Amazon - possible fractured femur

[DonnaBudgie]

You're in such a horrible position. I don't know what to say (for once) other than follow your gut instinct. You and Max will be in my heart. I'm so sorry you're facing this.

 

[wrench13]

I faced a similar event with our dog Tinker, who had a massive tumor in her lower jaw, which was twice removed and still grew back. She was 14 yrs old, old for her breed and each time she was in pain and her eating fell off. I had to take her to the vet to be put down, it was the humane thing to do. It was hard. But in your case Max is eating and preening and cuddling so, while he is in pan , evidently its not that much. Honestly I would let him live as long as he can without showing signs of severe pain and only consider the alternative then. With the add'l complications you listed, I would not hazard surgery.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Personally, I wouldn't do the surgery. Let him heal as well as bones can without being aligned properly and if he limps, so what? He can rest his weight on his good leg. The surgery will cause him more pain and could easily kill him. I don't know if Lilibet the budgies femur healed in an aligned position- probably not- but she recovered enough to live another year.

 

[Shoegoo]

Makes me wonder why I don't have insurance for my parrot. I had to put my GCC in for a 2 nighter at the vet for testing and observation. Plus I had to give her meds and follow up visits. It adds up.

 

[Geslina]

Personally, I wouldn't do the surgery. Let him heal as well as bones can without being aligned properly and if he limps, so what? He can rest his weight on his good leg. The surgery will cause him more pain and could easily kill him. I don't know if Lilibet the budgies femur healed in an aligned position- probably not- but she recovered enough to live another year.

I only wish that had been a better option. Believe me, I thought about doing nothing, and having more time to spend with him….if he doesn’t survive the surgery, I will never see him again. But the way the bone was broken, it looked like a half and then the other half with a long, thin, splintery piece, It might be dangerous to have that long thin piece of bone poking around in there. I dropped him off this morning. I have been crying since Saturday. Praying like crazy. Even stopped at a church in this little town on the way to the vet, lit a cnald

Makes me wonder why I don't have insurance for my parrot. I had to put my GCC in for a 2 nighter at the vet for testing and observation. Plus I had to give her meds and follow up visits. It adds up.

You're in such a horrible position. I don't know what to say (for once) other than follow your gut instinct. You and Max will be in my heart. I'm so sorry you're facing this.

Yes, it was a hard decision to make….but I had to give him a chance. I dropped him off at 8:30 this morning, then drove around the area, there was a cute little historic village type town, I went to a cafe in an old building that used to be a mill, ordered a latte. Then I stopped at this old church, which was actually open, went inside, prayed, lit a candle for Max. Then I stopped in a flea market on my way south. Just trying to stay busy, phone in my hand, mantra NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS playing over and over in my head.

I was putting groceries away when the vet called. Right away I could hear excitement in her voice, and that gave me hope for what was coming - he did great in surgery!! It went much better than she expected. They were able to fix the fracture, no problems. There was a huge hematoma, and some blood loss from that, and it took a little longer, but he stayed stable, and all his bloodwork is good post surgery. He woke up from the anesthesia ok…and promptly bit one of the techs, which I think is a very good sign.

Thank you so much to everyone here who has been listening, and for your good thoughts. I know we are not even out of the woods yet, but I believe in this bird, he is strong, and it looks like I chose the right place for his care! I am just so happy and relieved. Hoping he continues to do well!!

 

[LaManuka]

Oh I'm so glad to hear this news @Geslina! Hope Max makes a full and speedy recovery!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I'm so happy for you and Max I'm literally crying!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I read an avian medical article recently that talked about blood loss in birds and it explained that birds handle blood loss a lot better than mammals do. A bird can lose more than 50% to 70% of its blood volume and because of

Heres the article:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...IQFnoECFkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2URnphVw2gNpaPpKpYALRi

the physiologic response to reduced volume (vasoconstriction) it doesn't suffer from lack of blood to the brain and other vital organs. A bird also has large stores of red blood cells ready to release into the bloodstream to restore the lost blood.

Again, I'm filled with JOY for you and Max!

 

[Geslina]

The vet sent me an email before she left work, including photos. He is eating. Not a lot, but that’s ok. He has his collar on, looks awful but it is necessary…he looks a little frazzled, for sure! and there are before and after X-rays, thought you all might like to see.

 

[Geslina]

I read an avian medical article recently that talked about blood loss in birds and it explained that birds handle blood loss a lot better than mammals do. A bird can lose more than 50% to 70% of its blood volume and because of

Heres the article:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...IQFnoECFkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2URnphVw2gNpaPpKpYALRi

the physiologic response to reduced volume (vasoconstriction) it doesn't suffer from lack of blood to the brain and other vital organs. A bird also has large stores of red blood cells ready to release into the bloodstream to restore the lost blood.

Again, I'm filled with JOY for you and Max!

Going to read this tonight

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Wow! That's a bad break! I'm so glad you got to look at the xrays and that you posted them and thrilled that Max is okay!

 

[nkrbkr]

Oh goodness, that is a bad break. I’m so glad he’s doing well. He’s beautiful!

 

[texsize]

I am so glad Max is doing well.
Definitely keeping those prayers going.

 

[kme3388]

Max is so adorable. His collar will hopefully help with him picking at his wound. His fracture is really bad. That location is terrible for splinting too. I would be crying for days for my parrots as well. They are my family. I spend more time with them than I do my family. I hope Max has a fast recovery, and returns home soon. My heart breaks for you.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Are you going to see Max today? I'm sure he misses you. When is he going to be ready to go home?

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

Oh, my! I missed the original story as it happened. As the owner of a senior macaw, I could identify.

I am so glad the surgery went well!

I do not know what I would have done. Several years ago I saw a show on TV: Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER. Dr. K is actually located in my part of Florida. In this episode, she repaired the broken leg of a macaw. It was very tricky surgery. One day I asked my vet (a very accomplished avian vet who knows Dr. K personally) if she would do such a surgery on my bird if that happened. She said it depended on a lot of things, but unless it were life threatening, she would be reluctant to do a surgical repair as surgery is so risky and a permanent limp is better than no bird.

I am so, so thrilled that you made the difficult decision to have surgery and that Max pulled through like a champ! I am hoping for a fantastic recovery!

 

[Geslina]

Oh, my! I missed the original story as it happened. As the owner of a senior macaw, I could identify.

I am so glad the surgery went well!

I do not know what I would have done. Several years ago I saw a show on TV: Dr. K’s Exotic Animal ER. Dr. K is actually located in my part of Florida. In this episode, she repaired the broken leg of a macaw. It was very tricky surgery. One day I asked my vet (a very accomplished avian vet who knows Dr. K personally) if she would do such a surgery on my bird if that happened. She said it depended on a lot of things, but unless it were life threatening, she would be reluctant to do a surgical repair as surgery is so risky and a permanent limp is better than no bird.

I am so, so thrilled that you made the difficult decision to have surgery and that Max pulled through like a champ! I am hoping for a fantastic recovery!

It is a very risky, delicate surgery, for sure, and with Max being older, and having underlying cardiac issues, even more risky. Considering the amount of times the vet talked about euthanasia in the consult on Wednesday, I got the feeling that euthanasia is what she would have preferred I do. But I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering if he would have made it. And I think in Max’s case, if I had opted not to do surgery and hope it would heal on its own, that probably wouldn’t have happened. If you saw the X-rays, you could see it was a severe fracture. He had a very large hematoma in there, swelling, other issues with the tissues in that area.

we still have a tough road ahead of us. 3-6 weeks strict cage rest, lots of meds, probably a lot of follow up vet visits. And hoping that his little body doesn’t reject the repair. When he is done with the cage rest, I am going to have to get him a new cage, something more shallow, and set it up with with lower perches, and a soft bottom. And I am going to have to get more strict with his diet. I think he eats pretty good, nutriberries and a brown rice/veggie mix daily, varied fruit and vegetables, then a little of whatever table food I am having…which isn’t necessarily unhealthy, but maybe too much carbs. I have tried for years to get him to eat pellets, he just won’t do it! How old is your Macaw? Did you get him as a baby?

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

It is a very risky, delicate surgery, for sure, and with Max being older, and having underlying cardiac issues, even more risky. Considering the amount of times the vet talked about euthanasia in the consult on Wednesday, I got the feeling that euthanasia is what she would have preferred I do. But I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering if he would have made it. And I think in Max’s case, if I had opted not to do surgery and hope it would heal on its own, that probably wouldn’t have happened. If you saw the X-rays, you could see it was a severe fracture. He had a very large hematoma in there, swelling, other issues with the tissues in that area.

we still have a tough road ahead of us. 3-6 weeks strict cage rest, lots of meds, probably a lot of follow up vet visits. And hoping that his little body doesn’t reject the repair. When he is done with the cage rest, I am going to have to get him a new cage, something more shallow, and set it up with with lower perches, and a soft bottom. And I am going to have to get more strict with his diet. I think he eats pretty good, nutriberries and a brown rice/veggie mix daily, varied fruit and vegetables, then a little of whatever table food I am having…which isn’t necessarily unhealthy, but maybe too much carbs. I have tried for years to get him to eat pellets, he just won’t do it! How old is your Macaw? Did you get him as a baby?

I have had my macaw 51 years. He was a wild-caught adult, so age unknown. I estimate about 55+. My bird hates pellets as well. He used to tolerate the ZuPreem nut-flavored pellets for large birds, but then they discontinued them! The version for small birds was unacceptable to his discriminating palate. I have tried so many brands and varieties of pellets and he would rather starve than eat them! I figure that he has made it this long on his diet (fruit, veggies, oatmeal, nuts, the occasional bit of egg, etc.), that pellets were just not meant to be.

He is in great health. You would never guess his age by looking at him! My vet agrees with your comment about wild-caught birds having a stronger constitution than captive bred birds. Survival of the fittest!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Such a tough decision, but all that matters now is that Max survived the surgery! Geslina was very brave- probably braver than I would have been. She's so lucky she had access to such a great facility with world class avian vets. I'm a couple hours from Boston and Angell MSPCA vet hospital and vet school so that's where I would go if needed.
Maybe we should all try to identify the best veterinary teaching hospital closest to us in the event we need very high end care like this for our birds and pray we never need it.