are for small finches, you don't need the big rocks.

[G8love4finches]

Great news!...Good to hear the little guy is on the road to recovery!!

[konkata]

Thanks for the link! As of right now, I have an open nest for him to sit in so he doesn't have to constantly balance. My gouldian is very upset at me because I took it out of his cage to use for my cutthroat. Everytime I check on him, he's chilling in his nest so I think that was a good idea. I don't know what arrangement I'll have with him when he heals. I may put him in with my gouldian (as long as he doesn't turn aggressive) since my gouldian is very mellow, but we'll see.

[monotwine]

So glad things are working for you and your little guy. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

[Ursula]

I'm so glad the little guy is ok!!

Post a picture when you have time, please!

I think you're very brave doing this yourself. And you are very fortunate to have such a supportive vet!

[L in Ontario]

Great to hear he is chirping again, Konkata. Sounds like you've done good with this whole situation. Well done.

[CandoAviary]

There are a few old post about damaged legs. Here is one that has a picture of my blue hen that had a band get caught and the leg died... the leg fell off naturally. She is now breeding
http://finchforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4 ... eg#p119571

[kenny]

hi
glad to here the little guy is chirping,the idea of giving him a little platform to rest on would be great so he can rest his other leg occasionally


ken

[konkata]

These are pics I just took a few minutes ago. I caught him to give him his medicine and grabbed the camera real fast





A little bit of the black is still there but I suspect he'll either take that part off by himself or it'll come off on its own. He's doing better with his balance and takes right to the nest he's given to rest in. When I move him out of the hospital cage I'll make sure to set something up for him.

[G8love4finches]

Get to see a positive outcome!...

[Ursula]

Poor thing! But I'm sure he gets used to balancing on one leg, with a little support.

I like the pictures and how he's holding on to your finger.