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Any advice on figuring out whether a leg is broken. My cockatoo came out of his sleeping cage with a bleeding foor and blood in his mouth (we thought he had a cut on his tongue, but it was probably just form his foot). The cut on his foot was small and probably caused by his girlfiend/neighbor. It seems to be healing fine, but he still favors that foor a lot and sometimes falls over if he puts wieght on it. There is no swelling and it appeast to be fine visually. When I touch it or press on his leg/ankle he does not react.
He can still grip with that foot but he does not grip tightly.
I do nto want to take him to the vet needlessly. It will stress him out to get an xray and he will freak to be around a bunch of dogs and cats. On the other hand if his leg is broken maybe they can do somethng. I am not sure there is anything they can do. Can their bones break that easily? Should I give him some time to heal? He is 25 and this is the first time he has had any significant injury. We do nto even have an avian vet, but I think our vet knows birds.
if hes using it and putting some weight on it its not likely to be broken, but it sounds like theres something more than healing frm alitle cut going on. sounds more muscular...id stil get him checked ove,ask your vet if they know of any VIAN vets, a regular vet even if they are familiar with birds may not know enough to give youa good definitive nswer...where as an avian vet would be able to tell form looking if it would realy need an x-ray.
the other side of that however is its very difficult to splint/secure a parrots leg (they pull all support off) so even if it was broken its unlikely theyd do much unless it needed pins to set it...
It could also be a tendon or ligament issue. If the bleeding has stopped and it doesn't appear to be infected, (the area seems to be "well approximated", or closed properly, and there is no redness, etc.), you can opt to keep an eye on it and see how it goes. I tend to be a big baby with my feathered family and bring them to the vet, even if it's just to see if prophylactic antibiotics are recommended. (Their bodies are so small, if it does get infected it can spread rapidly and one of the indicators - fever - isn't something most people can check for.) Personally, I would rather know rather than guess exactly what is going on, but that's just the way I am.
As far as vets go, a knowledge of birds and having a lot of current, practical experience with birds, (and knowledge of advances in avian medicine), may not be synonymous. It's a good idea to have an avian vet before you actually need one. (It's also good to know where your nearest 24 hour emergency avian clinic is.) Usually I recommend people bring their bird in for a well bird check up as a means to meet and interview a vet, in addition to seeing how the vet handles the bird - before there is a significant medical issue or emergency. In your case, since you don't have an avian vet, you may wish to consider taking your bird in since you have an "excuse" now to visit one.
IMO, the best way to find a good avian vet is through recommendations from your local bird club. Most people who join bird clubs are very "into" their birds and many members have quite a few flock members in their household. Sometimes there are professional breeders among the membership, too. Most people that heavily into birds tend to be a bit picky and use more stringent criteria in choosing a vet than the average fancier who has one or two pet birds.
Here is a list of board certified avian vets. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated since 2004; you will notice board certified avian vets are rather far and few between. The two vets I used when I lived in NY are on this list. Here is a list of avian vets who are not necessarily board certified. (Any vet can call themselves an avian vet.) The two I used in NY are also on this list, as is the vet I currently use. It's expensive to become certified in avian medicine and not all vets choose to do this. All three that I have first-hand experience with are smart, highly skilled practitioners. I know a few others on this list personally and have also heard a couple of them lecture, but have never seen them interact with a bird; I can vouch for their extensive knowledge base, but not their hands-on skills.
I wanted to mention this list, in case you run across it on the internet. This is more like a professional club, so to speak, for avian medicine. I personally know of two vets who are members, that I wouldn't bring an experimental laboratory rat to. That certainly doesn't mean that all the vets on this list are bad and the two who I think are lacking is JMO anyway. I am mentioning this list simply because I think it's not the best one to choose an avian vet from.
what do ou mean b running a cold.
id definatly agree an Avian vet needs to look your baby over, but if our house is cold he may just be very cold, try turing our heat up or providing him with a heat lamp (remember parrots are from a tropical climate)
Even so, PLEASE take him to he vet.
a parrot running a fever/temperature, OR feling oddly cold is something to have checked by a vet!
My budgie is dragging his foot after one of his buddies mates bit it. I don't want to take him to the vet but I'm very concerned if u guys know whats going on please tell me
My budgie is dragging his foot after one of his buddies mates bit it. I don't want to take him to the vet but I'm very concerned if u guys know whats going on please tell me
We can't see your bird so we can't really suggest much. You could try to immobilize it but you could make it worse if he struggles and you don't know what you are doing. He could easily chew off any wrapping or splint. He could start self-mutilating to get rid of what is hurting.
Why won't you take him to a vet?
Cost? Many vets will set up payment plans.
No avian vet nearby? Call around and ask who sees birds. If you know anyone else with birds ask them who they use. Even a pet shop that sells birds might be able to help. Maybe a local humane society or wildlife rehabilitator could suggest someone or even help your bird.
Afraid that the stress of the trip will make things worse? There are ways to minimize stress.
If your bird is injured enough that he can't use his foot he is in pain; suffering. Birds try to hide injuries and illnesses as long as possible until they can no longer do so. A bite from another budgie could be quite serious. If there's a break in the skin infection is quite possible. An xray could quickly tell you whether there's a fracture that needs setting.
Budgies do not live long and they are inexpensive. Frankly, I would not be inclined to take a budgie to the vet any more than I would take a sick fish to the vet. At the same time it is not right to leave him in pain if he is suffering endlessly. If he does not heal in a week I would probably just kill him and buy another one. Sad and maybe cruel seeming, but are you really going to go to the vet and spend $1200 on a $12 budgie? Some pets I simply will not spend the money to take them to the vet. Mice, frogs, fish, finches, canaries, budgies, rats, ants, hermit crab, gekko, tarantula. . .
A tarantua may cost a lot more than a budgie, but if she gets sick - no she does not go to the vet. Like in nature, some pets live or die on their own. Sorry.
On the other hand, I can understand how you get so attached, you just cannot let them go. My cockatoo discussed above was fine from the foot injury, but in 2017 he had a prolapsed rectum. We spent $700 for surgery and then he died three days later. After thrity years together, it was devastating. I would have paid $15,000 if it would have kept him alive for what should have been his normal lifespan (another 30 years). .
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