Willie has hurt his foot!!

[julie020]

Hello, I'm new to this forum so sorry to come straight in with a problem we're unsure what to do?

Willie, our African grey parrot pushed a broom over and although I didn't see it, it must have fallen on his foot as he started limping. We thought he must have just bruised it as it is not swollen or deformed in any way. he foot looks normal.

Unfortunately it is preventing him climbing in or out of his cage as we've noticed that he can't grip. This means he can't hold his food. We rang the vet today but the only vet we trust with Willie (we've had bad experiences with others) has gone on holiday for two weeks.

Does anyone know if this may be serious as I know that human toes heal on their own, we are trying to find another one that specialises in birds as all our local ones don't, but they're miles away and we have limited means of transport.

Many thanks for any advice!

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hi Julie and welcome to the forum.

I'm so sorry to hear about Willie's foot. How long ago did this happen? Can he make a "fist" at all with his foot? Do you know which digit is involved, or are there more than one? How is he acting otherwise?

I'd try to keep him as calm as possible for a couple of days to see if his foot will improve.

IF in doubt, I'd still try and locate the next nearest avian vet and bring him in, despite the transportation trouble.

Best of luck with Willie, and please keep us posted.

 

[julie020]

Hi JerseyWendy

Thanks for welcome and reply.

He seems abit quieter than normal but otherwise ok really. He doesn't appear to be in pain but cannot put full weight on the injured leg and cannot make a fist, making eating very limited. Don't know which or how many digits affected as they all look normal.

It happened three days ago, we were waiting for it to improve!

Thanks

 

[JerseyWendy]

Has it improved at all over the past 3 days or has it stayed the same? I know bruised digits can be quite painful, but "should" heal on their own.

 

[julie020]

He's been about the same! What's worrying us the most is he isn't eating as he can't grip. We keep thinking he'll be better tomorrow. I hope it's just bruised? Do you know how long bruised toes normally take to heal? Thanks

 

[JerseyWendy]

Hmm...maybe it's best if you take him to an avian vet? I don't know what they can do for broken toes, but if it were me, I'd like to know the extent of the injury.

 

[julie020]

Yes, we're trying to get an appointment now!!Many thanks fro your help, we've used the same vet for years for nail clipping etc but Willies never had an injury before and when we need him the most he's on holiday. Just realising how rare avain doctors are, nearest one is absolutely miles away but we're going to take him.

Thanks for trying to help JerseyWendy

 

[henpecked]

It does sound like it could be broken. If it still "straight " then i doubt there's much the AV can do. maybe he'll give you some pain meds but not sure how much that will help with the eating.Maybe chop some of his favorite food so he doesn't have to "hold" them. Let us know what the AV has to say.

 

[julie020]

Many thanks henpecked! You could be right, just noticed that on the bad foot his front toes are not together whereas they are on the good foot. Maybe its dislocated! I'll let you know how it goes!

 

[goalerjones]

Changes to his diet will help in the short run. Maybe try baby foods or soft foods that he doesnt have to grip. Also try giving the perches a rest until the healing is finished. You can attach platforms and wooden planks so gripping isnt as necessary in his daily routines.