It's a broken leg! D: Advice? Anecdotes?

Dear Parrot Forums,

I've lurked a long time but never signed up til now - Forgive me, and please help me out if you can!

Long story short: an incompetent vet (Vet #1) broke our poor green cheek's leg. (I'm furious and may share details later, but I'm right now very concerned and focused on getting Makana the best possible care so will be sticking to that.) I immediately took her out of Vet #1's care, and took her to Vet #2 (an avian specialist at a 24/7 generalist hospital) The leg is now tape splinted up to the toes which remain swollen and bruised; she doesn't seem to be able to move her toes and at all. I have made a very quick hospital cage and lowered everything to the ground. She will be given an oral anti inflammatory twice a day. She is really struggling with mobility right now, and when she's not forcibly hobbling around, I'm holding her in my hand and helping her hold up her (average 70g) body weight. I may buy an aquarium tank tomorrow so she stops being temped to climb up the sides of the cage.

Those who have dealt with broken legs: What are some must knows? Things I should be careful and watchful of? Do you have any stories or anecdotes you'd like to share? What can I expect during recovery and after?

Also: She has an appointment with another avian vet (Vet #3, avian vet at a birds-only practice) on Tuesday - I've seen pictures of conures in splints/casts that cover the entire foot, should I ask for that since she's not able to move it and yet still puts weight on it occasionally? Should I be more strict about keeping her from moving it, or is occasional movement better? And finally, did anyone's fid develop constipation due to medications? What's a good way to safeguard against it? (I'm paranoid because I know they can cause the same effect in humans!)

Thank you all in advance for reading this mess of questions and any insight, stories, encouragement you have to share.

Love, M, B, and Makana

Since you're waiting until Tuesday for this bird to receive proper medical treatment, I think I would purchase the fish tank for use as a hospital cage to prevent climbing or unnecessary movement.....with a broken leg and possibly other damage, your bird is in pain.....

Is there a particular reason why you are waiting until Tuesday? As weco pointed out, your bird is in terrible pain. But that isn't the only consideration.

Infection can set in, potentially endangering her life. Also, the longer this goes on, the greater the possibility that your bird could lose her leg. This could either happen through the bird's natural healing process as the formerly healthy tissue of her leg begins to die off, or through the sometimes instinctive need for her to remove the damaged appendage herself before the damaged region spreads.

Depending on how bad the break is, you might be in a race to save her leg... and possibly her life. Delay could be fatal.

I agree, Tuesday is much to long to wait D: the longer you wait the harder it will be to set the bone and have it heal properly. Tuesday is better than no day though

I've never dealt with a fresh break before. But Rosie has a break that never saw a vet. Happened well before I adopted her. Definit causes problems, and had to do. Lot of strengthening exercises first few months she was with me. Sometimes on cooler days or when storms come through I give her pain meds as well.

Unless Makana's leg was broken due to gross negligence or neglect, it may have been more timely and ultimately beneficial to allow the vet an opportunity to repair the injury. An interlude of several days before obtaining a second opinion can be problematic for reasons previously posted.

Over the years I have had two parrots break legs; the first an Eclectus leapt off her cage and didn't break the fall with a "flight response", the second a Timneh Grey flew into a wall. In both cases they were rushed to an avian vet and had a pin surgically implanted for rigidity, with full casts applied for several weeks. It is a painful event, and medicine for relief is crucial. They fully recovered and retain full use of the leg.

Don't know if the smaller size of a GCC permits the pinning of a leg and the interval of time since the break may affect the course of treatment. While surgery has risk, healthy parrots typically well tolerate Sevoflurane anesthesia.

Check out this link; at top it describes avian anesthesia and from section 3.7 to the end discusses bone fractures and healing techniques.
326 Zoological Medicine 2008, Spring and Fall 2008 - Tufts OpenCourseWare

weco said:

Since you're waiting until Tuesday for this bird to receive proper medical treatment, I think I would purchase the fish tank for use as a hospital cage to prevent climbing or unnecessary movement.....with a broken leg and possibly other damage, your bird is in pain.....

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Woah. Absolutely not. She is seeing ANOTHER avian vet Tuesday, as in when I said that she had her leg splinted and we got medications last night it was from a proper (but emergency) avian specialist veterinarian. The appointment on Tuesday is because I want a second opinion on the splint positioning and have lots of detailed questions that I couldn't ask the one avian emergency vet for miles on a Saturday.

Sorry if that wasn't clear...? Everyone seems to have also assumed the worst. I'm a little bit in shock.

Also, besides one initial painkiller at the hospital, she did not receive any painkillers for home. She is right now not exhibiting the same pain signs as yesterday (puffing, blinking) and almost too active, but is that something I should be asking for? This is not something I initially would have asked for since the anti inflammatory is working wonders and she acts most normal after they kick in

I'm so sorry your bird got injured by an incompetent vet. I just read your response above, so knowing she was treated by an emergency AV and not the incompetent one who broke her leg, that's a lot better. My primary concern is still infection. Did the emergency AV put her on preventative antibiotics? When my moms DYH broke her foot, it took less than a day for infection to set in the break while waiting on the vet appointment and the infection was far more dangerous than the broken foot. A parrot can adapt to a physical disability (not that they should have to), but you really need to be extra diligent about watching for signs of infection. Not trying to be mean or rude or saying it will happen, but it's very common for parrots to get life threatening infections after major injury because they are stressed, and their immune response is lowered. Other questions you may have can wait, but I'd really get in touch with the new AV ASAP about whether or not your bird needs antibiotics and what signs to look for.

As for after care, you should follow the vets instructions of course for medication and follow up care. The first week or so, she will probably rest more than usual (especially if on medication), but she will soon be back to her old self wanting to be playful and active, but not able to do so until the leg heals. Be sure to look for some toys that could be played with on the bottom of the cage or aquarium so she doesn't get too bored I hope you find a good vet and she makes a full recovery! Unreal that a vet could break a birds leg I certainly hope you'll be sending them the bill for all these unnecessary veterinary expenses!

I think everyone might be misunderstanding. The leg is set and has med's . He is going Tuesday for a second opinion .

makana said:

weco said:

Since you're waiting until Tuesday for this bird to receive proper medical treatment, I think I would purchase the fish tank for use as a hospital cage to prevent climbing or unnecessary movement.....with a broken leg and possibly other damage, your bird is in pain.....

Click to expand...

Woah. Absolutely not. She is seeing ANOTHER avian vet Tuesday, as in when I said that she had her leg splinted and we got medications last night it was from a proper (but emergency) avian specialist veterinarian. The appointment on Tuesday is because I want a second opinion on the splint positioning and have lots of detailed questions that I couldn't ask the one avian emergency vet for miles on a Saturday.

Sorry if that wasn't clear...? Everyone seems to have also assumed the worst. I'm a little bit in shock.

Also, besides one initial painkiller at the hospital, she did not receive any painkillers for home. She is right now not exhibiting the same pain signs as yesterday (puffing, blinking) and almost too active, but is that something I should be asking for? This is not something I initially would have asked for since the anti inflammatory is working wonders and she acts most normal after they kick in

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Ah! Sorry for misreading your post, then! I feel quite a ways better, now. That said, I share April's (Kiwibird's) concern regarding the lack of preventative antibiotics prescribed for your bird. (Unless I'm also misunderstanding there, as well? I only read that she was given anti-inflamatories.) Regardless of how much the anti-inflamatory meds are helping her, infection is still a possibility.

I don't want to scare you or anything, as I realize you are already quite upset and worried as is. The reason we all seem so insistent in this situation is that birds can go downhill so frighteningly swiftly. They can seem quite happy and active one day, and then go into a sudden downward spiral the next.

God-willing, that's not the case with your bird. And at least she has already received some treatment. I just worry in terms of the antibiotics. (Though again, if she has already received antibiotics as well, then Tuesday for a second opinion is just fine.) Please update us and let us know how she's doing. We're all hoping and praying for the best.

Scott said:

from section 3.7 to the end discusses bone fractures and healing techniques.
326 Zoological Medicine 2008, Spring and Fall 2008 - Tufts OpenCourseWare

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Hi Scott. Thanks for the info! I don't know how to reply multiple people yet, but I just replied to someone else that Tuesday is Vet #3 - Vet #1 WAS negligent and as soon as I saw Makana's condition after seeing him (I was in tears, it was so wrong), I rushed to Vet #2 who was on call at a 24/7 emergency generalist hospital but himself specializes in birds. Vet #3 is our normal yearly check ups avian vet who is not open weekends and booked solid Monday, whose second opinion I want.

EVet #2 said that she is too small for surgery/a pin and the break was clean but near the foot so the best he could do is tape splint. That said, he's an emergency vet so I understand his thinking but I will ask Vet 3 if what you mentioned is possible or better for long term. I will also ask about pain medication as I was not prescribed any at the emergency hospital. She is such a trooper and acting OK but if I can get them I will. Thank you very much, and really glad to hear everything turned out well for you and yours!

For multiple quoting, hit the little MQ button right next to the Quote button for every post you'd like to quote, and then when you get to the last one, just hit the regular Quote button. Then you'll go to the Quote Reply screen and you'll be able to respond between each quote.

Kiwibird said:

My primary concern is still infection. Did the emergency AV put her on preventative antibiotics? When my moms DYH broke her foot, it took less than a day for infection to set in the break while waiting on the vet appointment and the infection was far more dangerous than the broken foot. A parrot can adapt to a physical disability (not that they should have to), but you really need to be extra diligent about watching for signs of infection. !

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Hey Kiwibird, thanks for the story and post. I'm a little worried now. So actually she is NOT on antibiotics... Vet #2 explained that he thinks it would be overkill since there's no broken skin. They are still open today but he is the only avian doc there. Should I insist? Upcoming Vet 3 on Tuesday ONLY does birds so hence going for the second opinion but that's tuesday and a long way away... There is another avian only vet I might be able to call Monday but... Eek.

Anyway thanks for the heads up, sincerely. I hope your DYH is okay now...?

Here's my 2 cents. The way I'm reading Makana's initial post is that the leg was broken and the vet injected a pain medicine, splinted the leg, gave anti-inflammatory meds for home and she's waiting to see another vet to ask between the splint versus a cast?

I would think that regardless of how the vet broke the leg, he would hopefully splint her properly so that the leg is aligned and immobilized. From what I read in the second post of Makana's it seems like she is indeed pretty immobilized as she barely can hold her body straight.

With a break, the foot will be swollen and bruised. The anti-inflammatory medicine is good. My Avian Vet would have given me some Metacam for pain to use at home for a few days, antibiotics not necessarily. I'm not a vet but the pain med he injected might stay in the system for a couple days and some anti-inflammatory meds also control pain (like Motrin for humans).

I really don't see an emergency here. She will be seen on tuesday, and unless the new Avian Vet or the owner of Makana has reason to think that the splint is either too tight or not done properly to keep the leg straight, I doubt that he will remove it. The splint should be maintained by cotton then vet wrap and form a pretty large bandage which is a pain to remove for one, and can do more damage than good to remove it and move the leg before it is healed. Which would be painful on the bird.

If you don't think the vet splint the leg properly, then I agree that you need to see the vet ASAP to rectify it before it sets. But otherwise, I doubt that the new vet would remove it to cast it instead.

You do need to get a small aquarium like a 10 gallon, put thick soft bedding like couple of towels at the bottom covered with paper towels then a perch that touches the towels, just so that your bird can perch with the good leg and keep the splint one from touching the floor. That will help her stay upright and comfortable. Make sure that the perch is long enough as to be immobilized so as not to roll. You want it as long as the width of the tank.

Put water and food next to perch, millet for comfort food, couple of toys. Hope this helps.

AS I typed my post, lots have posted! Well, a clean break so close to the foot would indeed seem to be best to splint. Again I'm not a vet but have seen my share of injuries. As hard as it is to see your bird so helpless, only time will heal.

You can ask about Metacam for pain, call the vet I'm sure you could pick some up at the office but like I said, the anti-inflammatories might already manage the pain. You need to ask that. I also know that unless obvious signs that the bird is in tremendous pain, they don't want her to not feel anything and start moving around too much. If she is eating, it is a good sign that she is managing pretty well.

Anansi said:

That said, I share April's (Kiwibird's) concern regarding the lack of preventative antibiotics prescribed for your bird. (Unless I'm also misunderstanding there, as well? I only read that she was given anti-inflamatories.) Regardless of how much the anti-inflamatory meds are helping her, infection is still a possibility.

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Hey Anansi, thanks a lot for the post and teaching me multiple replies. I totally understand how fragile their little systems can be, so I understand everyone being concerned. I definitely appreciate that everyone's so vigilant - Was just a bit in shock, haha.

So you're right - She was only given anti-inflamatory, not antibiotic. I'm a little worried now too but if I go back to Vet 2 and insist, I'm not sure he'll give them since he did tell me a logical reason why he's not going to prescribe them. That said, would you know the signs of infection that I could/should watch out for? And that way if I go back I can tell him why I'm asking for antibiotics? Thanks again!

Echo said:

Here's my 2 cents.

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Echo, much appreciated for the concise and helpful post. It's definitely nice to have a contrasting (and calming) opinion and tips on the aquarium tank. Makana REALLY loves her cages (sorry, that's overkill I know but one's an outdoor travel one that I lowered everything inside and one's a much larger indoor one) and even though being on them is not good right now and I've lowered everything in them to the ground, she wants desperately to climb them and sit on them... and she does if I leave her to it. So, will do the aquarium tank to mitigate her insane climbing habits, and hide her fave cages. Thanks again

makana said:

Hey Kiwibird, thanks for the story and post. I'm a little worried now. So actually she is NOT on antibiotics... Vet #2 explained that he thinks it would be overkill since there's no broken skin. They are still open today but he is the only avian doc there. Should I insist? Upcoming Vet 3 on Tuesday ONLY does birds so hence going for the second opinion but that's tuesday and a long way away... There is another avian only vet I might be able to call Monday but... Eek.

Anyway thanks for the heads up, sincerely. I hope your DYH is okay now...?

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I would call and ask what signs to watch for, but if it were my bird, I probably would would push for them. Typically bird with infections are lethargic, sit low, fluffed feathers, droopy eyes but obviously your bird is injured and likely displaying these very same symptoms due to the stress and injury. It will be much harder to tell if she's acting "sick" because of the broken leg or because she has developed an infection. And there doesn't need to be broken skin. Lucy had no broken skin but the vet did find infection. This was well over a decade ago now. She healed up fine with no lasting effects and is quite happy and healthy!

Quick update, and a general thank you to all: I was losing my mind getting nothing but voicemails this weekend and doing dozens and dozens of forum and Google searches. Having you all post advice and opinions kept me sane! Going to keep a log going on this thread in case someone else comes through with a similar problem someday, and will try to upload pictures to my album later as well.

Day 3 Bad:

• There were no avian vets on call within 50 miles on Sunday. Unable to procure antibiotics. Can't get an appointment with an avian vet today either. Unreal.
• Despite being a champ, her appetite has decreased this morning and she's less active than normal - Won't touch her pellets, shells what seeds we give her but I'm not seeing her eat the insides like she normally does. I did get her to eat some walnut (she loves walnut) and a half of a grape. Not the most nutritious but I just want some calories in her.

Day 3 Good:

• We have an appointment in two hours with a generalist vet who works at the same place her regular avian vet does. The goal is to get antibiotics going and get as many answers as possible.
• Aquarium hospital cage is set up and she's taken to it like a fish to water - Her new nickname is "parrotfish". We also built a very low suction cup PVC perch based off of some shower perch ideas we found on Parrot Forums; now she has something when she's craving some height that we can easily remove and reposition as she needs.
• She's less active today, but I'm hoping that it's expected/boredom/the stress of the weekend subsides and we can pique her appetite with some millet and more fresh fruit.

Just go to his office with your bird. And wait. Tell them you're going to wait. Don't take no for an answer. A broken leg can easily turn into blood clots, infections, or a lost limb.

Any news from the visit?

Just wondering how everything turned out with Makana.