# My Birds Been Shot!!! Help!!!



## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I let my birds out today to fly before feeding this morning. Only 3 are back one of them has a gun shot wound I'm guessing all the others were very scared and just flew, I hope they are ok and come back... Anyways onto the bird. I found it on the landing board with a huge scrape on it and it started trying to lip away. I looked at it I think its a gun shot wound it took the skin and feathers right off but don't think it went in, if it went in I have a feeling it would be dead and I don't really see any points of entry. I cleaned it with alcohol and put antibiotics on the wound and bandaged it although the bandage doesnt seem like it wants to stay on. Its eyes are alert but it is shaking and can't walk well if at all. I put food in front of it and it ate and I put water in front of it also. HELP is their anything else I can do to help him live?!


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

If you think he was only grazed by the shot, and he is not bleeding then there is not a whole lot more for you to do at this point, except rest him. It might be a good idea to post up a few photos so we can see the wound and its location and the bandage may not be needed. Just so you know, in the future, or even again with this bird, it's best not to use alcohol or peroxide on these kind of wounds, as they tend tend to irritate and may actually damage tissue. You are much better using some warm saline solution to clean and rinse the wound (1 tablespoon of salt to 32oz of warm water) blotting dry and then applying a topical antibiotic cream on top if needed.

Hope the rest of your guys make it back safe.

Karyn


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## fireman (Apr 2, 2011)

Do folks out there fly there pigeons when it is dove season?


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

Are you sure it is a gun shot As it could have been hit by a hawk Or something else.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

fireman said:


> Do folks out there fly there pigeons when it is dove season?


 Do idiot hunters know the difference between Homers and wild birds ?


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Exactly what indicates this is a Gun Shot injury?

Sounds more like a Hawk strike or flying mis-hap.

If no entry ( 'puncture' ) wound...then, 'Neosporin' topically, and, if possibly from a Hawk, also do a good wide spectrum Antibiotic orally for a week or so.


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> HELP is their anything else I can do to help him live?!


The absolute BEST thing is to get to an Avian Vet ASAP. You aren't sure it didn't enter, really. The only way to know for sure is w/ a Vet exam.

Start an oral antibiotic as well...amoxycllin, trimeth sulpha, penicillin, Cipro/Baytril...do you have any of those ???

Also, for pain and inflammation...assuming you do NOT have Medacam (Meloxicam) which would be the first choice, and given .5cc 2x day for a 1.5mg/ml suspension...

...can you get some liquid Ibuprophen (such as Children's Advil or Children's Motrin) ?

The liquid stuff, oral suspension. Standard strength is 100mg/5ml.

Using that strength, dose .02cc per 100g of Pigeon weight. 2x/day, min 8 hrs. apart. It will at least take the edge off of the pain and reduce any swelling or inflammation.

None of this, however, is a substitute for a vet. 

This makes me incredibly mad to hear...I am sorry for you and my heart is with you and your pals.... and sending the best wishes and vibes that all of yours return safely.


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## Hareloft (Jun 26, 2011)

Use some triple antiboioic or bluecote from a farm supply store sounds more like a hawk attack. The others will return in a day or two. And get in on an antibiotic. I'm not sure about giving it pain meds I wouldn't give my birds any as the dose would be a guess and you could overdose it. Use the triple antibioticand amoxicillian and it'll be fine.


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

could be a hawk not a shot.. dove season is not in..but pigeons are most times fair game all year because they are nonnative species... either way it sounds like you had it cleaned up, if there is not a pucture of some sort he sould be fine.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I think you guys might be right about the hawk... I was looking at him again (cleaning it up, more topical antibiotics) and all it is, is a slice of the skin and a bunch of feathers missing, also a cut on it leg, and the leg is swollen I didn't notice the cut on its leg yesterday but I put antibiotics on it as-well. Since the leg is swollen could it be broken or is it because of the cut? The cut is very small I will try to get pictures tomorrow. Do I have to give the bird antibiotics orally? As I do not have any at hand all I have is 4 in 1 and Doxycycline / Tylan Powder for respiratory would either of those work? I would get antibiotics but by the time they get here...I don't want it to be to late, I feel dumb I should of had some.


Reason I thought it was a gun shot, was because my birds have been misbehaving and landing on the neighbors roof as soon as they landed on the roof I heard the sound of a pellet/bb gun noise and the birds flew.


Also all my birds are back except one, so I'm guessing the hawk failed getting this bird and got another, or maybe the other got shot too or something, IDK.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

The Doxycycline/Tylan will work, get him going on them right away. Will wait for photos, happy to hear most of the others made it back.

Karyn



First To Hatch said:


> I think you guys might be right about the hawk... I was looking at him again (cleaning it up, more topical antibiotics) and all it is, is a slice of the skin and a bunch of feathers missing, also a cut on it leg, and the leg is swollen I didn't notice the cut on its leg yesterday but I put antibiotics on it as-well. Since the leg is swollen could it be broken or is it because of the cut? The cut is very small I will try to get pictures tomorrow. Do I have to give the bird antibiotics orally? As I do not have any at hand all I have is 4 in 1 and Doxycycline / Tylan Powder for respiratory would either of those work? I would get antibiotics but by the time they get here...I don't want it to be to late, I feel dumb I should of had some.
> 
> 
> Reason I thought it was a gun shot, was because my birds have been misbehaving and landing on the neighbors roof as soon as they landed on the roof I heard the sound of a pellet/bb gun noise and the birds flew.
> ...


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Dobato said:


> The Doxycycline/Tylan will work, get him going on them right away. Will wait for photos, most of the others made it back.
> 
> Karyn


Thank you I don't get off work till 9 PM though but I will do it then. What about his leg?


I CAN'T EXPLAIN HOW MUCH EVERY ONES HELP MEANS, I greatly care for my birds and they have been a huge part of my life these past 3 months since I've had them, I spend countless hours with them and they mean very much to me.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> Thank you I don't get off work till 9 PM though but I will do it then. What about his leg?
> 
> 
> I CAN'T EXPLAIN HOW MUCH EVERY ONES HELP MEANS, I greatly care for my birds and they have been a huge part of my life these past 3 months since I've had them, I spend countless hours with them and they mean very much to me.


If the leg is just cut, and swollen, then not a lot to do but rest him, apply some topical antibiotics, and importantly, get on some sytemic orals meds, which you are going to do tonight. What is the make of the Doxy/Tylan powder you have?

Karyn


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

*There are a lot of people out of work and they need to feed their families, so don't be supprised if we see more of this.Dove season is later in the year in most states November and December * GEORGE


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Dobato said:


> If the leg is just cut, and swollen, then not a lot to do but rest him, apply some topical antibiotics, and importantly, get on some sytemic orals meds, which you are going to do tonight. What is the make of the Doxy/Tylan powder you have?
> 
> Karyn


Its from Vita King, but its bottle looks very similar to the 4 in 1 from Foys, I wonder where they get it from.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> Its from Vita King, but its bottle looks very similar to the 4 in 1 from Foys, I wonder where they get it from.


The Vita King powder is a 25% strength compounding of these two meds (20% Doxycycline and 5% Tylosin, 250mg/g). Because this is a water dosed med, and I know for my birds they do not drink that much later at night, and you will not be starting meds to after 9pm. You may want to consider giving some of the powder directly to the bird for tonight, as I am a little concerned about the swelling in the leg and I really would like to make sure he gets some meds in him tonight. 

If you take an amount about the size of a capital "O" envision this as a small, round ball and place this amount onto a small piece of fresh bread, about 1/4 x 1/2", roll this into small ball and "pop" it to the back of his throat so he swallows this will get him dosed for the night and the rest he can get by water. I calculate this to be about 15-20mg of medicine, will be a good loading dose for him.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Dobato said:


> The Vita King powder is a 25% strength compounding of these two meds (20% Doxycycline and 5% Tylosin, 250mg/g). Because this is a water dosed med, and I know for my birds they do not drink that much later at night, and you will not be starting meds to after 9pm. You may want to consider giving some of the powder directly to the bird for tonight, as I am a little concerned about the swelling in the leg and I really would like to make sure he gets some meds in him tonight.
> 
> If you take an amount about the size of a capital "O" envision this as a small, round ball and place this amount onto a small piece of fresh bread, about 1/4 x 1/2", roll this into small ball and "pop" it to the back of his throat so he swallows this will get him dosed for the night and the rest he can get by water. I calculate this to be about 15-20mg of medicine, will be a good loading dose for him.
> 
> Karyn


I can do that envisioning the capital O sounds hard though, I put electrolytes in his water this morning thought it would help...


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> I can do that envisioning the capital O sounds hard though, I put electrolytes in his water this morning thought it would help...


While the electrolytes may help with the functioning of his body systems, they will not do what antibiotics will, stop a developing infection or treat an existing one. The capital O would represent an amount if it were a whole little bead worth of med, both of the meds in the Doxy-T have wide safety margins, so if you do not get it exactly right, it will not be a problem, I am just trying to give you some kind of reference of the amount needed to direct dose him tonight, which I think would be a good idea to do, IMHO.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Dobato said:


> While the electrolytes may help with the functioning of his body systems, they will not do what antibiotics will, stop a developing infection or treat an existing one. The capital O would represent an amount if it were a whole little bead worth of med, both of the meds in the Doxy-T have wide safety margins, so if you do not get it exactly right, it will not be a problem, I am just trying to give you some kind of reference of the amount needed to direct dose him tonight, which I think would be a good idea to do, IMHO.
> 
> Karyn


Oh I know electrolytes don't replace antibiotics I was just told to do so by someone so I did. But I will give him that dosage tonight.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I did what you told me last night with the antibiotics. It was easy although I broke the bread into two pieces so it would be easier. I think I'd rather do that every day then put it in his water, can I?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> I did what you told me last night with the antibiotics. It was easy although I broke the bread into two pieces so it would be easier. I think I'd rather do that every day then put it in his water, can I?


Yes, you can oral dose him, but instead of ballparking it going forward, I would prefer to be more accurate.

Get a set of baking measuring spoons and use the 1/4 teaspoon size to scoop into the powder so the spoon is heaped and use a edge of a knife to sweep the rounded top flat, do not compact. Add this 1/4 teaspoon of the Doxy-T to 5mL (this is 1 baking teaspoon full) of pancake syrup or honey stir well, let sit 20 minutes and stir well again and it will be ready to use you will have a 4-5% suspension. You can use a 1cc syringe add 0.25cc (this is 5 drops) to a piece of bread (or a few pieces, as long as you get 5 drops into him) do this twice a day for the next week (you can use an eye dropper if you do not have a 1cc syringe on hand and pick up one later for about $1 at the drug store). Stir very well before each use and keep in the refrigerator.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Here it is....its yellow  I hope the drugging him up will help, I washed it with saline solution like you said and put topical antibiotics and gave it to him to the bread like you said to do same as light night I will have to give him the new way tonight. I also am bandaging him.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Also, both legs are swollen now?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

You don't have to wash the wound any longer with the saline, unless it get dirty, just a apply the topical antibiotic everyday. You will be dosing him twice a day, so you can do so now and later again tonight, even if it's a little earlier that 12 hours apart. I will ask Pidgey to have a look in on your thread about both legs being swollen.

Karyn


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Shoot... that looks like the kind of damage you get when they hit a wire--it rubs the feathers off of the chest, pulls open a horizontal rip and messes up the legs, usually both. Of course, it can go any of several ways depending on HOW they hit the wire, but that's a good example of a pretty straight smack.

Can you post a picture with a little wider angle so that we can see the actual feet and legs?

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Incidentally, I went ahead and marked where certain parts actually are on the bird in your photo that people usually have a difficult time envisioning. They're easy to see on a fuzzy chick but generally tougher to make out on a fully-feathered bird:



Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

And all that said, by the way, we ought to consider that there might be fractures in those legs that need to be addressed. Read this story and take a look at how Braveheart was hung in a makeshift sling (from a sock):

http://www.redroselofts.com/braveheart.htm

Also, review this stuff:



It's possible to splint a broken leg on any bird with masking tape and it's pretty simple as well--that's what most vets do if it's not too complex of a fracture. You can take a look at this page and study the skeletal drawings to help you figure out the applicable anatomy:

http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/skeleton.html

In any case, you can roll up a towel into a donut that the bird can settle into the middle of in such a way as to take any pressure off of the leg easily. Sometimes, you can bring them in the house and treat them like the Queen of Sheba with food and water right in front of them and they'll behave pretty well. About the only thing they'll stand up to do is poop and if you dutifully keep that cleaned up and then gently put them back down, they can learn to take it real easy and heal up just like that.

Otherwise, you sometimes have to clip the feathers of the leg closely with scissors and use masking tape to immobilize the leg as shown here:










...and it might come out looking like this:



The break on this bird was high enough on the tibiotarsus that I extended the tape up and over the back to help it immobilize it--otherwise, following the drawings above wouldn't have gone high enough to actually do the job. I clipped all the feathers short where the tape went, too.

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)




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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I have leg splints from Foys can I go put those on right now?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Uhh... well... did you study all that stuff (the drawings, etc) and feel around for any obvious problems? You should also describe the bird's exact behavior with respect to how it either stands or doesn't or attempts to stand and cannot.

As to leg splints, I guess it matters how they're made, how far they extend and whether or not they'd cover the fractures that we don't even know that the bird has yet.

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I'm pissed those splints don't fit on the birds leg. Can I hang him in a sock sling instead?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Can the bird stand at all?

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

the bird cant stand but it movesaround using its wings as support and its legs minimally. i think the problem would be in the bone above the foot.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

In any case, yes, you can use the Braveheart picture as a model and see if you can go about taking a large sock and doing that. You're certainly not going to hurt the bird as long as the sock isn't too tight. Hang the bird over some kind of soft landing though (like a folded towel in a box) in case it tries to wriggle out and makes it.

I have to be out-of-pocket this evening, sorry, but there are others that can field questions.

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

the bird can move around it uses its wings for support and legs slightly. i think the problem is in the bone above the foot...but i cant be certain how should i proceed...i cant thank you enough


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Just remember to look closely at the picture of Braveheart and read the text on that webpage and note all of the things they did: 1) splinted the legs with straws; 2) dressed the chest wound; and, 3) hung him in the sock.

So, there you go... all the instructions that you need right there. Be sure to take and post pictures for posterity!

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

First To Hatch said:


> ...but i cant be certain how should i proceed...


Welcome to the club: doubts of how to proceed plague all rehabbers. 

In the life-threatening cases, it's always the worst, of course, and you're nowhere near that point. So... it's easiest to just start getting busy trying stuff and finding out the hard way what works and what doesn't. I have heard of pigeon loft owners with similar birds whose only effort was to "put food and water down on the floor for the bird." And that said, you should do just fine!

Pidgey


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

FTH, you need to start by probing both legs with the tips of you fingers tips drawn together to see if you can feel any obvious breaks in the legs. Also, need to confine this bird to a small hospital cage (or even a box, so he id forced to rest his legs) in a donut for now, until you get organized.

Here is what a "donut" looks like:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=467722&postcount=6,

With the Braveheart sling, a good idea if you can get the bird to cooperate, if indeed, if there are breaks, most birds after a short while do not like to be confined this way. I had to sling a bird one time who just refused to stay in the sling that was kind of like the Braveheart setup, so I ended up pretty well making a sling that was more like a straight-jacket, that the bird just could not get out of, the bird ended up realizing they could not longer get out, so the struggling pretty well stopped, and went on to a full recovery.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Dobato said:


> FTH, you need to start by probing both legs with the tips of you fingers tips drawn together to see if you can feel any obvious breaks in the legs. Also, need to confine this bird to a small hospital cage (or even a box, so he id forced to rest his legs) in a donut for now, until you get organized.
> 
> Here is what a "donut" looks like:
> 
> ...


On one of the legs its the tarsometatarsus.The sling was a bad idea he got out of it in like 2 seconds. And I don't want to make it too tight on him. I modified the Foys leg splints to fit the legs, it covers the tibiotarsus and the tatsometatarsus so if theirs anything wrong with those parts that's what It will fix. Hes in a small crate I have for birds probably only a foot by a foot I think that's where I'll keep him. He still looks alert and all. I'm praying he'll make it I'm a bit worried that he'll leg we'll swell up so much that the band will cut the circulation off his leg. But since hes getting antibiotics I know they should decrease that. I hand fed him this morning but he was being picky with his feed and not eating a lot, thinking he has some royal treatment and can just eat what he likes. Didn't drink water though, I guess I'll give him some water with a syringe every lil while. How often should I give him water?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Oh, don't fuss with it overmuch--he'll drink when he wants to, he's not in quite as much distress as one might think. The bird that I got in the picture above with all the masking tape acted so royal due to the treatment that I eventually named her "Princess". She expected her safflower seeds to be shined up before they were brought to her on a silk pillow. I think she was actually put out a bit when she'd healed enough to not get the special treatment anymore and had to readjust back to her owner's loft.

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

You should of seen him, he ate the corn and maple peas then would stare at me till I got another hand full then he'd the corn and maple peas again and stare at me till I got another hand full, I'll post pictures soon.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> On one of the legs its the tarsometatarsus.The sling was a bad idea he got out of it in like 2 seconds. And I don't want to make it too tight on him. I modified the Foys leg splints to fit the legs, it covers the tibiotarsus and the tatsometatarsus so if theirs anything wrong with those parts that's what It will fix. Hes in a small crate I have for birds probably only a foot by a foot I think that's where I'll keep him. He still looks alert and all. I'm praying he'll make it I'm a bit worried that he'll leg we'll swell up so much that the band will cut the circulation off his leg. But since hes getting antibiotics I know they should decrease that. I hand fed him this morning but he was being picky with his feed and not eating a lot, thinking he has some royal treatment and can just eat what he likes. Didn't drink water though, I guess I'll give him some water with a syringe every lil while. How often should I give him water?


With the Jedd's splints, you need to cut some 1/2-3/4" gauze rolls and wrap the leg first before applying the splint, as there is a lot of slack/space inside these splints. The gauze under the splint, allows the leg to be held in place without cutting off circulation and also allow the skin to breath, it will also help protect the leg from the edges of the splint, you will wrap the gauze past where the splint ends and use a little adhesive tape at both ends to secure, so he can not pick at the gauze. If you re-wrap, best to get someone to help you, wrap him up in a small towel with so you have access to the leg to work on it, wrap with just a touch of tension, not too much much in any way, but you do not want to loosely wrap it.

Glad to hear the he is eating, with a little encouragement .

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Ok, I had not put any guaze on it or anything just the splint, and than wrapped it in the adhesive tape. Also im giving him .25 cc once in the morning and once at night right?


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

The leg is quite swollen, and its really just fitting its leg, do I have to put the guaze on, he tried to take it off a bit at first but didn't anymore. I dont think the splint would really fit well with the guaze...


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> The leg is quite swollen, and its really just fitting its leg, do I have to put the guaze on, he tried to take it off a bit at first but didn't anymore. I dont think the splint would really fit well with the guaze...


Well, sometimes its best not to bother things, if it's on and he is not fussing with it and the swelling is filling up the splint, then leave it be. You'll have to watch for any cutting/chaffing the edges of the splint may do to the leg and also watch as the swelling goes down the splint does not become "sloppy" so as to not be properly supporting the leg. If you see these things happening, then you can take the splint off, re-wrap with the gauze and put back the splint. Be careful if it does come time to do a re-wrap, as you don't want to undo any healing that is has taken place, make sure he is well secured, leg out, well supported and be careful he does get a chance to push against your hand or anything while the splint is off with his leg.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Thank you, how soon should I start seeing the cut to heal and his legs to heal? I know everything is different with every case, but a ball park?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Between one and two weeks.

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

One of his legs (the one without the band) is no longer swollen and I had to wrap them leg in guaze to keep the splint on. He can't move that leg and the leg is obviously broken. I stopped bandaging the cut on his stomache because he always moves around to try and take it off. The other leg is still quite swollen but he moves it and somewhat uses it. (Hes in a 12 inch by 12 inch cage in a towel donut).


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

FTH, thanks for the update. Glad you were keeping an on on things and managed to get the leg re-wrapped. I would keep him on the oral antibiotics at least until Friday, this will make 10 days, and could even be a few days past this. Just continue to rest him and keep him confined for the time being.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Dobato said:


> FTH, thanks for the update. Glad you were keeping an on on things and managed to get the leg re-wrapped. I would keep him on the oral antibiotics at least until Friday, this will make 10 days, and could even be a few days past this. Just continue to rest him and keep him confined for the time being.
> 
> Karyn


I don't think its closing very much, will I have to stitch? I'm mainly worried about the legs...


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> I don't think its closing very much, will I have to stitch? I'm mainly worried about the legs...


It will be too late to attempt any stitching of the stomach wound, just rinse it once with warm saline solution, unless it gets dirty, and apply a nice covering of Neosporin to it once or twice a day, it will heal and close in time and with him being on the oral antibiotics, it reduces the chances of infection worries. Why don't you post up a photo of the wound to let us have another look-see at it when you get a chance.

Karyn


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, it's actually a wound on the upper chest between the pectoral muscles. No, no real need to do anything at this point--it's going to close all on its own in due time. I'd tend to worry more about the leg that's not healing so well.

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Its really picked up in closing the past few days


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

The leg thats no longer swollen.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

The other leg is still as swollen as before. Its the one with the band. Weird thing is he moves that leg and uses it, the other one he doesn't I removed the splint on the leg thats still swollen and he was partially using it and limping around using that leg and his wings. You can't really feel a break like you can with the other one. Was I wrong in removing the splint? I thought maybe if he got to move around use that leg swelling would go down.....


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> The other leg is still as swollen as before. Its the one with the band. Weird thing is he moves that leg and uses it, the other one he doesn't I removed the splint on the leg thats still swollen and he was partially using it and limping around using that leg and his wings. You can't really feel a break like you can with the other one. Was I wrong in removing the splint? I thought maybe if he got to move around use that leg swelling would go down.....


FTH, if the leg you removed the splint from was indeed broken, then 6 days is too soon to take the splint off, as Pidgey mentions it should stay on for a few weeks, I would re-wrap using the gauze again.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I re-wrapped the leg. I know he won't be able to race, but all I want is for him to live a full life and be able to walk and live in the loft.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> I re-wrapped the leg. I know he won't be able to race, but all I want is for him to live a full life and be able to walk and live in the loft.


These guys can surprise you sometimes so don't write his future too soon. Although my birds are pets, I have one who had a compound break in a leg, (bone breaking through the skin, this is the one I mentioned had to be hung in a sling) that outside of a slight turn in of the leg you would never know how bad it was at one time, so you never know, but glad to hear you are going to see him through this, no matter.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

The cut is completely closed, just going to wait for those feathers to grow back. The one leg that he wasn't using at all before he was using today trying to kick while I fed him. The other leg is still swollen but my mother said not as much, its hard for me to tell when I see him everyday and you can't really tel improvement since she barely sees him she said it was a bit less. Before he would just sit there in the towel donut all day, but now he stands in it and moves around, so I guess hes getting better? How much on the leg splints, know the one with the banded leg probably needs like 3 weeks or so, but how about the other one you say?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> The cut is completely closed, just going to wait for those feathers to grow back. The one leg that he wasn't using at all before he was using today trying to kick while I fed him. The other leg is still swollen but my mother said not as much, its hard for me to tell when I see him everyday and you can't really tel improvement since she barely sees him she said it was a bit less. Before he would just sit there in the towel donut all day, but now he stands in it and moves around, so I guess hes getting better? How much on the leg splints, know the one with the banded leg probably needs like 3 weeks or so, but how about the other one you say?


FTH, I am glad to hear his chest has healed up and the legs are making progress. Because you took the splint off at the 6 day mark I would be more inclined to keep it wrapped a full 2 weeks from the re-wrap time, instead of counting the previous 6 days time in. The reason is there is a chance, since the splint was taken off early, that the 6 days healing could have been undone if he tried to put weight on it and use it, and if this where to be the case, by counting in those 6 days, we could be in the same spot again, removing the support too early. Even if the healing was not undone, 3 weeks in a splint for a broken leg would be fine.

Continue to keep him confined, as you are doing, for the time being, so he does not push himself too much. Even after taking off the splint, I would still confine him another week, perhaps even a few weeks, again, to let him use the leg, but not push too far, and slowly build up some strength, making sure he is using his legs well, before re-introducing him to the loft.

Karyn


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well... sounds like we're about right on schedule, assuming that the one leg was busted up pretty bad.

Moral of the story: Donuts are therapeutic. Towel donuts for pigeons and chocolate cake donuts for humans. NEVER... go more than a day without a donut!

Pidgey the Plump


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Can I take him out of that crate and put him in a crate thats 16'' by 16'' without the donut?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> Can I take him out of that crate and put him in a crate thats 16'' by 16'' without the donut?


FTH, I don't see moving him to a little bigger crate as a problem, but I would leave the donut in, in a corner, just in case he wants to use in, I have a had a few who really like to sit in their donuts while recuperating.

Karyn


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Ok thank you this crate isn't mine thats why I ask I need to give it back.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I've lost track of time how much longer in the splint?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Try removing it and seeing how the bird gets on.

Pidgey


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

Sounds good maybe I'll do it tonight when I get home from work.


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## First To Hatch (Jul 19, 2009)

I took the splints off. Theirs like a big lump where the break was on one leg. And on the other leg that took awhile to heal, is a big lump too where the band is because the break was so low, no long swollen, just lumps where the breaks were. Hes walking, his one leg healed kind of side ways so he walks weird. Thinking of putting him back in the loft next week.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

First To Hatch said:


> I took the splints off. Theirs like a big lump where the break was on one leg. And on the other leg that took awhile to heal, is a big lump too where the band is because the break was so low, no long swollen, just lumps where the breaks were. Hes walking, his one leg healed kind of side ways so he walks weird. Thinking of putting him back in the loft next week.


The lumps are normal, it is bone callus formation that take place at the break to bridge together the broken bone(s), the lumps should reduce in in time. Glad to hear is is mobile again and you should be able to put him back with the other birds next week, just make sure he is doing well enough where he won't get picked on.

Karyn


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