# leg out of hip socket



## superflyer (Sep 13, 2008)

A rehabber friend just found a feral who's leg appears to be out of the hip socket. If you have advise, tips or links please post.


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

superflyer said:


> A rehabber friend just found a feral who's leg appears to be out of the hip socket. If you have advise, tips or links please post.


Micheal, I recently did a bit of reading on this for another thread. My understanding is a good deal of the time that people this a hip is dislocated, it's actually a broken femur bone, as a birds hip joint is really quire strong and the femur breaks more often than the joint dislocates. Best see if he can get an xray done to confirm one way or the other.

Karyn


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## superflyer (Sep 13, 2008)

Thanks Karyn I'll pass on the info. I wonder how an open fracture of that sort is best splinted. Z splint? it's beautiful at the wildlife sanctuary, now I have a room for you if you would like to visit and work with the birds for a couple of weeks.


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi superflyer,



The Femur is under their Skin along the side of their Body, and, there is no way to Splint it.

One allows the Muscles and position of the Bird in resting, the Bird resting in a Towel "U" or 'Do-Nut' to align the ends of the broken Bone, and, for the Bone ends to knit and heal by that method/means...which will tend to take several weeks, with a long period of continued slow improvement thereafter.

Calcium deficient Birds can blow out a Hip Socket and even have Bone splinters come up through the skin along side the small of their Back...but that is a different sort of event, and, one would have to investigate closely to identify the condition if present.


Good luck!


Phil
Lv


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## superflyer (Sep 13, 2008)

Hello Phil so are you saying it's best to support the body with no splint and let the body heal? I like to use comforters from Walmart to support the body
they seem to conform really well.


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

was up michael 
baby is wraped up. leg is against the body. the way it should be. he is moving around with one leg ,, crawling but moving towards the food and water 
i splinted rest of the leg just in the case any other bone is broken.. 
i wish him the best recovery


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Michael, I thought it may be worthwhile posting up a photo showing a bird with two broken femurs, as well as two broken tibiotarsus bones. The xray demonstrates why it is thought that birds with broken femurs have dislocated hips, because of how the bone breaks it seems that the hip is out of the socket, when actually the bone is broken (also shows as mentioned before that most times the bone will break, before the hip dislocates, and also why an xray is needed to diagnose). The radiograph also shows why it is hard to feel a broken femur as they are quite deep in muscle tissue, and location, making them hard to feel. As mentioned, there is no practical way of setting a broken femur, the way these bones are set is by an IM pin (intramedullary) and ESF (External Skeletal Fixation). So when this kind of operation is not an option, you want to confine the bird to a donut for support, in as small a place as possible to force the bird to rest and allow the bone to knit. (the arrows point out the breaks)


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

superflyer said:


> Hello Phil so are you saying it's best to support the body with no splint and let the body heal? I like to use comforters from Walmart to support the body
> they seem to conform really well.


If it is a broken Femur, since there is not way to splint it, the only method ( other than surgery and a pin or other appliance being inserted ) is to have the Bird set up so they can lay and rest in a soft and comfortable shaped support which will promote a more or less position in resting, for the broken Bone to mend.

The lower Bones of the Leg of course are accessible and depending on the kind of break, their Bones, if broken, can usually be Splinted.


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

pdpbison said:


> If it is a broken Femur, since there is not way to splint it, the only method ( other than surgery and a pin or other appliance being inserted ) is to have the Bird set up so they can lay and rest in a soft and comfortable shaped support which will promote a more or less position in resting, for the broken Bone to mend.
> 
> The lower Bones of the Leg of course are accessible and depending on the kind of break, their Bones, if broken, can usually be Splinted.



u are so right.. and this image might be whats wrong with the baby thats why i think the leg is out of its socket.


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

Dobato said:


> Michael, I thought it may be worthwhile posting up a photo showing a bird with two broken femurs, as well as two broken tibiotarsus bones. The xray demonstrates why it is thought that birds with broken femurs have dislocated hips, because of how the bone breaks it seems that the hip is out of the socket, when actually the bone is broken (also shows as mentioned before that most times the bone will break, before the hip dislocates, and also why an xray is needed to diagnose). The radiograph also shows why it is hard to feel a broken femur as they are quite deep in muscle tissue, and location, making them hard to feel. As mentioned, there is no practical way of setting a broken femur, the way these bones are set is by an IM pin (intramedullary) and ESF (External Skeletal Fixation). So when this kind of operation is not an option, you want to confine the bird to a donut for support, in as small a place as possible to force the bird to rest and allow the bone to knit. (the arrows point out the breaks)




it really bight be upper femur thats broken.
i got him resting right now, confined in a small box to pevent movement. he's resting on some comfortable cloths.. not more i can do...as long as he living and breathing. growing up with a limp isnt the worst thing in the world. as long as he's healthy and as long as he got a second chance in life


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Broken Femurs when having to mend by the Bird resting in comfortable formed Cloths or other, take quite a while compared to the other Bones of the Legs.

3 Weeks to a Month, before the Bird will be tentatively standing on it, is probably not unusual...with several more weeks of slow continued progress to be walking with a limp, and, depending, the Limp may or may not go way over time.

Very young Birds however, tend to mend much more quickly than do adults or older adults.


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## superflyer (Sep 13, 2008)

Thanks all I have been super busy rehabbing and moving to the new sanctuary. It turns out Jean changed her mind and she said she thought it was the knee. I have been too busy to get more involved in Jeans's rehab work. She has been following this post. I plan to have a party for Jean. I think she is raising her 15th baby pigeon this spring. Every time she goes to work downtown there another baby about to get stepped on or run over. I made a prototype of the new Wings of Hope website. I like the way the banner picture came out. See: http://landfornature.org/wingsofhope.html

Here is a question for experts who have trimmed off excess bone from old open fractures in cases where part of the wing was lost. If you have done this or read something good please share your experience. My vet has already advised but I would like to here what you all have to say.


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## superflyer (Sep 13, 2008)

wow it looks like I have been way to busy I should have read this thread Jean is Goga82!
Everybody Goga82 is doing a wonderful job raising many adorable baby pigeons!


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## Jaye (Mar 13, 2008)

superflyer said:


> Here is a question for experts who have trimmed off excess bone from old open fractures in cases where part of the wing was lost. If you have done this or read something good please share your experience. My vet has already advised but I would like to here what you all have to say.


Well...this is a serious procedure and shouldn't be done by anyone who is not a vet...so, I would say that you defer to what a professional vet has told you (although again...it shouldn't be done by a layman).


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## superflyer (Sep 13, 2008)

Hi Jaye the questions is posed to experts This question is about procedures and results. I'm not seeking advice about a specific bird. Vets and vet techs are welcome to respond I am hoping to here from someone knowledgeable.


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## goga82 (Aug 17, 2009)

superflyer said:


> Hi Jaye the questions is posed to experts This question is about procedures and results. I'm not seeking advice about a specific bird. Vets and vet techs are welcome to respond I am hoping to here from someone knowledgeable.


how much would it cost to have the bird seen by the vet.. and have that bone shortened??
have u asked ?? maybe we could save up some money


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## ForTutti (May 1, 2014)

*Baby pigeon with broken femur...?*

Please help!
We found a baby pigeon and, according to your earlier posts, it seems that it's leg is fractured at the femur bone. What is the best support for it to rest while the bone heals? What is a do-nut or U support?
Thanks!!!


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