# splay leg in baby



## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

I picked up a baby pigeon with a severe splay leg, she was probably about 2 weeks old when I found her. The leg was completely turned around to the degree that it stuck out straight underneath her wing, and the foot poked out above the wing on the baby's back. She had also been scalped - but this is healing really well so not really a problem. I gradually and gently encouraged the leg to rotate back, and get it back underneath her, I have had her for about 6 weeks now. I was hoping that the leg would eventually normalise and become (close to) normal, as she was still so young when I got her and she had a lot of growing to do. However, it just is not healing as well as I was hoping for, and I was hoping somebody here might have some advice.. 

At the moment the only way she can function is if I keep the leg taped to the other (relatively normal) one. If the tape comes off though, the affected leg bends all the way out the side again, and she can't really use it. Even when taped, she usually stands on the hock of the affected leg, not on the foot. There are two photos of her, one with her legs taped, and one without any tape. Does anybody have any advice on how I can further encourage improvement in the affected leg? I can't really keep it taped for the rest of her life, can I?


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Poor cute birdie! Someone expert should answer soon. Thank you for helping him.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

You should have continued to try to get it where it should be. By giving up, you wasted the small window of time where it is much easier to correct. Now it will be a bit harder, but still possible. 

For one thing it is taped much too loose. If you tape it so that it goes out like that, then it will heal that way. It needs to be pulled into the correct position where it should be. Now, because he is older, and wants to walk around, it will be more difficult. 
Can you bring the legs into correct position, and tape at the top of the leg, and at the bottom of the leg? You can't let it turn out like that. He may not be able to walk around as well and may fall. Don't know, but I will try to find the link with the pic of how it needs to be wrapped.
The way the leg goes out now, will only get worse with age..........not better.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Here is the link with the picture.
http://www.pigeonrescue.co.uk/splayleg.htm


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

Thank you for your response Jay3. I have never given up on treating it, I am still continuing to treat it, and I am still taping the leg. I did previously see the info in the link that you included, but taping it according to that page does not work with this bird. The hock of the affected leg tuns in no matter what I do or how I tape it. So even if I tape it tighter, the lower leg is still at that wrong angle due to the hock turning in. Initially taping it like that would make the hock turn so much that the whole bad leg would turn around 180 degrees, so the toes would point backwards. For the first 4-5 weeks I used taping in two locations - 1- as in the photo that I included, and 2-just above the hocks, where I used a spacer to keep the hock of the affected leg from turning in so much, while the tape lower on the legs kept the lower leg from turning out so much. However this was not very successful either, as the spacer irritated the legs no matter how I tried to protect them and I have had to leave it off for a while to give the skin time to heal. 
Even with the spacer on the hocks, she still walked on the hock of the affected leg and turned her hip extremely to the inside. Her leg cannot (and has never been able to) straighten out properly either. It seems her whole hip dislocates, and her knee is at an angle - it has always done that. Taping her legs together like that also tends to pull the good leg to the inside a fair bit, still allowing the bad leg to pull to the outside.
Should I continue with the spacer on her hocks in addition to the tape on the lower legs? If that is the best thing, any suggestions on protecting her hocks so it does not rub, and her skin does not get damaged? And how can I keep her hip from twisting so much? Any suggestions are highly appreciated.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If the hip is dislocating and it cannot be pulled into right position, then don't see how you will fix it now. May need a good avian vet who knows what they are doing.

What are you using for a spacer? Can you wrap soft gauze or something around the leg first to protect it?


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

Thank you for your reply again Jay3. The hip does not dislocate the whole time, but I am just not sure how to prevent it from doing it. It does dislocate very easily, and goes back again (at least I think that is what is happening - I am not a vet though..). I think this is the result of the extreme twist of the leg when I found the bird, when the foot stuck out on her back. Unfortunately there are no good avian vets near where I am... The closest is an 8 hour drive away. And more unfortunately, the normal vets here do not know much about birds, or how to handle or treat them, and they are not very (feral) pigeon friendly to start with. 

I have been using a cardboard straw as a spacer. It is like a normal, regular drinking straw similar to what you would get at, say, McDonalds, but then made out of cardboard. I cut it to size following the guidelines from pages similar to the one you sent the link to. I double taped around the legs first, so the end of the straw did not sit directly against the leg. I could try gauze to see if it works a bit better. 

So you think I should try to continue with the spacer on the hocks in addition to the tape lower on the legs?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Can you use a piece of folded gauze to put in between the legs, instead of the cardboard?
Where are you located?


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

No, the folded gauze is too flexible. The hock of the bad leg turns in too much, so needs to be kept apart from the other one in order to straighten the leg out properly. If I use a flexible spacer, the hock will still turn in, keeping the lower leg turned out, creating the angle of the lower leg that you can see in the photo. So I tried to find a relatively rigid material to use as a spacer that would still be reasonably soft - the cardboard was the best I could come up with. 
The function of the spacer in this case is to keep that part of the legs apart, not pull them together. To straighten the leg, the hocks need to be pushed apart, while the feet need to be pulled together. 

I am in Canberra, Australia.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Is that wing always off also? That whole side looks off.
Also he doesn't look like a feral. Looks like a homer.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

Yes, the wing (and that whole side) is off, due to her standing very skew. Because she drops down on the hock (ankle) of the bad leg, that side of her body drops down a lot further than the other side - she is basically missing the whole length of her lower leg on that side, creating that skewness you see in the photos. However, the wing itself is fine, and fully functional - she flies quite well now (landing is another matter with the bad leg).

She could well be a homer, I have no idea. It seems the ferals around here also consist of a lot of escaped/lost birds. I have seen many breeds join the feral flocks, from capuchin pigeons to fan-tails, and just about everything in between. One or both of her parents could certainly be homers.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

When I was taking photos she kept moving away from the camera, so it was hard to get a good shot. When I get back from work I will try again, and see if I can get a better shot of her standing, where it clearly shows how she is standing on the bad leg, and dropping down on her hock (ankle).


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Where do you keep her? If the leg can't be helped, then she won't have a very good quality of life. If she can't get up on her feet, when she grows up and gains some weight, she won't be able to fly.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

At the moment I am keeping her mostly inside in a large wire dog crate, which I turned into a pigeon place by adding perches etc. and a couple of hours each day I put her into an outdoor cat enclosure (without cats of course), so she can have flying time. If she can't go out, I let her fly free for a couple of hours in the room where the crate is kept. She currently has the company of two other rescue youngsters (all healthy now) of roughly the same age. 

Can pigeons live a good life with only one leg? One option I have been considering is putting a cast on the bad leg, keeping it into a bent position (similar to when a bird perches, and drops down through its legs to relax or have a snooze) - about the only position where everything lines up relatively normally. Maybe by leaving it like that for a while, the joints might have some time to recover? But that means of course she will not be able to use the leg at all for a while - likely a couple of weeks.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Keeping the leg bent up like that will make it freeze in that position. That is no good. It needs to be brought as much into the natural position as it can be, and you are running out of time, as their bones grow quickly and will harden in the position they are in. 
Birds can get along with one leg, as some do lose a leg on occasion, but they have to learn how to get up and balance on one leg. He really needs a vet I think.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

Oh, I did not realise the leg would then freeze in that position... not good. I was hoping it would just give the joints a break and some time to heal..
Could I put a cast on it in a normal position, as in the position they stand and walk on it? But then again, how would she sleep with that, as the cast would probably not allow her to bend the leg to go into a resting position..

I could give a vet another try, but do not hold much hope. I have taken pigeons there before, but by default they want to euthanise without even looking at the bird. I can talk them out of that, but then they generally don't even know how to pick the pigeon up, let alone examine it. 

I tried more photos, but she keeps running away from the camera, I'll try again tomorrow as it is getting too dark now. I did put the spacer back on just above her hocks (with some gauze to protect her skin), in addition to the tape on her lower legs.


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## cwebster (Dec 11, 2010)

Where do you live? Am asking so people can suggest vets or help near you. Thank you for caring about the little guy.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

I am in Canberra, Australia. 

I know there is a good (pigeon friendly) bird vet in Melbourne, but that is an 8 hour drive away.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Subipe said:


> Oh, I did not realise the leg would then freeze in that position... not good. I was hoping it would just give the joints a break and some time to heal..
> Doesn't need time to heal. Needs to be corrected. That may not be possible now without surgery, but that's what they need.
> 
> Could I put a cast on it in a normal position, as in the position they stand and walk on it? But then again, how would she sleep with that, as the cast would probably not allow her to bend the leg to go into a resting position..
> ...


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

Well, I have taken the pigeon to a vet in Canberra. A friend recommended him for birds. He does know a lot more about birds than a normal vet, and at least he knew how to handle a pigeon, and was able to put a splint on another rescue baby I recently picked up, which had a broken leg. He also gave pain relief for both birds. However, unfortunately he was unable to really help with with the splay leg. The whole leg is twisted, starting at the hip - but I already knew that. He said if they are as bad as she was initially with her foot on her back, it is hard if not impossible to ever get them right again. He did not know how to fix it, other than telling me that he can always euthanise her.. not what I have in mind at this point in time :-( 
Does anybody here have any more ideas? Any and all advise is welcome.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

There really isn't anything you can do to fix it. It may have been able to be fixed, even as it was, at a very young age. But now, it would need surgery by a vet who can do that. Unfortunately, not many do. I'm really sorry. Not much quality of life like that, and can't really be kept in an aviary with others.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

The vet said that even if I had taken her to see him immediately after I found her, he would not have known how to help given the severity of the way the leg had twisted at that point in time. He was surprised I had managed to get the leg back as far as it is now.. he admitted he had not dealt with pigeons with splay leg a lot, but for chickens he usually just puts them down. 
If birds can do alright with one leg, would it be an option to take the bad leg away? Would that be able to give her a relatively normal life?


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pigeons do okay with one leg, not great, but okay. I'm sure after a while they too have problems because of jumping on one leg. Their joints are not made for that. One leg carrying all their weight isn't good for them. But these are birds that did know how to walk and fly well before losing the leg. Not sure how this young one would do. He would have to learn how to get up and balance on one leg. And how to hop on one leg. He may be able to do that. I don't know. A vet who does surgery could remove it.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

Mmm, it might be an option, maybe better than dragging a bad leg around, and being so skew on it all the time. However, that then comes down to finding a vet who can do the surgery I suppose.. I don't think a normal vet could, and I am not sure the vet I saw today could do it.
I might have to think on this one for a little bit. At the moment she still seems happy, bright-eyed, and otherwise healthy. She does get around on her legs and she flies really well now.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

It does not fill me with confidence in the vet that the splint he put on the other youngster with the broken leg has just fallen off..


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

No, that wouldn't fill me with confidence either. Hard to find a good avian vet. I would ask him to fix it without charge. It shouldn't have come off.


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## Subipe (Feb 25, 2010)

I finally found a good bird vet here! After a thorough examination of the bird, the conclusion is this: the bones in the leg are absolutely fine, nothing wrong with them, not even twisted. However, the bird has a real problem with her knee. Most likely a (or multiple) tendons are either severely damaged or just plainly snapped off, allowing way too much unnatural movement in the knee joint. It basically just constantly pops out, and bends in ways it should not be able to. This cannot be fixed with taping of the legs or rest; it simply will not heal by itself. 
The vet said that surgery to try and fix the joint is possible, however, chances of success are low in this case. Amputation seems the best option. She said that as long as the bird can be a pet (no free flying outside, or in an aviary with a lot of other birds), she should still be able to have a decent life with one leg, especially given she is still so young.
I'll take a couple of days to think about it.. But it might be the best option.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Let us know what you decide. Best of luck with the little one.


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## Gay Fisherperson (Sep 14, 2021)

Subipe said:


> Oh, I did not realise the leg would then freeze in that position... not good. I was hoping it would just give the joints a break and some time to heal..
> Could I put a cast on it in a normal position, as in the position they stand and walk on it? But then again, how would she sleep with that, as the cast would probably not allow her to bend the leg to go into a resting position..
> 
> I could give a vet another try, but do not hold much hope. I have taken pigeons there before, but by default they want to euthanise without even looking at the bird. I can talk them out of that, but then they generally don't even know how to pick the pigeon up, let alone examine it.
> ...


Ah.... that vet response is not uncommon and it sucks! Sorry you are treated that way. Here in California many vets would do the same but there are bird friendly ones and we are lucky enough to have a specialist bird vet a couple hours drive away for real serious needs. If the vet could just pretend it was a parrot and be decent and offer help that would be nice. Good luck.


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## Gay Fisherperson (Sep 14, 2021)

Subipe said:


> I finally found a good bird vet here! After a thorough examination of the bird, the conclusion is this: the bones in the leg are absolutely fine, nothing wrong with them, not even twisted. However, the bird has a real problem with her knee. Most likely a (or multiple) tendons are either severely damaged or just plainly snapped off, allowing way too much unnatural movement in the knee joint. It basically just constantly pops out, and bends in ways it should not be able to. This cannot be fixed with taping of the legs or rest; it simply will not heal by itself.
> The vet said that surgery to try and fix the joint is possible, however, chances of success are low in this case. Amputation seems the best option. She said that as long as the bird can be a pet (no free flying outside, or in an aviary with a lot of other birds), she should still be able to have a decent life with one leg, especially given she is still so young.
> I'll take a couple of days to think about it.. But it might be the best option.


Yay! Well, sorta.... thats tough news to digest but at least you now know what you are actually dealing with and have clear options. Great to know you found a pigeon friendly vet! You care a great deal that is obvious, and are definitely able to make the right choice. Take care!


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