We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

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Sheather
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by Sheather » Sat Nov 15, 2014 5:23 am

MiaCarter

He will have the shelves, and the top of the fridge, and the cage bottoms, and in the flowerpots, and on the bird feeder, and of course on the floor of the room itself as flat areas to stand, so that shouldn't be a problem haha.

There was a slight drip of blood coming from the wound yesterday which was gone today. The leg looks less swollen now than it did yesterday. I think we're going to be okay.

I just can't help thinking of my poor Darwin, he was such a pitiful case with his one leg - but again, he was a special case and his condition was the result of neglect, Dancer is going to be accommodated as much as possible right from the start to ensure he can be as normal of a bird as possible.
~Dylan

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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by SamFinch » Sat Nov 15, 2014 5:33 am

I'm not sure what happened to my birds leg. It appears to be on sideways. But Sheldon gets around fine, I have to have wider perches than normal and a wider perch on feed cups etc. I'm glad your bird is doing well!! :D

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MiaCarter
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by MiaCarter » Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:12 am

Sheather -- Exactly. He'll be accommodated from day one, so he should thrive.

Sounds like he's got lots of nice spots where he can hang out! So he should be all set. He won't know anything else, so it will be relatively easy for him (compared to a bird who was used to having two functional legs and loses that ability.) As a baby, everything is new to him and everything he learns requires a bit of a challenge, so no better time for this to occur developmentally speaking.

I'd keep a very close eye on that leg. Look for redness spreading up the leg.
Hopefully it should start drying up soon. The sooner the blood supply closes off, the better.

Thinking of Darwin makes me so sad. And he wasn't even my bird. I can only imagine how you feel.
It sounds like had such a sweet but broken spirit.
Humum to....
13 Zebra Finches....and 2 squeeps!
3 Society Finches
6 Gouldians
1 Weaver
1 Pintail Whydah
2 Cockatiels
2 Parakeets

....along with 1 MinPin, 1 Pug, 1 JRT, 1 Yorkie, 2 Chihuahuas and 15 cats.


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KarenB
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by KarenB » Sat Nov 15, 2014 12:27 pm

When Annie's leg died and was only dangling by skin, I took some sterile scissors and snipped it off. She was so much happier when I did, and it only took a couple days after that before the tiny blood spot completely healed over.
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Dragooness
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by Dragooness » Tue Nov 18, 2014 7:15 pm

I got a girl from where I used to work, with a damaged wing. They where going to put her down, but I begged and got her. She still is a little slow, but happy with her man in her cage. She is the friendliest bird I have. Handicapped birds make the best pets!
2.1 Nubian goats, 0.2 Boar goats, 5.4 Zebra Finches, 1.0 Cockatiel, 5.8 Chickens, 0.1 Cat

Sorry I have been AWOL guys, broke my tablet, just replaced it.

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Colt
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by Colt » Tue Nov 18, 2014 10:37 pm

I also have a few "special needs" (handicapped) birds. Fawkes my original male Shaft-tail came to me after a metal split leg band accident. He gets along just fine. I don't think he can breed and if he can none of the females have ever tried pairing with him which is a real shame as I believe he's pied. I also have a female diamond dove who had a similar leg band accident. She didn't lose the leg/foot but mangled it completely and broke the leg. It healed terribly but she gets along and has even raised four clutches of babies. :)

I'm sure you'll do just fine with the little one.

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MiaCarter
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by MiaCarter » Wed Nov 19, 2014 12:15 am

Dragooness wrote: ..... Handicapped birds make the best pets!
Yes!
I'd even expand that, saying that handicapped animals make the best pets.

I always form a very special relationship with the special needs animals. They develop a trust and bond that's very uncommon among able-bodied animals.
Some people think it's odd that I'm always opting for the special needs pets, but then they see the special bond and they "get it."

I would be sure to keep handling this little guy Sheather. You'll want to ensure that he stays tame as it will make life much easier for him if he needs any special care down the road.
Humum to....
13 Zebra Finches....and 2 squeeps!
3 Society Finches
6 Gouldians
1 Weaver
1 Pintail Whydah
2 Cockatiels
2 Parakeets

....along with 1 MinPin, 1 Pug, 1 JRT, 1 Yorkie, 2 Chihuahuas and 15 cats.


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Sheather
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by Sheather » Wed Nov 19, 2014 1:00 am

MiaCarter

I have really been worrying over little Dancer the last three days, because the base of her leg near the point of constriction has swelled badly with yellow pus and definitely became infected as a result of a small part of the foot not drying up and remaining attached as basically a disgusting bag of decomposing fluid which I dare not cut as it did not appear wholly dead from the nerve.

I do not have access to antibiotics, so as much as I worried I knew I could do nothing but wait and hope it cleared up on its own and that she was not in too much pain. However, yesterday, the 'sac', for lack of a better word, had begun to dehydrate and the swelling began to drain, and though it's still not looking good today, it is looking better. I've moved her to one of the other nests with four chicks about one week younger than her because her own nest is going to fledge soon and she is not going to be ready. The birds caring for that nest, her cousins, took her on with their own chicks without any question. I am changing all the paper in the nest twice daily to keep it as clean as possible, and she seems to be doing okay.

Despite the gunky leg, she doesn't act ill, eats well, and she is growing at the same rate as her siblings. She has all of her feathers in today along with the other 7 in her age group (our other seven are younger). Hoping the wound eventually clears and heals, it's not been a quick process - she must not have been entirely constricted and it's taking forever for the blood supply and nerves to be cut off. I only hope she isn't in constant unbearable pain, I feel so bad looking at her foot, caught in limbo between life and death. Cannot be pleasant.

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Dancer (center, here) amongst her seven siblings - Nutmeg, Shadow, Floyd, Noel, Tango, Perry, and Ginger.
~Dylan

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MiaCarter
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by MiaCarter » Wed Nov 19, 2014 1:35 am

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear she developed an infection. That's so common, especially in a little one like this who doesn't have any real immune system.

The fact that it's draining is a good thing. But I'm worried that's going to spread up her leg or into her bloodstream.

I would definitely be cleaning that leg 3x day.
I would dip the leg in hydrogen peroxide for about 30 sec. Normally, you'd want to dilute it a bit, as pure HP can damage tissue, but in this case, it's exactly what you want to happen. We want to speed up the tissue death in that foot.
That will also cleanse away bacteria and help her immune system combat it more effectively.

Then, I would pat the leg dry with some sterile gauze.
Then, I'd apply a huge dollop of antibiotic ointment. I would put a good amount on the upper, live portion of the leg, so it will soak in through the skin.
I'd put a very lose wrapping of vet wrap over the leg for about 45-60 min, twice a day, while she's supervised and with you. It's just to serve as a loose sleeve that will just keep the ointment on her leg and prevent it from glomming up her feathers or wiping off. Then remove the wrapping and gently wipe off the excess. Leave a light coating of ointment on there to protect the leg from bacteria in the nest.
That 45-60 min, twice a day will allow the antibiotic ointment to perfuse the skin and it will help combat the infection. (My uncle, a physician, actually treated sepsis this way while hiking one time! There were telltale red streaks that indicate blood poisoning but globs of antibiotic ointment on the limb, covered with a wrapping was sufficient to keep it in check until get to treatment.)

We need to get you some antibiotics! Amoxitex has saved my babies on so many occasions. It's one of those things where when you need it, you don't have time to order it.
Humum to....
13 Zebra Finches....and 2 squeeps!
3 Society Finches
6 Gouldians
1 Weaver
1 Pintail Whydah
2 Cockatiels
2 Parakeets

....along with 1 MinPin, 1 Pug, 1 JRT, 1 Yorkie, 2 Chihuahuas and 15 cats.


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Sheather
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by Sheather » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:10 pm

Thank you MiaCarter will do.
~Dylan

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Sheather
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by Sheather » Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:14 am

MiaCarter

No improvements. Three-times-daily peroxide cleanings, followed by Neosporin. There remains the icky dried foot attached to the flesh and the large yellow pus pocket. It seems localized and not to be growing up further into her leg. But it looks so awful. :(

Dancer is trying to fledge despite, and is having some success perching with only her good leg. She is being fed, is active and alert, and tries to fly. She just carries this big dead weight around and I wish I could just lop the leg off clean and be done with this yucky pus blob and dangling half-dead flesh. It's not gotten worse in a good four days or so - but it's not improving either. She's not been staying in a nest at all any longer, but an open travel cage cushioned with old felt which the parents are comfortable going in to feed her. It's easy to handle her and easier to keep her area clean this way.

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MiaCarter
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by MiaCarter » Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:28 am

Eeek....that's not looking fabulous.

The upper live portion of the leg looks quite thick. Swollen?

The fact that it hasn't gotten worse is a good thing. So I'd continue with the hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic ointment as you've been doing.
If we can keep it from getting worse, then that's a good thing.

That foot looks pretty ready to come off. Hopefully it should fall off soon.

The problem is that right now, you have a bacteria-ridden, rotting limb abutting the live flesh. So any healing that occurs with the infection will just be re-seeded by the bacteria from the dead foot.

So hopefully, once that foot comes off, it will start healing.

Once it does fall off, I would soak the stump in really warm water with 50% hydrogen peroxide a few times per day. (This in addition to what you're already doing.) The warmth should help draw out the pus and infection, promoting drainage.
You could even try it now. I'm not sure how much good it would do with the foot still on there, but it couldn't hurt. (In fact, the warmth may help promote deterioration in the necrotic tissue.)

Hopefully once the foot falls off, the stump will have an open area where it can drain from. If not, you may need to lance the pus pocket to allow for drainage. It's quite simple. It's literally a matter of making a tiny, tiny little slice with an x-acto knife blade or the corner of a fresh razor blade. It will be painless if you soak the stump for a while in really warm water. You could even get a numbing cream if you feared hurting her. (They sell it at the drug store.) And really, that would only be necessary if it's not draining on its own.

I would really recommend getting some Amoxitex if you could. I think that would give her the best chance of survival.

I can tell she's a fighter! What a sweetie. I can tell she's really special.
I'm happy to hear that she's still developing and reaching her milestones, despite her bad leg. That's a really good thing. That tells us that her body isn't totally overwhelmed with infection at the moment (otherwise, she would be acting sick - lethargic, perhaps not eating as well as she should be, etc.)
I'd make sure she's getting lots of protein-rich food and lots of nutrients. I'd be giving her a good vitamin supplement to help her body fight this.
Humum to....
13 Zebra Finches....and 2 squeeps!
3 Society Finches
6 Gouldians
1 Weaver
1 Pintail Whydah
2 Cockatiels
2 Parakeets

....along with 1 MinPin, 1 Pug, 1 JRT, 1 Yorkie, 2 Chihuahuas and 15 cats.


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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by Atbird » Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:41 am

You could try using a teabag as a poultice. Steep a tea bag in some hot water, let the teabag cool, then place it on the leg. My doctor recommends that for infected eyelash duct, so it's safe for sensitive tissue.
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MiaCarter
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by MiaCarter » Sun Nov 23, 2014 2:28 pm

Atbird -- I've used that method too. Works nicely.
Though I always use a really warm compress. The warmth helps to draw the infection to the surface so it can drain. But that's easy enough - I'd just keep a warm cup of water and re-dip as necessary.
Humum to....
13 Zebra Finches....and 2 squeeps!
3 Society Finches
6 Gouldians
1 Weaver
1 Pintail Whydah
2 Cockatiels
2 Parakeets

....along with 1 MinPin, 1 Pug, 1 JRT, 1 Yorkie, 2 Chihuahuas and 15 cats.


Image
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www.PetFinchFacts.com

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KarenB
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Re: We're going to have a one-legged birdie. :(

Post by KarenB » Mon Nov 24, 2014 1:35 am

If you can, you can snip the dead part off if you can get a clean cut with a pair of surgical type scissors. I am lucky I have those at work, and I borrowed a pair. I ended up doing that with Annie, and it healed right up afterwards. Though she never had the big pus pocket like that.

I'd also be tempted to lance or puncture it to drain.

Have you given oral antibiotics?
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