Didn't Think It Would Happen to Me

[Acelin_Wolf]

Hey guys! It's been a while.

Species: Society Finch.
Problem: Broken foot/not eating.
Taken to vet already? Yes! She's on pain meds since 7:30am and antibiotics in case her toes develop necrosis.
Diagnosis: Broken large toe; foot overall looks like it could be broken/crippled.

The story is, my finch got her foot stuck in a cage last night. She was probably stuck for anywhere from 1-3 hours, since I went to bed at 3am and found her at 6am fluttering/dangling by her toe.

I wanted to 1) make sure everyone knows where her foot got stuck so you can all be aware of the potential risk. The cage I own are the white petco flight cages. I've included a pic of where her toe got stuck.

2) Ask what to do about her not eating.

I took her to the vet to get it looked at but the x-ray and hospitalization was just so much more than I could afford. So the vet said it would be okay if we took the 'wait and watch' approach, the danger being her not eating. It's 2pm my time and she hasn't eaten since last night about 11pm likely. That's when I give them fresh seed just before turning the light off. The vet warned me against feeding her myself, and I know they can starve quickly.

She's got flat dishes of hardboiled egg/kale (her favorite) as well as a flat water dish and a flat dish of seed/pellet mix. She also is in a cage by herself, paper towel bottom, and a heating pad under half the cage since I don't have a heating lamp. :/

[MiaCarter]

Agh. This is a tough one.

There's really nothing you can do short of force feeding her, which would pose an aspiration risk.

You might put a drop of honey on the side of her beak, where the upper and lower mandibles meet. It will seep in to her mouth. Wait a few minutes and repeat a few times.

That will help keep her blood sugars up. It may be enough to pull her out of a downward spiral. (They don't eat, which makes them feel poorly; they feel poorly, so they don't eat, and it becomes a circular problem.)

If you don't have honey, maple syrup works.

[Acelin_Wolf]

I may have honey. I'll check. I'm already giving her oral meds, which I know how to do and have done before, but she won't respond at all which i thought was weird. They usually shake their heads or open their beaks once I put meds there. :/ So I'm unsure how she'll respond to the honey.

I'm debating calling the vet. They said they can feed her, but I'm worried I'll be charged another visit/they're 40 minutes away.

-checks for honey-

[Acelin_Wolf]

Alright. So we had organic honey and I used that. She's still very alert, but she didn't move her beat at all. So I'm unclear if it got in. I tried both sides of her beak (where you said) just in case and made sure not to get it on her feathers.

She's sort of just laying on her chest. She /can/ stand but only very shortly/when shes very scared.

[MiaCarter]

Darn. That's a bummer. Ideally, she would have opened her beak to do the bird version of smacking her lips.

I might call your vet and see what they recommend. They'll crop feed her, which would sustain her until she starts eating on her own. Ideally, I'd have them show you how to do it. It's really not difficult once you do it a few times. (Plus, you'd need to get a syringe with crop tube. I'm sure they can give you one.)
You could use baby bird formula (available in pet stores) or even baby food.

The minimal response is really concerning, but this could be a function of the meds she's receiving. So a chat with the vet could be helpful.

I really hope she makes it. She sounds like she's in bad shape.

[Acelin_Wolf]

So no sooner did I type my last message then did she seemingly start to eat. I saw her sitting by the food dish and chewing. Then I see she's got a seed shell on her beak, stuck to some honey. XD so! I'd say this is good! She only ate a little and hasn't eaten since but the fact that she ate is a good sign, yes?

[MiaCarter]

Yes! Absolutely!
That's really good!
Maybe she got some honey in there and it did the trick? Or maybe just good luck!

The pain meds and even antibiotics can make them a bit wonky so it's possible that that's what happened.

But indeed, eating independently is really good!
When they stop eating, you always worry that their body is in shut down mode.
Some may also refuse to eat after a serious injury or illness because digestion sucks up a lot of energy --- energy that could be diverted to dealing with the injury or illness.

But it sounds like she's turning the corner.
Did the vet think she would lose the foot or toe?

[Acelin_Wolf]

"When they stop eating, you always worry that their body is in shut down mode." yes! Agreed.

Vet said losing the toes (the middle toe on each foot) is likely but not 100%. Her right foot also seems to be hurt more (that's the one she was dangling from). She also said the toes (maybe the whole right foot) could just be rendered 'useless' but not fall off.

So right now it's just a waiting game. It's the worst!

[KarenB]

Gulp. Well, I'm glad she's beginning to eat some. That's definitely a good sign, that she is even trying. I think the meds take away their appetite for a bit. I know when my Annie broke her leg, I was worried about her eating and drinking - drinking especially - but I put the honey in the water and crossed my fingers.

Birds are extremely resilient, so it sounds like your girl will be rounding the corner soon. She has the will to go on, and when in so much pain, that's an amazing thing.

[Sally]

Do you have any spray millet? That is one thing birds usually relish. You could lay a stalk right on the floor beside her.

[Acelin_Wolf]

Ah! Why didn't I think of that? I haven't given them millet in a while. I just forgot about it o.o

I'll see if I can't pick some up when I go to the store just now.

[finchmix22]

I assume you set up a nest type area on the floor for her to get support for her body, so she can sit up. She should be able to use a wide perch or a platform perch or even a bunch of cotton fiber and cocofiber that you bunch into a small cup shape and place in a corner, under a heat lamp. I'd make sure to offer her eggfood, millet spray and any veggies she may like, anything she used to eat readily. Hopefully, she is just in pain and not feeling like eating until the pain meds and antibiotics kick in and then she hopefully, will perk up. Keep us posted.

[Acelin_Wolf]

finchmix22- I'm not sure how to set up a nest area cuz I don't have that stuff . She has a wooden perch that shes not used. I'm guessing it's not comfortable. It's a very small version of this: [http://www.petsmart.com/supplies/perche ... 520SELLERS]. The vet wasn't specific on what perch to use. :/ Just put one in. Otherwise the bottom of the cage is just a paper towel.

I have been giving her fresh greens and eggs. She didn't touch them. I just gave her millet (went and bought it).

EDIT: She's just started eating the millet! Thank you both for the suggestion.

[Acelin_Wolf]

UPDATE She has made it through the first night.

[Sally]

That's great news! She must be eating, or she would not have made it. Here's hoping she continues to improve.