# dislocated wing--update on Pheap



## haraggan (Aug 22, 2002)

Well, Pheap spent a night in the hospital and successfully laid her egg. But when we brought her home last night she was unable to fly and her left wing drooped. I took her back in this morning for an x-ray and, as we had feared, her shoulder is dislocated (I know there's another word for this for birds but at the moment I've forgotten it). Her wing in bandaged (sort of like a shoulder sling). The vet, who is an avian specialist, advises against surgery to reset the shoulder for a pet bird whose life is not dependent on flight on the grounds that the surgery is potentially risky and the outcome not guaranteed. She also said there is a chance that Pheap will learn to compensate for the new shoulder alignment and be able to fly some for short distances. She is a pet, and lives in our apartment, but the idea of her not being able to fly makes me very sad because she has always loved it so much.

Has anyone else had experience with this sort of injury? What was the outcome? Did you go with surgery.

I am heartsick over this. Poor Pheap hates the bandage, but otherwise she seems comfortable enough. I'll take her out of her cage later to hold her and cuddle her. She likes to sit by the mouse while I'm on the computer and should still be able to enjoy that.

Kristi


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Hi Kristi and thank you for the update on Pheap. I'm sorry her wing/shoulder is injured but commend your vet for the approach she has taken. I have often seen birds with a similar injury be able to fly quite well after healing. Sometimes the wing still looks a little "off", but it doesn't seem to stop them. Since Pheap is a pet, I think you and the vet are doing the right thing. Please keep us posetd.

Terry Whatley


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## haraggan (Aug 22, 2002)

Thanks, Terry, this is helpful. I talked further with the vet about the x-ray and she noted that there are asymmetries in Pheap's left and right wing/shoulder muscular development. It's possible that the joint has never been completely normal. Anyway, at this point the patient is resting comfortably and eating well, so we'll nurse her and hope for the best!

Kristi


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## Jules (Nov 28, 2003)

I have a wild pigeon that was attacked by a hawk and although he escaped, he was left with a dislocated shoulder. I first kept him in a smaller cage to limit his movement (allowing the shoulder to "set") then after two/three weeks moved him into a 4x4x4 cage. When I moved him I started bringing him out of the cage and started training him to fly in the garage. He can now successfully fly in and around obstacles and can fly up. It took a couple of weeks of 15 minute training sessions once daily to be able to do this, but by the third week he was flying into the rafters of the garage. I would never overdo the sessions as I didn't want him to restrain his shoulder. If I saw that his shoulder was starting to drop a bit I would stop. As I have hawks here all winter, he will be over wintered in the garage and released back into the wild in spring. Of course I'll sing Born Free when he's released. Their spirit and capability of healing can be quite amazing.


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