# broken leg, crippled foot?



## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

The feral I took in a couple weeks ago has now had his leg taped against his body for what seemed like a broken femur..been taped for about 20 days. I took all the tape off tonight.. He is very feisty and does not hold the leg up as much.he is limping on it but his foot is turned "over" still so he is limping on the front of his ankle when he puts weight on that side. I understood that with a broken leg, the foot would be limp, so I did not consider that a separate injury...the foot still seems totally limp and unusable. Not suer whether to let it go for a few more days as he adjusts to life without the tape, or try to now splint the foot/ankle in the correct position or???? What does a foot splint look like to hold the foot at 90 degrees to the leg?


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Is there any way that you can post a picture of that? Members have made "snowshoe-like" stuff to try and straighten feet out like that. In the simplest version, you tape the toes down to a piece of cardboard cut to make the snowshoe. You may have to use more tape to get the position of it right with respect to the tarsometatarsus.

Pidgey


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## TAWhatley (Mar 6, 2001)

Yep .. a picture or two would be helpful. I am thanking the pigeon gods that my badly broken pijjies have come through well with horrible femur breaks. The booties/snowshoes do work in many cases though I did not have to use them on my last two such broken ones.

Terry


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

*release feral after broken leg and foot...???*

Well I can't post pics so I made the "boot" (hot glued a circle of cardboard to a loop of wire with a 90 degree bend, looks like a smaller version of those wire dippers kids use to dip easter eggs into the coloring! Covered it all in gauze to make it padded then taped his foot onto the "padded base" and taped his leg to the upright section of wire with masking tape) about 8 days later, he seems to be standing normal without the boot at all...now I think he needs to get stronger too as he has been stuck in that small cage for almost a month total...I plan to put him in a slightly larger cage in a day or two, outside where he can get fresh air and sunshine...But when he seems strong enough do I release him straight into the wild again where there seems to be a feral flock (several miles from my home) or is he better off released into my aviary to live out his life with my flock? He was rescued some distance from me and I just nursed him back to health and do not know where he is really from. Will he be safe released where there are other strange pijis? I have never had a feral that could be released and am not sure of the protocol or adviseability.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

His whole legs dangled like a wet noodle and foot was curled.
Cindy suggested a bootie so we taped his foot to a pear shaped piece of cardboard.
Then splinted the leg then taped everything.
He does favor the leg at times but most of the time you can't tell his leg was messed up.
He was in that splint for at least 3 weeks. I did have to change it a couple times tho because he would step in his water.


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## KIPPY (Dec 18, 2003)

I just realized you already booted the foot. That's what happens when I'm stuck at work for 10 hours in a cubicle.

I do have a feral that shows up in my back yard for years now that has one good leg. His other leg is curled up underneath him. He seems to be getting along fine.


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## kippermom (Jan 11, 2006)

Your boot was much nicer looking than mine! Wish I had seen it sooner, but all's well that ends well....I cannot release him near my home...but at a shopping center a few miles down the orad where there is a feral flock...do they accept "newcomers"??? When rescued he was taken away from his home and poresumably family and cannot be returned there..so I feel sorta bad...but staying cooped up in the aviary with my flock seems like prison to a feral??? But he's be safe and in a community.


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