I think my bird has broken his leg. Please help.

[happycat]

I was at school today and when I got back I noticed Kirby acting weird. He would drag his leg and slip. Once he fell flat on his face! That's when I noticed his leg was red and bloody. (Bloody, not bleeding)When my mom got home she said his leg band got stuck on the cage bars for about 5-7 minutes
His leg band? Really?? I'm such an idiot! I was going to get The dumb band removed since this happened before but I should of done it sooner! Im so worried and I feel so guilty.
he lifts his leg a lot and limps and drags it. He has to drag himself on his perches and it can't wrap around them. We called the vet and were going to bring him. If they give him a splint, what if he picks at it? Do you think its broken? Should I bring him to the vet? Thanks, I'm hoping the little guys leg heals good.
AND I WILL REMOVE THAT DUMB BAND

 

[JerseyWendy]

I'm so sorry that happened to your birdy baby. YES, definitely take him to an avian vet. Only he/she can assess the leg properly. Hopefully it's not a bad break, IF it is indeed a break. The way you describe it, that he's dragging it, sounds quite suspicous, unfortunately. And yes, while at the vet, have the leg band removed.

Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

 

[happycat]

I'm driving him now. Poor thing, also has to be in a wobbly cage.
I have another question. He can fly still and will fly away from strangers. Hell hardly even let me hold his leg. How will the vet take him out and not have him get away.
Weird question but thanks and please pray for him

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Definitely bring him to a vet, any leg break is bad. Just imagine how much pain your poor baby is in I'm not sure what the bird would do to a splint/cast, but I do know a lot of birds have them successfully with no problems.

You should call your vet, ask how to make him comfortable. Will you be able to bring him in today?

*edit*

I just saw you already said your on your way.
Let us know how everything goes

 

[weco]

It does sound like the leg is broken, and yes, the bird should be seen by a vet.

Whenever a bird catches a legband or its foot on toys or in the cage bars, the bird will often break its leg trying to free itself. Sometimes a bird that is unattended may even damage a foot/leg to the extent that it might require amputation.....hopefully your little guy will be better soon.....

 

[weco]

Whenever a bird is injured, it should be restrained & prevented from doing further injury to itself.....

I'm pretty sure your bird will be toweled or otherwise restrained, while it is put to sleep, so that Xrays can be taken and the leg set...they will put him to sleep while the repair to his leg is performed.....

 

[JerseyWendy]

If you're bringing him WITH the cage, just cover him, to keep him as quiet as possible. A good avian vet will know how to handle him carefully and respectfully, without causing him any harm.

 

[crimson]

I too own a Kakariki, and I always worry with these types of birds, they are so inquisitive and so very curious, yours is very beautiful!
when you bring him home, put the perches as low as you can in the cage.
food and water on the bottom too.
provide heat to make him feel better..ie, heat lamp, heating pad on low, or a perch that provides heat.

.....poor thing I hope he's going to be ok

 

[Peeker]

You're doing the right thing to get him in to see the vet. I hope the vet can fix it up. Yes, have that leg band removed. Let us know what the vet says. I hope your baby feels better soon.

 

[kevin68w]

Poor little guy. I hope he feels better soon

 

[Kiwibird]

That's a terrible thing to come home to, hopefully the vet has already patched him up at this point! I know people who never have them removed, but I've always thought those leg bands just beg to get tangled up in stuff and cause injuries. And just because there are those bad vets out there who don't want a challenge, if your vet told you there was nothing to be done, do NOT take no for an answer. Keep calling around until you find a vet (avian or not) who is willing to treat the injury. All too often a bird who could make a full recovery is put down because the first vet they see isn't willing to treat them. My moms DYH broke her foot once (no idea how) and the specialist avian vet who had been treating all 3 of their parrots for over 20 years told her there was nothing to be done and the only option was to put her down. He said no vet would ever treat broken bones in parrots. My mom refused to kill her, and started calling every vets office in the phone book until she found a vet who didn't normally treat parrots who was at least willing to try. He actually did a fine job of fixing her foot by simply consulting with an avian vet he knew in another state during the whole process. Not saying your vet is one of the bad ones, but if he is, don't give up hope. I wish you the best of luck, and a speedy recovery to Kirby!

 

[happycat]

Thank you everyone!
He most likely does not have a broken leg! He's been looking much better and can walk and hop and just is just eating millet in his cage. The toweling stressed him out but he's calm now. He still lifts his foot though and they say its sore. They gave me syringes with antibiotic and some with pain meds. Ill be giving those to him tonight and daily for five days (although. I'm worried cause I've never done it) I am relieved though! Glad Kirby's ok

 

[SandyBee]

Are you giving the meds orally?
If so you may be able to put on food, when I gave my amazon meds I put it on a small piece of toast with a little red palm oil to mask the taste.
Glad he's feeling a bit better

 

[Kiwibird]

Glad he's ok! He was probably just a bit stunned and in pain. Just a tip, but we found a really easy way to give Kiwi oral antibiotics without forcing him (he was a very resistant bird when we got him). Any "absorbent" treat your bird likes will work (Kiwi has a fondness for fruit loops), just very carefully soak it with the antibiotics and feed it to your bird. They don't know the difference that it's not just a treat. They get more of the medication when they eat it willingly than if you towel them and force it down. A lot spills out that way, and they don't get as much as they need. Spending 2 minutes meticulously soaking a fruit loop with antibiotics out of a syringe so none spills was actually a lot less time and trouble than restraining a sick/injured and terrified bird and trying to force them to swallow a liquid. Crackers, bread and certain cereals are some favorite human food treats that most birds will devour and antibiotics can easily be absorbed by.

 

[goalerjones]

Did they remove the band hopefully?

 

[happycat]

Glad he's ok! He was probably just a bit stunned and in pain. Just a tip, but we found a really easy way to give Kiwi oral antibiotics without forcing him (he was a very resistant bird when we got him). Any "absorbent" treat your bird likes will work (Kiwi has a fondness for fruit loops), just very carefully soak it with the antibiotics and feed it to your bird. They don't know the difference that it's not just a treat. They get more of the medication when they eat it willingly than if you towel them and force it down. A lot spills out that way, and they don't get as much as they need. Spending 2 minutes meticulously soaking a fruit loop with antibiotics out of a syringe so none spills was actually a lot less time and trouble than restraining a sick/injured and terrified bird and trying to force them to swallow a liquid. Crackers, bread and certain cereals are some favorite human food treats that most birds will devour and antibiotics can easily be absorbed by.

Thanks for the idea! She said they like the pain meds and don't like the antibiotics. I'm thinking of soaking a bit of cinnamon raisin bread in the antibiotics and just giving the syringe. Pain medication. So, three questions for you or anyone else (I'm a worry wart sorry lol) 1. Is it ok to feed them cinnamon raisin bread? 2. Is it ok to feed both meds in one sitting? And it says to give them 0.05 in one and the container has 1.0. The other has 0.05 but says to give 0.03. Is that on purpose for spills that it has extra? Is it ok if I give a bit too much?
Thanks again, I ask a lot of questions.

 

[happycat]

Did they remove the band hopefully?

Yes! finally.

 

[Echo]

Yes you can feed both meds at once. A bit of the bread will be fine, just a tiny piece so you are sure that he eats all the meds. I directly put meds through the side of the beak for my birds without any problem. I'm confused as to how much you need to feed? How much does your bird weighs for reference?

 

[Echo]

I'm asking because 0.05 mls and 1.0 mls is a huge gap....

 

[mcw009]

Glad he's ok! He was probably just a bit stunned and in pain. Just a tip, but we found a really easy way to give Kiwi oral antibiotics without forcing him (he was a very resistant bird when we got him). Any "absorbent" treat your bird likes will work (Kiwi has a fondness for fruit loops), just very carefully soak it with the antibiotics and feed it to your bird. They don't know the difference that it's not just a treat. They get more of the medication when they eat it willingly than if you towel them and force it down. A lot spills out that way, and they don't get as much as they need. Spending 2 minutes meticulously soaking a fruit loop with antibiotics out of a syringe so none spills was actually a lot less time and trouble than restraining a sick/injured and terrified bird and trying to force them to swallow a liquid. Crackers, bread and certain cereals are some favorite human food treats that most birds will devour and antibiotics can easily be absorbed by.

Thanks for the idea! She said they like the pain meds and don't like the antibiotics. I'm thinking of soaking a bit of cinnamon raisin bread in the antibiotics and just giving the syringe. Pain medication. So, three questions for you or anyone else (I'm a worry wart sorry lol) 1. Is it ok to feed them cinnamon raisin bread? 2. Is it ok to feed both meds in one sitting? And it says to give them 0.05 in one and the container has 1.0. The other has 0.05 but says to give 0.03. Is that on purpose for spills that it has extra? Is it ok if I give a bit too much?
Thanks again, I ask a lot of questions.

Do you mean they gave you 1mL of medicine? It's typical to get extra with liquid meds. You wouldn't want the exact amount needed, since some can evaporate, some will get lost in the end of the syringe (especially if you rinse it out after each use), some could get spilled, and it's darn near impossible to suck up the last dose or 2.