Lovie with a foot cramp

[Aratingettar]

Last week I've had an issue with one of my Lovies (1.5yo Female): Fiona's left foot (fingers) is cramped (squeezed). Seems like her finger muscles are tight and are preventing from straigtening her fingers.
I've took her to the Vet, and she gave her Steroids shot and an anti-biotic shot. I was instructed to keep giving her the antibiotic (Enrofloxacin), together with the pro-biotic and supplementary vitamins (most important Vitamin B).
She's rather active, seems to eat and drink normally. But I can clearly see she's struggling with her foot control.
I'm also doing her a "foot massage" few times a day.
Anyone experienced similar problem? What more can I do? Or just should I follow the Vet's intstructions?


One important note: she was brought slightly "imperfect" with a wrongly positioned leg and one of her fingers (birth-defect); but she did not displayed such pronounced "control-issues"

 

[noodles123]

Has she been tested for PDD and PBFD?
Vitamin deficiencies or over-doses can also cause this.

 

[Aratingettar]

No, she's not been tested against PDD/PBFD. But also no record of PFF/PBFD at her breeder - we're in constant touch. Her feathers and beak seem normal, the Vet also did not noticed anything unusual with these.

 

[noodles123]

It could be any number of things----Have you had a CBC performed (blood test)?
PDD and PBFD can have neurological impacts with few (if any) symptoms in mildly effected birds (especially early on). Birds can spread it without symptom and it can take upwards of 8 years before symptoms show (if they do). Not saying your bird has it, but lack of symptoms isn't enough to say he/she doesn't. The thing is, people don't usually test without symptoms, and that is how it spreads (infected birds who carry these viruses asymptomatically).


The reason I mentioned those was because they tend to have neurological side-effects.


Is it possible that she injured her foot somehow?
Arthritis is another issue for some birds...


I'm no vet (obviously)- so if you can get her to one, that would be my suggestion.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Wow, I never heard of something similar. I know you're in Poland so you'd have no use for my usual USA/Canada avian vet lists...

I did find this Poland list, in case you'd like a second opinion, maybe?


Ines Daszkowska
Warsaw
Poland
Michał Gruss
Poland
Piotr N. Marcin
Miechów
Miechów
32-200
Poland
Karolina Ptak
Kraków
30-721
Poland
Karolina Siedlecka
Banino
Banino
Poland
Adrianna Skarbek
Poland
Peter Wencel
Lublin
Lublin Region
20-044
Poland

I found this here...
https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803

 

[Aratingettar]

I've already looked up the list before, unfortunately only Ines Daszkowska does work as a Vet in Poland but she's some 350km away from me and currently she's not accepting new patients (temporarily). There are other names from my region, but one of them is working in the UK and the other one is currently just training (practicing).
The Vet I've visited has a good reputation, and since there are no other bird-specializing Vets around it's really hard to get a second opinion... And now after noodles123 mentioned about those viral diseases I'm really scared..

 

[ChristaNL]

Fun fact about birds legs you may use to help her 'uncramp'.

Birds toes (or fingers if you want) will automatically curl tight when the leg bends -> the tendons have this pully-system ging that if bird hunkers down for the night the toes grab the perch and cannot accidentally let go if they fall asleep.

So help your bird to (gently!!!!) straighten the leg -> that will autonaltically loosen up the clenched foot (+ toes)

* foot towards the belly, fold the leg -> curl up / increases tendon tension
* foot away from the bird, semi-straightens the leg -> uncurls toes/ decreases tendon tension

 

[Aratingettar]

Thank you Christa! Indeed when I massage her foot, she straightens the leg and releases the toes (stupid me with the "fingers" it's toes obviously).

 

[ChristaNL]

No worries, I have had humans coming in, complaining about hurt fingers because of an accident, and there we all sat staring at all those perfect digits, untill the individual removed his shoe...
and since parrots use their feet almost as much as a hand as they do as a foot... it makes sense.


Maybe inch up a bit and massage the leg as well?

 

[EllenD]

Has she ever had an X-Ray done? It doesn't sound like an infection, it does sound like a Tendon issue, but it could potentially be an inflammation of the Tendon(s) in her lower leg that control that flexion of her foot...Tendons all have a sheath around them that hold them together, and they very often become swollen, either from infection or from overuse or being used in a "wrong way", and this will cause the Tendons inside to either be squeezed and compressed (as in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in the wrist), or it can cause the Tendons themselves to become inflamed and/or infected, causing a constant contraction of the muscles they control. A regular X-Ray would show this issue, and then the Vet would know what to do, which typically is a prescription (long-term) of a strong anti-inflammatory medication and/or an antibiotic with the correct spectrum to treat the common bacteria that cause these types of infection, such as the Cephz antibiotics (Enrofloxacin is not going to treat these types of bacteria).

I would suspect that if you are able to at the very least get a Vet to prescribe her a strong prescription anti-inflammatory medication, it will start to resolve the issue slowly after only a couple days to a week of daily use.

 

[Aratingettar]

No, the Vet did not X-ray Fiona. She just verified the motion of her feet against any mechanical problem, and applied her the Steroid + antibiotics shots.
Seems like indeed I need 2nd opinion, at least additional tests to be done.

 

[EllenD]

A lot of the time in situations where there isn't access to a Vet that can do proper diagnostic testing, such as an X-Ray, Ultrasound, CT Scan, Blood-Work or other Lab Work, etc., then in situations like the one your bird has where it's an orthopedic/neurological issue, the Vets will do something called a "Treatment-Trial". This simply means that they put the patient on a prescription medication that is meant to only make the negative signs/symptoms subside, such as pain-killers, anti-inflammatory meds, Corticosteroids, muscle relaxers, etc., and if a certain medication relieves the symptoms very effectively, then this will give them the same diagnosis that the diagnostic testing would, such as an X-Ray...

You mentioned that they put your bird on Antibiotics and Corticosteroids already, and this was actually a "Treatment-Trial"...With Corticosteroids, if they relieve the symptoms of the issue long-term, then typically the issue is nerve-related and not related to an orthopedic problem, such as a bone, ligament, tendon, or muscle issue...However, if the Corticosteroid only relieves the symptoms temporarily or not at all, then it's typically not an issue with the sympathetic nervous system, as Corticosteroids only help orthopedic issues for a very short time and not in any type of drastic way, unless you are able to put the patient on them for a very long time...And putting a bird on long-term Corticosteroids (or anyone for that matter) can cause some very nasty side-effects and actual long-term or permanent syndromes and diseases, such as Cushings Disease....

In-contrast, another "Treatment-Trial" for this type of situation that is much safer for long-term use (if it is effective in relieving the symptoms) would be simply putting your bird on a prescription NSAID daily for around a month...If the issue is in-fact swelling/inflammation and irritation of the sheath around the tendons or the tendons themselves that cause that specific muscle or muscle groups to perform this flexion motion that your bird is constantly in, then you would know that this is exactly what the issue is, and then you can go from there...There are a few prescription NSAIDS that work extremely well for Tendon and Tendon-Sheath inflammation, and if this is in-fact your bird's issue, you should see your bird getting some relief pretty directly, followed by more and more progressive improvement as the days go on. Metacam/Meloxicam is one of these NSAIDS, probably the safest for the bird's Kidney's and the most effective for relieving Tendon and Muscle inflammation and irritation.

I forgot to ask you if there is any visible swelling in your bird's leg down through the ankle joint to the foot (is there a size difference or visible swelling/inflammation/redness when compared to the opposite, non-effected leg/ankle/foot)? If there is visible swelling, especially in the lower leg and upper foot area, or the area around the ankle joint (specifically on the top of the ankle joint and lower leg), then this is another sure sign that the Tendons that are responsible for the flexion motion are very irritated and inflamed, probably from overuse or improper use over-time.

***If an X-Ray isn't possible, or at least isn't possible right away, I would ask your Vet if they would put your bird on a daily dose of Metacam/Meloxicam or other similar Anti-Inflammatory Drug (not a narcotic pain-killer or Corticosteroid), and then simply watch your bird's leg and see if that flexion starts to subside over-time...If so, then you have your answer, and your bird will also get some pretty immediate relief that even narcotic pain-meds won't help because they do nothing for inflammation.

***The "cure" for this issue with the Flexor-Tendons in that area is actually pretty simple and non-invasive, and is exactly the same as the "surgery" that people have done for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in their wrists...I don't know if you've ever known someone who has severe and long-time Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but in addition to the constant, dull, achy pain they usually experience in their wrist and hand, the other common symptom is a constant feeling of and/or actual contraction of their fingers into a fist. We all have an extremely large group of Tendons that run right through our wrists that control our hands and specifically our fingers and thumb movements. It's amazing to see, because we all have over a dozen different Tendons that run through our wrist joints, and because our wrists are not very large and there is not much space at all for all of these Tendons to run through, the sheath that is wrapped around all of them and encases all of them often becomes quite swollen with overuse or misuse. Over-time people can end-up with their fingers constantly curled-up into a fist, and if the overuse/misuse isn't stopped, eventually the Tendons become so compressed that they actually start to "bunch-up" inside of that sheath that encases all off them, and then they lose the ability to open their fingers back up, and they have a permanent fist all the time...And the surgery to fix this issue (in addition to stopping the action/misuse that is causing it in the first place, along with anti-inflammatory meds) is simply a 15 minute-long surgery where a very small incision about 2" long is made in the skin over the wrist joint, which exposes the sheath that encases all the Tendons...Then a very tiny incision is made in this sheath, and then a retractor is placed inside of this tiny incision, and then the retractor is used to spread-out/stretch-out the sheath, creating a much loser sheath and a lot more room for the Tendons to run through, and this instantly relieves the bunching-up and constriction of the Tendons. The incision in the sheath around the Tendons is left open, and the incision in the skin is sutured closed, and then the wrist/hand is put in a cast or a metal brace with the fingers all extended for about 4 weeks, and this usually is enough time to allow all of the swelling of the Tendons to go down, and it allows the sheath around the Tendons to stay permanently opened-up and stretched-out, creating ample room for the Tendons to run through...The whole thing takes about 15-20 minutes, and I got to do a bunch of them during my surgical internship during graduate school...

The exact same procedure is done on birds with constant-contraction of the Flexor Muscles to their toes, but only if a daily dose of anti-inflammatory drugs doesn't relieve the swelling causing the contraction of the Tendons...A lot of the time with birds the surgery isn't needed because the anti-inflammatory drugs are all that is needed to relieve the issue...The difference between birds and people is that people unfortunately tend to keep doing the motion/behavior that is causing the issue to begin with, such as typing on a computer keyboard every day in an improper position or with improper wrist support...With birds, they typically are smart enough to stop doing what causes them pain, lol...

So I would talk to your Vet ASAP about simply starting your bird on a low-dose of an anti-inflammatory drug, such as Metacam, once daily, and see if you see any change in your bird's foot and toe-contraction after a couple of weeks on the anti-inflammatory drugs...