Need advice on what to do

suyu

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Hello, I need advice on what to do. My 4months old CAG normally perches on the container side and goes to sleep on it. Three days ago at 9pm I perch him on the container side and brought him to my bedroom where he normally sleeps. A few minutes after I closed the door, I heard a loud sound and entered my bedroom to find him on the ground, not standing and flapping his wings non-stop. It was a scary sight because he barely responded and was panting heavily. When I pick him up, he didn't stand up and my parents rushed him to the vet. There aren't much 24/7 vets in singapore and we had to opt for one almost an hour away which works with mostly cat and dogs. He was put under x-ray and diagnosed with a broken femur. It didn't shatter but it is out of place and we had 3 choice which is to amputate, do surgery or leave it. We were recommended to leave him overnight for observation and when discharged the next morning, the doctor that worked overnight told us that my CAG was active enough to climb the cage he was placed in with his good leg and beak.

Our visit to the vet with the overnight care total up to a whopping $500. We were given painkillers to feed him every day and night. We were recommended another vet which specialised in exotic animals and birds. The visit itself took $200. Not as bad because the x-ray was sent from the previous vet. We were also suggested surgery. However, compared to the previous vet which only requires 1 revisit per week, the second vet requires 9 revisit. I've made an approximate sum and the first vet would cost approximately 3.5k with a 20% chance of death from anaesthesia. The second vet would cost around 6k but the surgery has two specialists. One is a surgeon that specialise in fixing bones and another specialise on providing anaesthesia. My family is a mediocore family that earns approximately 2k per month plus or minus depending on weather. 3.5k and 6k is both expensive and our family is in a dilemma on what to do.

Should we leave it or opt for surgery? My CAG is currently eating, drinking responsive but it is dragging its bad leg, limping about and not flying about as much. If we opt for surgery, what if my cag injures itself again before it heals? What if it fiddles with the metal thing the doctor will put on its leg? Please help !
 

LaManuka

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Hello suyu, and welcome to the Forums to you and your CAG, although I wish it were under happier circumstances!

Your bird certainly seems to have suffered a pretty serious accident, and it does not sound like something that can just be left without treatment. Certified avian vets do seem to be rather more expensive than the average mammalian one, possibly as a reflection of all the additional time and study that is required to qualify, but they are worth it. Birds are masters at disguising illness or pain and it's likely your bird is in significan pain, so I definitely recommend you continue to see the avian specialist. I'm not sure which one you're seeing up there, but one of our members highly recommends their bird vet, Light of Life Vet on Bedok Reservoir Road - let me know if you'd like their full contact details, otherwise by all means continue to see the bird vet you are seeing now. If funds are an issue perhaps they can arrange a payment plan so you can pay their costs over time.

I wish you and your CAG all the very best for a full recovery!
 
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wrench13

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Very sorry to hear of this accident. Weanlings and young CAGs are very clumsy and should never be perched high from a flat surface. The suggestion to see if you can work with the vet for a payment plan is sound and should be explored.

This is why we always recommend a 'slush fund' be built up gradually, to take care of medical expenses, which for parrots, is quite high when needed. Its part of the hidden cost of owning a parrot, like toys and food.
 

texsize

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Has the birds leg been splinted?
I should think that if the first vet was able to splint the broken leg it will heal up fast.
He is still a very young bird and young birds bones grow fast.
There is know way for me to know if this is a good option. I think it would depend on exactly where the bone is broken.

I wish you good luck with your poor boy.
 
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suyu

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Hi, unfortunately it cannot be splinted as it quite high up on the leg. Thank you !
 
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suyu

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Thank you for your reply LaManuka! Thank you for the reccomendation! I will contact Light of Life first thing tomorrow to ask them for their pricing. I am also happy to know a recommended vet since it is the first for me with a vet. And I will take this as a lesson and save up for this type of emergencies, touchwood, if it occurs again. Appreciate your comment !
 
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suyu

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Hi, Wrench13, Thank you for your concern. It is my first time with a CAG youngling and I will take this as a hard lesson learnt on their clumsiness.
 

charmedbyekkie

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Suyu, I'm the forum member who recommends Light of Life.
The 24-hour vets in Singapore are not avian specialists. Do make sure when you go see Dr. Denise at Light of Life that you bring the x-rays images.
Let me know what she says - she might allow a payment plan. I'll talk to my partner if we can afford our finances to help chip in with your CAG's bills at Light of Life.
 

itzjbean

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Aw, so sorry to hear this happened. Poor baby!

This is why we recommend birds sleep in cages -- especially this young, they aren't super aware of their surroundings or themselves, so having them safe in a cage that they know and can climb around in is great for sleeping. Safe, smart, effective. Please keep your grey caged when sleeping from now on.
 

Scott

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Welcome to the forums, deep respect for your efforts to repair the broken femur in best manner possible. Please keep us updated with your quest to remedy a most unfortunate situation.

My adult TAG suffered a broken tibia that was surgically pinned and restored to full use. Always a risk with anesthesia, but the 20% mortality rate seems high. The use of costly Sevoflurane or Isoflurane gas is far superior to injectable sedatives, particularly with surgery.

Found this article describing an apparently lower cost alternative to pinning: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29297838/

Charmed, that is an extraordinarily kind offer!
 
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suyu

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Hi, Charmedbyekkie! Thank you so much for your comment! Yes, i realised that they were not true avian specialists after my CAG returned to my arms with messy and dirty feathers. They did not know how to probably handle him... I will contact Dr Denise straightaway. Thank you for very much for your kindness ! And the leg that broke has this ring that was meant for a chain to be placed on the cage so he doesn't walk about the house. His healthy leg already has the ID ring and we got the chain ring some time back.
 
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suyu

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By the way, Charmedbyekkie, I have been seeing several bad reviews of Light of Life clinic though... And Light of Life Clinic seems to be more cat and dog-based?
 
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suyu

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Hi Scott, Thank you for your comment. I have read the link and it was an interesting read. May I also know how you took care of your CAG after the surgery? Does it fiddle with the support? Thank you
 

charmedbyekkie

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By the way, Charmedbyekkie, I have been seeing several bad reviews of Light of Life clinic though... And Light of Life Clinic seems to be more cat and dog-based?

Some people don't like Light of Life because she puts the patients first and doesn't sayang the humans. She is the only avian certified vet in Singapore - she has done the courses and received an actual certificate. Yes, she's blunt when she speaks about what the patient needs, but I'd prefer her honesty and experience over my own personal feelings.

The other vets in Singapore have not studied nor gotten certified for avians; they just treat them. If you check out the background for the other vets in Singapore, you'll see what I'm talking about. One vet that calls their clinic specifically for avians has only a certification in Exotic Companion Mammals (not avians). Another vet that is really popular for birds can't doesn't even have the tools for basic blood tests - some people suspect because of this limitation that there are undiagnosed cases of PBFD in the community (birds dying with messed up/no feathers).
 

Scott

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Hi Scott, Thank you for your comment. I have read the link and it was an interesting read. May I also know how you took care of your CAG after the surgery? Does it fiddle with the support? Thank you

"ET" my TAG wore a cast-like protector for about ten days. He returned for follow up visit to remove much of the bracing and suffered with a fabric bandage for another week. Pain meds and antibiotics required initially but recovery was complete.
 

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