# Pigeon "Rosie" with broken wing at "elbow" (humerus to radius & ulna joint)



## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Pigeon "Rosie" with broken wing at "elbow" (humerus to radius & ulna joint)*

Saw a pigeon on sidewalk huddled against apartment row buildings while on bus; borrowed cell phone, wife retrieved pigeon. Said he was in bathtub, quiet, ate and drank, blood under wing. 

Nares is not white, so young or ill.

Broken joint at left wing elbow. Blood under wing. Wing hanging down. Feels like I could move wing in any direction I want where it is broken, like joint is completely disrupted. Afraid to move it much.

Holds tail down. Malnourished (thin keel). 

Quick decisions needed: 

I'm calling the re-habber in Witten to see if she will take in another non-flying pigeon. 

Can take pigeon to vet, but will probably confirm what I know and cost about $100. May want to put pigeon down. If I go to vet, need to do so in next half hour.

Okay, re-habber Christa called back on cell phone, was underway. She is coming to Cologne next week, will take pigeon. I need to wrap and immobilize wing so it doesn't hang down, and put some wound salve on it (which I have). 

Need to research wing-wrapping here on PT, to refresh my memory.

Will wait for wife to come home to do complete exam of Rosie's mouth, etc.

Calling her (or him) *Rosie*, since I saw her on Annostrasse close to Rosenplatz, where there is a pigeon and small animal market most Sundays.

She tried to wing-slap me a few minutes ago. This was after I brought *Wieteke* in to sit on my shoulder and roo-coo and claim his territory, to reassure her. 

The non-flying female pigeon *Osk-gurr* with paralyzed left wing and her daughter *Wie-Osk* whom re-habber Christa took in a month or so ago is doing great. Tries to fly but falls over backwards. Has two new beautiful babies in a floor nest. Blind pigeon *Johannes *sits nearby in rabbit-type cage, and his mate takes daily flights.

Thanks for your patience and help, everyone.

Didn't mention: *blood is fresh.* Weight 245 grams (8-9 ounces). Poops dark green, see that with most street pigeons here now: every bit of nutrition squeezed out.

If anyone can direct me to the broken wing body-wrap threads or posts, might save me some time. Thanks. Still looking.

Larry


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Found web-link for broken wing*

Found this link in my many pigeon bookmarks:

http://www.duckpolice.org/BirdWeb/PigeonResourceWeb/brokenwing.html

Any additional advice or info appreciated.

Larry


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Dried blood in feathers makes one heckuva' cast and bandage, for one thing. You'll want to tape the wingtip onto the tail and possibly run some tape over the bird to hold the wing up if it's sagging significantly. There was that time that I made a sling for Jedd to keep him from messing around with his wing during the initial healing because both his radius and ulna were both broken bad--comminuted (literally splintered into multiple pieces). That usually causes the bones to foreshorten in the healing process and it was bad enough that their calluses grew together--death to future flight potential. Anyhow, it's kinda' tough to keep them from messing with them, sometimes, and you need to immobilize it as well as possible without actually constricting anything.

Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Here's the original post that I did for Jedd:

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/showpost.php?p=80821&postcount=18

I tried the regular wing wrap with all the right stuff and he simply wouldn't tolerate it on there. He had the restraint because he had too much of the Houdini strain in him.

Pidgey


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Body wrap of broken wing is finished; humerus? protrudes*

Thanks for the info, Pidgey. 

Finished wrapping around 20:00 or so. 

I saw the pigeon *Rosie* while on the bus on the way to a dental appointment at the local university dental school, at 12:45. Called wife on cell phone, she retrieved pigeon, told me on follow-up call from school that there was blood under the wing. We were both hoping Rosie would have flown off before she got there ad that I had been wrong. Right around the corner, ten meters farther from where the pigeon was huddled is a small plaza where the pigeon and small animal (and supplies) market takes place most Sundays. Bus stops there, but people often have dogs on leashes there.

Looked at pigeon at 15:30. Joint felt moveable, like twiddling four or five pieces of dry uncooked spaghetti between your thumb and index finger, and I felt that I could have moved the lower wing in any direction I wanted without physical resistance from the joint and its bursa(?) and ligaments and tendons. There was some blood pooling in the muscle tissue. Maybe a half-teaspoon of blood around wound and in surrounding feathers. 

The vet would have closed within a maximum of half an hour of my arrival by bus, and he might be already overloaded with clients who had arrived at 15:00. I figured he would simply confirm what I already knew, that the joint was destroyed and that he would recommend euthanizing the bird. Just before I would have ad to head for the vet, the re-habber Christa called, said that I should wrap her, et cetera, and she would take the bird to her aviary. Rosie has her future home assured, if she survives. 

I let the bird rest until after supper, when Hilde could help me restrain the bird.

After reading Pidgey's linked thread on pigeon *Jedd* and looking at his photos, and after studying anatomy skeletal illustrations, and previewing procedure with Hilde, we taped the birds ankles together at rear.

Holding and handling the bird was a bit clumsy for both of us. Rosie was alert, bright-eyed, would have flown up to *Wieteke* if she could have (she craned her neck towards him). Brought him in to reassure her that pigeons ruled.

I gently extended the injured left wing a bit, and Rosie did not retract it. 

She did a healthy, olive-sized and colored poop, with white urates.

Lifting the wing, I saw what appeared to be to be a small white tube, the cylinder of the humerus, looking like a small cocktail sipping and stirring straw cut at a bevel, protruding from the wound from the direction of the humerus to shoulder axis, and sticking out towards the rear. The inside of the cylinder, the three millimeters one could see, was white. I wondered if it might be a foreign object by some chance, and when I gently tugged it with a tweezers, it was obviously attached to surrounding tissue. The tube protruded towards the rear of the body. The distal end of the tube was missing.

It seemed as if the largest part of the elbow, the knobby end of the humerus where the ulna and radius attach, was completely gone.

I can only imagine a high impact object such as an air gun pellet doing that. If the wing alone had been run over by something such as a skinny-tired racing bicycle, more feather damage should show, in my opinion.

I applied an olive-sized gob of iodine ointment (antibiotic ointment not available without specific prescription from doc), and did not attempt to clean or handle the wound further. It did not seem necessary. Figured I would handle any infections with a suspension of oral antibiotics (cotrim or cipro) if called for. 

We wrapped her once, being careful to not make it too tight. We used "vet' tape purchased at a pharmacy for human meds and supplies. It is a white silk tape, not too sticky. The stickiness of the adhesive seems not much more on those originally yellow 3M Post-It notes.

After the first wrap with two complete turns around the torso, in front of the legs so that Rosie could use them, and over the damaged wing and under the healthy wing, I felt that the shoulder joint was too far forward in relation to the other healthy shoulder, so I easily peeled the tape off. Rosie pecked (nibbling motion) my hand five or six times rapidly, as if saying it hurts, leave it alone. Re-wrapped quickly. 

Gave her a healthy dose of liquid pigeon vitamins with a syringe and crop-feeding blunt-nosed needle. Mouth looked healthy and wonderful. 

Removed ankle tape restraint.

She stood easily. Put her in pet carrier, and she backed off to rear when I put in food and water. 

Covered pet carrier, and she should be sleeping an hour now, at 21:41.

I don't feel so good about the protruding bone. There was no fresh bleeding while I handled her. Next option is starting antibiotics tomorrow. I've read animals need a lot of calcium when combatting infections, and cipro should not be used with calcium. Her nares is flesh-colored rather than white, head profile seems that of a squeaker or female. Outer toe on right foot is turned under and completely inwards, nail or claw a bit long-ish. If she is ill (body weight 244 grams instead of normal 300+ grams, thin keel, then she may have depleted calcium stores from "cannibalizing" calcium in bone depot. 

Can't determine age. No flying license or ID found, or birth certificate. Ok, back to getting serious.

Larry


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Tell you what, Larry... take a picture or make a simple illustration and post a picture of that. Usually, the joint's "in there", just might not be where you expect.

Pidgey


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

Just a quick fly by for Squeaks and me to wish ROSIE all the best! She's in GREAT hands!

I know you will keep us posted! Sounds like she will survive and I'm very happy to hear she has a home to go to! She's a very lucky pij!

Wishing all the best with love, hugs and scritches

Shi 
& Squeaks (who says that he commisserates with Rosie and her injured wing! Been there, done that!)


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Will make photo or drawing of wound*

Pidgey,

Will do. *Tomorrow*. Nigh midnight.

Pestered Rosie an hour ago. Wanted to be sue bandage wasn't too tight, that she was still breathing.

Decided to tape wing tip to tail, as you had suggested and I had forgotten about. Worked for about two minutes.

Rosie was frightened (late night unwanted visitors, taking her to a concentration camp? gas chamber? 

Wobbly, Caught left claw in bandage. Fell over and couldn't upright herself a couple of times. Propped her on both sides with rolled washcloths and rags, hoped she can poop okay.

Think she needs rest right now. Might feel pain and stiffness tomorrow.

Only have web-cam, not enough fine detail, I think. Will provide tomorrow.

Mr. Squeaks and Shi, thanks for your best wishes.

Larry

Now midnight. I turn into a garbage can, receptacle for broken glass slippers, pumpkin rinds.


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Plans are for Rosie to see head doctor of the best pigeon clinic in Germany, maybe*

Hello Pidgey, and others,

I have come up with the elegant solution an hour ago. The re-habber Christa is close friends with the head doctor at the best pigeon clinic in Germany. She will call him tomorrow. I will take Rosie by train 90+ kilometers, and we will proceed with Christa by car. Those are the plans so far. She said he can do luxated (dislocated) bones. He will not charge, either. Maybe meds.

After wrapping Rosie's wing Friday evening, I did a lot of thinking, trying to understand what it was I had seen. 

Hilde didn't want me to unwrap the binding in order to take a picture, and I wasn't too much for the idea either, since it is hard to get detail with the web-cam (mostly a problem of lighting). Also, we are not a coordinated team in such procedures. Clumsy deciding who should hold what and where. Too much hesitation, since we don't want to hurt pigeon. I think Rosie objected to "amateur night."

Saturday morning, after several more hours of thought, I decided what I had seen was not a completely demolished elbow joint between the humerus and radius/ulna, but that the lower, distal end of the humerus had rotated and protruded through the skin. Elbow near middle of upper arm (humerus). Decided to let vet do further investigation, in spite of cost, whether affordable or not. Perceptions of affordable cost change when you think you feel pigeon's pain, projected on yourself.

There was some blood pooled around the bones, not completely coagulated or dark. I did not want to sever a major artery or vessel, or start fresh bleeding. I had thought of using a piece of feather shaft as an insert to hold the two tubular parts of the broken humerus together, but was not sure of easily finding the upper part of the humerus. There were tendons and muscles around the bone, and I think they pulled the lower wing closer to the shoulder, and made the upper part of the wing appear shorter. After wrapping, the injured wing projected further forward than the healthy wing. It was not a symmetrical wrap in appearance, either from frontal or overhead view. 

I decided she needed to see vet, either my local vet, or the pigeon clinic vet. Decided to ask Christa for more help. She was very forthcoming. She is close friends with head vet, Dr. Kamphausen. She takes in injured and therefore unwanted "disposable" racing pigeons whom owners leave with him to be euthanized. He procrastinates because of shortage of time, and tells them he will do it "later." I saw some prize ex-racers at her place, including a "German knight's helmet"(?) pigeon. Will get pic someday of it, hopefully.

Rosie does not seem to be in pain. She eats well, poops well, grooms. Snags her foot on injures-wing side in the bandage. Trips easily. I have to upright her (did so several times in middle of night when she moved to poop. Checked on her when I heard movement). Bright-eyed. Stands on one foot while being hand-held.

Larry


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

This sounds like a great plan, Larry. I'm glad you were able to work it out. 

Terry


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Larry, Bless your heart for extending yourself so for Rosie. It sounds like it could be a tiring ordeal for all of you and I want you to know I admire you. 
You are doing a good thing.


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## Margarret (May 3, 2007)

Larry,

Sending Rosie the best of wishes for recovery. Sounds like a severe wing injury with that open fracture. Infection is the biggest threat at the moment because of the broken skin with the protruding bone. Your plan is a good one and what you describe sounds like excellent emergency treatment till you can get her to a vet. Will keep good thoughts for both Rosie and you.

Margaret


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## Larry_Cologne (Jul 6, 2004)

*Rosie doing fine after surgery, won't fly again*

Synopsis: *Rosie* is doing fine after surgery, but won't fly again.

After my last post on Sunday October 28th, I made a seven hour round trip by bus, train, and streetcar from Cologne to the pigeon hospital *Taubenklinik Essen.* Made it there an hour before closing time. 

The head or _Chef_ of the clinic, Dr. Ludger Kamphausen, quickly shoved a long cotton-tipped stick (Q-tip) down her throat into the crop and we looked at an active video display hooked up to a microscope to view microorganisms, in case there were "other ongoing issues." Negative. 

Rosie had caught the long toe of her left foot in the silk "vet-tape" I had secured her left wing with to her body a number of times, when she tried to "escape." She would fall forward onto her left side and not be able to move. I maintained a vigil over the weekend so if she fell over I could upright her, to prevent panic, and aspiration of crop contents. 

I reported in my post that I did not feel good about the broken humerus. Pidgey had asked me to make a photo, or to draw an illustration. Once I had decided to take her to the vet, i decided that I had better leave well enough alone. No low-definition web-cam photos. I was tired, and wasn't sure I knew what I had observed. 

Sure enough, I had confused things. 

I knew what a normal, unbroken wing structure should look like. Looking at the uplifted wing of a frightened bird from the underside, while things were not where they should have been, I thought the lower end of the humerus had rotated, so that the broken end protruded towards the direction of the tail, and the elbow was positioned halfway up the "upper arm." I was wrong. When Dr. Kamphausen and his assistant removed the bandage, the beak looked like a simple one. The lower part of the humerus stuck out of the underside of the wing, pointing forwards. 

Rosie's snagging of her claw in the bandage resulted in the upper part of the humerus sticking out through the upper wing, pointing towards the tail. The bone looked like it had broken at a bias, or angle. I almost felt one could put a tube such as a piece of feather shaft into the two hollow pieces of bone, shove them together, and let them mend.

Dr. Kamphausen, when the bandage was removed, said the wound smelled bad (I can't smell). He gave Rosie an injection of something in the breast muscle (I didn't catch what it was, but not an anesthetic or antibiotic). 

He would do surgery first thing the next morning. *There would be no charge, since Rosie was a street pigeon.* They would do it "for us" [for the experience of the clinic]. (They help pigeon racers and fanciers maintain their birds in top form, with prescribed regimens). 

He said that since the wound had festered, the exposed bone was dead, and she would ever fly again. He said that he might have to put her to sleep. He knew that his good friend Christa Griese would be taking the non-flying Rosie into her aviary if she recovered. He asked permission to put her to sleep if necessary, and I said that I would leave it up to him and Christa, since they were taking over responsibility. If the surgery went well, she would be kept at the clinic for a week or so, and the bandages removed after four or five weeks. Christa said that Dr. Kamphausen often personally dropped off pigeons at her place after work. Those who recovered sufficiently were free to fly off if they so chose, or could live at the aviary.

I had used a greasy iodine ointment on the wound. He said normally he uses a disinfectant spray. 

I was surprised when he re-wrapped the wing to the body with cheap *crepe masking paper tape*, of the sort used by house-painters. He said it didn't stick as much as vet tape, was easier to remove (and a lot cheaper, I added). 

Rosie was put in an individual portable cage (resembled a plastic milk carton or soft drink carrier, with vertical bars on the front, one bar of which was disconnected at the bottom. I put her slowly and gently into the cage, held her steady a bit, and very slowly withdrew my hands so she would not panic and catch her foot in the bandage and do more damage. We were unable to bind her so that her foot wouldn't catch. Once she is calm and left alone on a flat surface where she can't jump to another floor level, she keeps on her feet well. The room had fifteen or twenty other pigeons in individual cages, all facing the windows on the opposite wall. The room was solely for keeping pigeons in cages, on shelves, and they could see each other only if they stuck their heads through the bars to eat or drink from small individual containers hanging from the front of the cages. No stress from confrontation, but relaxation from knowing other birds were around. The room was isolated, at the end of a corridor, closed off and quiet most of the time, airy, and sunny. The entire facility was modern, spacious, spotless (except for the occasional poop which was cleaned up right away). Each cage had its freah paper floor lining. There was another street pigeon in a nearby cage. 

The next afternoon, on Tuesday October 30th, I contacted the clinic. Dr. Kamphausen couldn't come to the phone then; another doctor passed on the information that the operation had been a success and Rosie was recovering. They had removed splinters of bone.

When I phoned with Christa a week later, she said things were going well with Rosie.

She also gave me astounding news about *Osk-gurr*, the female who had a paralyzed right wing from a raptor attack, and whom I rescued in March. On September 2nd I had brought Osk-gurr and her squeaker *Wie-osk* (hatched July 26th, father was our *Wieteke*) to Christa to live. Wieteke had gone along for the ride, content to sit on two dummy eggs in a nest bowl in a separate pet carrier the whole time. Back home he got off the eggs and never looked back. 

Wie-osk was a beautiful female, and Osk-gurr had two more chicks in a nest on the floor.


The astounding news was that Osk-gurr can fly a bit again! The first vet to see her, Dr. Uwe Eller, had said she suffered soft tissue damage, and might or might not fly again. The whole time Osk-gurr was with us, she would hunch up and try to fly upwards to a nest site Wieteke proposed on the rafters and ventilation ducts in the atelier. She could not go so high as the seat of a chair. She effectively was only jumping, to a height of twenty to thirty centimeters, o a little over a foot.

Christa said she wouldn't have believed it had she not witnessed it four or five times. Osk-gurr often flipped onto her back when she tried to launch herself, but was quickly onto her feet.

I hope to visit them in the near future and present photos and maybe a video to all of you.

Here is a web-link to info on the clinic:

http://www.bdrg.de/klinik_voegel.shtml

Thanks to everyone,

Larry


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## mr squeaks (Apr 14, 2005)

*Thank you so much for the update on Rosie and the others, Larry!!

Squeaks and I will continue to send our BEST healing thoughts, along with hugs and scritches!!

Squeaks, of course, is particularly interested in Rosie because of his own initial wing problem.

Please keep us updated!

Shi & Squeaks*

P.S. That was SOME trip you made!! You and Hilde take care of yourselves!!


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## Maggie-NC (Jun 22, 2005)

Larry, my hero!

To undertake that journey, especially with your health situation, speaks volumes about how compassionate you and Hilde are. I wish the very best for Rosie and many thanks for saving her life.

That is also great news about Osk-gurr being able to fly some.


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Thanks you for the update, Larry, and for making that epic journey with the pigeon. You truly went above and beyond!

Terry


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