New to the site and REALLY need help on this one

[Burbgirl]

Hey everyone. So tonight my 22 year old cockateil Squeak took a tumble while my bf was watching him. The old man still thinks he can fly but he really can't. Anyway, he tried to fly back to his cage and missed his mark causing him to hit a set of draws beak first and land on his foot. When I came back into the room he stepped up onto my hand and I noticed he wasn't putting a lot or pressure on his right foot and couldn't keep his balance very well. I believe it might be broken and I will be getting the poor thing to a vet ASAP. I didn't think it was a good idea to keep him in his cage due to the perches being up high and I don't want him to fall during the night. I currently have him in a pet carrier by my bed side (I plan to pull an all nighter to keep an eye on him) with some old tshirts in the bottom for cushioning along with a bowl of seed and a bowl of water. I just want to know if that's a good idea? Or should I have left him in his cage?
I've got many birds but I've never dealt with a possible break and I'm really out my depth and freaking out. I'd love some advice or reassurance, I want him to be as comfortable as possible until I can get him sorted out.

 

[mboundy]

Hello, our conure got stepped on by our dog and suffered a broken leg. It was evident that its was broke.we rushed him to an avion vet about 25 miles away. They put under anestisia, x-rayed him and applied a cast. He healed 100%. I suggest you find a vet with parrot experience since anesthesia can be deadly and get him xrayed asap.

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[gracebowen]

I second emergency avian vet.

 

[Laurasea]

Oh so sorry. Poor thing! If you have an emergency avain vet that's the way to go. If you have to keep him till morning, then yes a small cage is best..I know you have to be so worried.. keep us updated.

 

[noodles123]

I third it (unless it is like a 5 hour that you think could stress him out beyond reason)---I am not sure what to do if there are broken bones- if he were ill, I would say keep him calm and warm (not hot, but perhaps a tad than usual--remembering heaters can contain teflon and the water bottles can cool down and leach heat away faster than cold air)...but he doesn't have a disease (that we know of)...
The issue is, if he did break something and it is bleeding internally etc, I would hate to tell you to keep him warm and then cause a blood clot to dislodge or something as a result of the heat (I know that can happen in people- don't know if birds can have that problem as well)....
He is kind of a senior citizen as cockatiels go, so in my mind, this is like grandma falling down the steps. I think you are very smart not to put him up high, because if he falls, he could break his neck.
Is he eating and drinking?
I would just worry about the internal stuff that could go wrong with a break---birds are SO good at hiding things.

A trip to some random, run-of-the-mill emergency vet will likely be best in situations where immediate fluids etc are needed etc...call ahead and see what they do with birds there....just sort of depends on what you have around, but it certainly is very serious.

 

[Burbgirl]

Thank you so much for the advice. It's been about 5 hours since the accident happened and he hasn't eaten or drank anything �� I'm so worried. He's just gotten over a bad case of conjunctivitis and now this. The vet I used last time admitted they don't usually treat birds and I should really find somewhere more equipped. First thing tomorrow I'm ringing around specialist vets to find him the soonest appointment I can.

 

[noodles123]

Thank you so much for the advice. It's been about 5 hours since the accident happened and he hasn't eaten or drank anything �� I'm so worried. He's just gotten over a bad case of conjunctivitis and now this. The vet I used last time admitted they don't usually treat birds and I should really find somewhere more equipped. First thing tomorrow I'm ringing around specialist vets to find him the soonest appointment I can.

Tell them (the specialist) it's an emergency--that you are on your way etc...They need to know that. He could also still be in shock, so lack of food/water isn't a death sentence at this point, but something to monitor.

 

[wrench13]

Just make sure to limit his movement until he sees a REAL Avian Certified vet tomorrow.

 

[Jen5200]

Good plan to keep him from moving/falling until tomorrow. Below is a link to a good starting place to search for an avian vet near you. I believe you are in the UK? If you just enter United Kingdom under country and search that, hopefully you’ll find some within a reasonable distance to contact. https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803 Hope you’ll keep us updated, sending positive thoughts to Squeak.

 

[Scott]

Hoping Squeak recovers well from his injury. Agree, a certified avian vet with experience is needed. I had a Grey brake a leg; he had a pin installed and healed perfectly. He may be in pain, in which case meds can be prescribed to reduce inflammation.

Good luck with Squeak tonight, looking forward to a progress report when able.

 

[LaManuka]

First of all welcome to the forum to you and your 22 year old feathery baby, I’m sorry for the circumstances but it sounds like you’re doing all the right things until you can get him to the vet, hopefully an avian specialist. Do let us know how Squeak gets on won’t you, I hope he’s ok the poor little guy!

 

[Burbgirl]

Got him eating and drinking again so that's good. He hated the carry cage with a passion and I don't think he slept at all last night. He was screaming to be let out as soon as the sun came up so now he's chilling with me. He's walking with a limp and stands with one leg up when he gets the chance/ he thinks no one but me is looking. Apart from that he's still singing his show tunes and climbing about the sofa like usual but I can tell he's in a bit of discomfort. Hoping he feels safe enough to get some sleep while we wait for the vet appointment.