Green cheek conure possible Bumblefoot

[Banjo84]

Hello everyone,
I’m reaching out today with deep concern for my 7-year-old green cheek conure. Recently, he’s been facing a severe issue with his left foot, and I’m desperately seeking advice and insights from fellow bird lovers.

The Situation:

• My conure can’t stand on his left foot and struggles to walk or move between perches.
• Sadly, he can’t fly due to improperly clipped wings, a permanent condition since he was young.
• He raises his left leg to rest it and doesn’t put any weight on it.

Visible Signs:
I’ve included pictures that show his left foot looking swollen at the base, along with a photo of his cage for context.

Vet Visits:
I took him to the vet last week, but the advice was not to give antibiotics to avoid encouraging the use of the injured foot, as it might worsen after feeling better. The vet recommended a cold water bath for soaking his foot, but my conure hasn’t been using it, so I’ve been trying to manually ice it.

New Development:
I visited a second vet yesterday, and they prescribed an anti-inflammatory known as metacam. However, his foot appears to be getting worse, with white spots now visible, and he can barely walk. I suspect it might have been caused by providing him a sand perch about three weeks ago. I’m deeply worried about his condition.

Questions for the Community:

• Should I seek a third vet’s opinion for more medication or possibly an ointment to complement the anti-inflammatory?
• I’ve moved everything to the bottom of his cage with a soft surface and a lower perch covered in vet wrap to prevent falls. Is this a suitable environment for him given his balance issues?
• How can I encourage him to eat? He’s currently only drinking water.

Your insights and advice would mean the world to me!!!

 

[onamom]

Poor guy! I think your hospital cage setup looks great. I would suggest contacting one of the previous vets you visited - maybe the second one that gave him the cream - to update them on the situation. You could call and see what they say about these new developments. Never be afraid to ask your vet questions. I hope his foot improves soon

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

I'm sorry your conure is going through this! What kind of diet is he on? I can see he gets chop which is brilliant, but does he get any pellets? I've seen that vitamin D deficiencies can cause muscle weakness, scaly skin and other problems in parrots, so if he's not going outside regularly, has a sun lamp or getting pellets with vitamin D then that could be where this is coming from? Have the vets taken any blood to check for what the issue could be?

 

[LoveMyFids]

How is your bird doing? Just saw your post now. Metacam/Meloxicam is a non-steroid anti-inflammatory that is safe for birds. My advice to you is to get him all rope perches for his feet so it's soft, BUT if you see any chewed spots you have to take them out & replace w/a smooth dowel or soft wood perch. Ingesting the strings can be deadly. Some birds don't chew them, some do. If you've had no luck w/foot baths, you can get Vetericyn spray-the general one is safe for birds & give the spots a spray 2-3x's a day. It will help heal the skin & is anti-bacterial & anti-fungal. It's great stuff! The lesions don't look crusty or bloody, so it looks more like a skin sluffing situation. Bumblefoot look more like a sore. One the spots heal more, you can rub a drop of Vit. E, hemp or coconut oil on his feet nightly to keep the skin softer. I used to do this w/one of my parrots who had 1 foot area that had a pressure spot to keep it from becoming worse. It worked. Your bird's nails are crazy long though & you need to get those trimmed BTW. Good luck!