Locked Feet

OutlawedSpirit · Mar 4, 2017

So I was given a budgie baby today. He was almost weaned, developed a problem. and regressed back to taking 3 hand feedings a day. The issue is he seems to have spontaneously had his feet locked in a flat position. He is unable to bend any of his toes on either foot. He has no perch reflex either. I rubbed a little vitamin E on his feet earlier, just to see if some simple massage would loosen them up at all, but nothing. He is able to walk, just not well since he cannot bend the toes. When massaging his feet, he actually seemed to enjoy it except when I tried to slightly bend the toes, then he pulled away. I already have a vet appointment set up for Tuesday, I am just wondering if anyone has encountered this before. He is eating and drinking okay, and accepting his hand feedings just fine, so I don't think it is immediately life threatening. He is a sweet little boy. He is perfectly content to sit cupped in my hand and cuddle and be pet. I hope whatever is wrong with his feet can be corrected, although if it is a permanent disability, he will always have a home here.

SilverSage · Mar 5, 2017

I've never heard of it but I'm very interested in hearing what your vet has to say.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

plumsmum2005 · Mar 5, 2017

My budgie had this, he developed it with age and in hindsight probably as a result of being overweight. Think if I remember right as a result of something pressing on a nerve which stopped him having movement of his foot and toes. We are talking many, many years ago. He used his fore leg instead and lived to the age of 14. Hope the AV can give some answers and solutions to this little fella's plight.

OutlawedSpirit · Mar 5, 2017

I've been scouring google until I get to the vet, to see if I can find anything, and so far the only thing I've seen that would cause something like this is gout. I checked his weight to make sure it was withing a good range and he is 28 grams. Which is about average for the babies of his parents at this age. (They used to be my pair when I was breeding budgies, so I'm familiar with their young, which is also why I was given this baby.)

For the gout thing, I've seen there are 2 types, one that manifests in the joints, and one that manifests in the liver and other internal organs. If this is in fact gout, I am happy that it seems to be the type that affects the joints rather than internal organs. It's a slightly better prognosis.

I've also seen it can either be too much protein or not enough vitamin A. I hesitate to try and drop protein since he is still young and needs it. However, I did consider getting a jar of organic baby carrots to mix with his handfeeding formula for a bit of extra vitamin A. A few extra veggies definitely won't hurt, and if it will help, I'm willing to try it.

I could be completely wrong too, and it's something else, but hopefully the vet will be able to tell me on Tuesday. Whatever it is, I hope he makes it. He is the sweetest little guy. I have him in a modified tote right now, since in a regular cage he was catching his feet on the bottom bars. If I stick my hand down into the tote, he climbs the best he can right into my hand to snuggle down and just craves attention.

He's a dark eyed clear, but since one of the parents is a double-factored yellow face, his whole body is a pretty cream color. So if anyone has any name ideas, I'm all ears.

AmyMyBlueFront · Mar 5, 2017

SilverSage said:
I've never heard of it but I'm very interested in hearing what your vet has to say.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Same here...I have never heard of such a condition...interesting indeed. And Thank You your taking care of the little fella

Jim

AmyMyBlueFront · Mar 5, 2017

You DO KNOW,we need PICTURES...RIGHT??? lol

As far as gout goes,I suffer from boughts of it also,for years..I tale Allopurinol for it and it works fabulously. I sure wouldn't try to give it to a birdie however.

Is his feet/tootsies swollen? Gout inflames the joints (usually the feet,but it effects my wrist and knee)

Can't wait for his update..good luck lil budgie!

Jim

OutlawedSpirit · Mar 6, 2017

Since I don't want to leave you guys without an update, sadly the little budgie passed away last night. He was okay at his afternoon hand feeding, although he didn't have much of an appetite. I attributed it to the fact that he is in the process of weaning, and had been picking at some millet and fresh foods beforehand. However, later on he started acting strange. He became unsteady, well more unsteady than he already was because of his feet, and I knew the end was coming.

I did try contacting my avian vet, but by the time I got through, he was already gone. Talking to the vet, he said it was probably a genetic problem from birth, since he was so young, and there may have been nothing that could have been done anyway. The poor guy may have simply lost the genetic lottery.

Poor little guy, fly high.

AmyMyBlueFront · Mar 6, 2017

:02::02::02::02::02:!

Crap....nature can be so cruel!!!

Jim

SailBoat · Mar 6, 2017

OutlawedSpirit said:
I did try contacting my avian vet, but by the time I got through, he was already gone. Talking to the vet, he said it was probably a genetic problem from birth, since he was so young, and there may have been nothing that could have been done anyway. The poor guy may have simply lost the genetic lottery.

Poor little guy, fly high.

Thank-you, for what you do! The good news, this little guy knew he was loved and cared for and sometimes, most all the time, that's the most important thing!

Again, thank-you, for what you do!

Kentuckienne · Mar 6, 2017

I'm saddened to read this. So sorry.

Flboy · Mar 6, 2017

This is sad! He was a sweetie!

LeaKP · Mar 6, 2017

Aw so sad...you were amazing taking care of him.

SilverSage · Mar 6, 2017

I'm so sorry to hear this. Thank you for the update.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

EllenD · Mar 6, 2017

I'm first very sorry for your loss, I wish I had seen your post earlier, though chances are not much could be done for the poor little guy anyway, except making him more comfortable with antiinflammatories and pain meds. I bred budgies for over 20 years and have encountered this several times in newborns, juveniles after they had weaned and gone to their new homes, and in a few adult breeders. The causes were different based on the age of the bird, but in all of the babies and very young juveniles I always paid for a necropsy because I was breeding these birds and would never knowingly breed a pair that produced babies with fatal, congenital anomalies. I always had the necropsy done along with specific genetic blood work and organ testing.

In all cases of baby budgies I had that developed flat feet, paralyzed feet and/or toes, were unable to perch and had no perch response or perch reflex (you test this by pressing on the bottom of their foot where all the toes come together; if their foot automatically curls when you press at this spot where the toe tendons meet, their perch reflex is fine, if they do not curl their toes they have no perch reflex), and they had these symptoms WITHOUT SWELLING, it was always a congenital kidney issue. If caught early enough it can be stopped from progressing but the nerve damage cannot be reversed and the bird will be permanently disabled. They would often die very young anyway, even with me feeding them a very special, specific diet and administering several medications daily for the rest of their lives. And only a few times did I catch it early, simply by being aware of it once it had happened prior, and by being paranoid about it. Oddly, over 21 years I had this happen several times, though probably less than 10, and none of the babies were from the same parents or from even the same family line distantly. My avian vet actually discussed this with an avian genetic specialist he knows at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (he did his veterinary degree there before doing his avian specialization elsewhere; I live in State College, PA and he practices here, about 3 and a half hours away from Philadelphia) around 2006-2007, and this kidney disease that effects the line of nerves that in birds runs through the kidneys/kidney area and then a branch supplies the feet and toes, is an issue that they are born with, but does not seem to be a result of genetics but rather something that simply develops before birth, due to certain factors just lining up. It's not something that is passed on from parent to baby.

Incidentally, because you mentioned it, it does very much resemble gout in its end result, and I had considered gout as a possibility as well until having blood work and x-rays done. The main visible difference that can help distinguish a nerve issue caused by kidney disease from gout is that 99% of the time the bird will have a lot of swelling in it's feet and toes with gout and will have very little to usually no swelling with the kidney disease. Also, if a bird has gout they are typically in a great deal of pain and they stop eating, stop playing or being active, fluff up, and appear very ill, where as with the kidney disease the bird simply displays the nerve damage in the feet and toes and the inability to perch and walk correctly, that's it.

Again I'm very sorry you lost your little guy, but I thought it might help you to have an explanation from someone who has been through it and done a great amount of research on the topic with professionals, and to know there wasn't much that could have been done for the little guy.

"Dance like nobody's watching..."

OutlawedSpirit · Mar 6, 2017

EllenD said:
I'm first very sorry for your loss, I wish I had seen your post earlier, though chances are not much could be done for the poor little guy anyway, except making him more comfortable with antiinflammatories and pain meds. I bred budgies for over 20 years and have encountered this several times in newborns, juveniles after they had weaned and gone to their new homes, and in a few adult breeders. The causes were different based on the age of the bird, but in all of the babies and very young juveniles I always paid for a necropsy because I was breeding these birds and would never knowingly breed a pair that produced babies with fatal, congenital anomalies. I always had the necropsy done along with specific genetic blood work and organ testing.

In all cases of baby budgies I had that developed flat feet, paralyzed feet and/or toes, were unable to perch and had no perch response or perch reflex (you test this by pressing on the bottom of their foot where all the toes come together; if their foot automatically curls when you press at this spot where the toe tendons meet, their perch reflex is fine, if they do not curl their toes they have no perch reflex), and they had these symptoms WITHOUT SWELLING, it was always a congenital kidney issue. If caught early enough it can be stopped from progressing but the nerve damage cannot be reversed and the bird will be permanently disabled. They would often die very young anyway, even with me feeding them a very special, specific diet and administering several medications daily for the rest of their lives. And only a few times did I catch it early, simply by being aware of it once it had happened prior, and by being paranoid about it. Oddly, over 21 years I had this happen several times, though probably less than 10, and none of the babies were from the same parents or from even the same family line distantly. My avian vet actually discussed this with an avian genetic specialist he knows at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (he did his veterinary degree there before doing his avian specialization elsewhere; I live in State College, PA and he practices here, about 3 and a half hours away from Philadelphia) around 2006-2007, and this kidney disease that effects the line of nerves that in birds runs through the kidneys/kidney area and then a branch supplies the feet and toes, is an issue that they are born with, but does not seem to be a result of genetics but rather something that simply develops before birth, due to certain factors just lining up. It's not something that is passed on from parent to baby.

Incidentally, because you mentioned it, it does very much resemble gout in its end result, and I had considered gout as a possibility as well until having blood work and x-rays done. The main visible difference that can help distinguish a nerve issue caused by kidney disease from gout is that 99% of the time the bird will have a lot of swelling in it's feet and toes with gout and will have very little to usually no swelling with the kidney disease. Also, if a bird has gout they are typically in a great deal of pain and they stop eating, stop playing or being active, fluff up, and appear very ill, where as with the kidney disease the bird simply displays the nerve damage in the feet and toes and the inability to perch and walk correctly, that's it.

Again I'm very sorry you lost your little guy, but I thought it might help you to have an explanation from someone who has been through it and done a great amount of research on the topic with professionals, and to know there wasn't much that could have been done for the little guy.

"Dance like nobody's watching..."

Ellen, thank you so much for this. Maybe it's selfish, but although it didn't save the little guy, it makes me feel better knowing that it wasn't something that could have been prevented. I also am glad that I know what it is, so if I ever come across it again, maybe I can be more proactive in addressing it. So thank you again.

Locked Feet

OutlawedSpirit

New member

SilverSage

New member

plumsmum2005

New member

OutlawedSpirit

New member

AmyMyBlueFront

Well-known member

AmyMyBlueFront

Well-known member

OutlawedSpirit

New member

AmyMyBlueFront

Well-known member

SailBoat

Supporting Member

Kentuckienne

Supporting Vendor

Flboy

Well-known member

LeaKP

Well-known member

SilverSage

New member

EllenD

New member

OutlawedSpirit

New member

Thinking of getting parakeet a friend, quick questions

All the beautiful budgies

Most Reactions

Similar threads

Latest posts