my pigeon has one leg now?

[birdboy12]

NNNNNNOOOOOOOO.......ok here is what happend....i went out to check on my birds today and i found one of my pigeons foot tangled in the wire(i was hurt to see him their..wishing it was me and not the bird)i finally got him out and saw that his leg was limp....it wont put him down or any thing....is their something i can do to take it to a vet and have it taken off?i WONT put him down i hate seeing things like that happen he is healthy and can fly win i got him out he got out of my hands and fly back to the loft...so he can fly and every thing....but i want the leg off so he doesnt have to drag it every where(getting poop,feathers, ect on it) what can i do!

[Lin Hansen]

Hi Erik,

I am sure other, more experienced members will be along to offer good advice, but in the meantime, I don't see why you cannot take your pigeon to the veterinarian. Who knows, maybe the leg can be repaired....but if it cannot, I don't see why you would have to worry about the vet putting him down, as long as you make clear that this is your pet, (not some feral you found) and that you are willing to pay for whatever treatment is necessary. Off hand, I would say you should take the bird to an avian vet asap. Good luck.

Linda

[TAWhatley]

Hi Erik,

I'm sorry your pigeon got injured so badly. Can you call Bruce and see if he can have a look and maybe splint the leg. Or as Lin suggested take the bird to an avian vet for a look. I am hoping that the leg can be repaired.

Terry

[Reti]

Erik, the leg might not be lost. Might just be a nerve injury that could get better. The leg is still in shock, the damage might not be irreversible if treated right away.
Please, follow Lin's and Terry's advise, take the bird to Bruce or a vet.
Make it clear to the vet that this is a pet and you will pay for the treatment.

Reti

[Yong]

Chin up! Maybe things will work out great. I have had two broken legs in the recent months, and both are doing great. keep your fingers crossed. Thought you might like to see my Gandolf. Take everyones advice on this post. They know what they are talking about. Yong

[re lee]

If the leg is broken past the hip joint it could be splinted. At the hip joint It could be set with a splint and taped to the body. It will take about 4 weeks to be stable. And the leg will probably be stiff . But the bird would be able to get around. can you get someone to help you set and try this.

[bklowe]

Hi Erik,
We have been out of town, very sorry to hear about your Pigeon's injury. I was just talking with Ellen [ Pigeon911 ] the other day about this type of injury. The picture posted by Yong is just how Ellen discribed treatment for a leg injury. She suspends the bird just as Yong's picture shows [ water and feed within easy reach ], splnts the injury with a plastic straw, cut the straw to the proper lenghts for the upper and lower leg, slit the straw pieces lenght-wise so you can slip them over the leg [ like water pipe insulation slips over a section of water pipe ], wrap and within two weeks the leg has healed. I don't have Ellen's email @ hand but Terry may have it, if so I am sure Ellen could help explain it better, or for that matter Yong could as well.

[relofts]

Bruce,

Thank you, I did receive a call from Terry earlier regarding Erik's pigeon and you are right Yong's Picture is great, you explained caring for a broken leg very well, you are amazing that you remembered all of the details from our talk!!!

Erik's pigeon is now in the care of Zoo Keeper (Tanya) and I really think the pigeon is going to be fine after some time. I will let Terry fill everyone in on the details, and I am sure Tanya can give some input on this and keep everyone updated on it's progress.

Ellen

[Yong]

I am glad the pij is getting some care, I hope that everything works out great! I admit, I did not do the splint myself. I did do the sling though. He had a splint from the vets office. She used a little finger type splint (aluminum & foam), and cut it and bent it to the shape it needed to be in. Then she wrapped it with self sticking tape. I'm glad I learned about the straw method. Hopefully I won't have to try it out too soon. =) YOng

[zoo keeper]

I thought I would give an update on Erik's roller bird I brought home. When I brought it home I gave it a good exam. I dont believe the bird has a broken leg bone. Its injury is in the hip near his body. I did find one small wound that was probably cause from hanging in the wire. I would imagine that is also what has caused the injury near the hip. I would suspect the hip was strained from hanging/being caught in the wire. After the exam, I gave the bird a bath so his recovery would be off to a clean start. I have also placed him on some 5 and 1 because his dropping looked a bit loose. I know the loose droppings can be caused by stress or injury, so the 5 in 1 is just in case the dropping are not caused from the injury. He was placed in a warmed hospital cage and ate and drank well last night. Today the bird is standing, but not bearing weight on the injured leg. I am considering hanging the bird now after observing it since last night. I am thinking hang the bird will put the leg at rest for a few days as well as hold it in proper position as the strained joint heals.

[TAWhatley]

Many thanks to Tanya and Ellen for all their help with this bird last night. I suspect they are both seriously considering changing their phone numbers about now <LOL>!

Terry

[Yong]

Thank you for the update. Can some meloxicam be given to help alleviate it a bit? Yong

[Lin Hansen]

It's so great that you guys are so experienced and close enough (somewhat) geographically, to help each other out....hope the pidge recovers quickly.

Linda

[phantom]

Yong,
I like the sling that you made. I have used them on several wild birds and pigeons as well. I would like to suggest that the bird be brought down low enough to touch the floor of the cage and put a little weight on the legs. This will increase the healing process, as the bone will regenerate faster when it is bearing weight. Hope this doesn't offend anyone.

[Yong]

Phantom, Absolutley no offense taken. =) We tried that first, but what would happen is as soon as he could feel the ground, he would push with his good leg and spin himself in a constant circle. Then he would flap his wings like crazy and knock off his food dishes. So up he went...lol. Paints quite the image huh?

Being up in the air where he couldn't feel anything kept him very calm, and we were more concerned with that. He is healed now, and is running around in his pen. He did have a nasty Strep infection that took a long time to clear up. Clavamox did the trick. Thank you for your input, keeps us all learning. Yong

PS. A calmer bird would have been a great canidate for it, but no tGandolf the Super Chicken!!