# string foot injury



## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Hi guys. just found a pigeon with a really bad case of string injury. read through a number of threads here re string injury and thought i would have a go at getting rid of the string. the pigeon was obviously not too well as i was able to simply reach over and grab him/her when feeding a flock. 

I haven't taken a picture but essentially a piece of string was across the centre of the three front toes (the main pad), separating two toes from one - with the isolated one large and swollen white and red. 

I armed myself with corn flour, hand cream, antiseptic cream, scissors, and tweezers. 

There was what i believe to be arterial bleeding - i crop gave a two mls of rehydration formula post to hopefully assist with rehydration - and stopped the bleeding with corn flour - it took some pressure to stop the bleeding though. I did not bandage the foot - hope that was right - but put savlon cream on.

I believe the bird is now in shock - i have him in a pet carrier wrapped in a blanket (loosely) under a radiant heater. 

i am going to leave him alone for a few hours now to hopefully recuperate - 

is there anything else i can do?


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

You have done very well so far, the only things I would add, if you have access to them, is Metacam for the pain (one drop once a day) and antibiotics.

If there is thread still there you could also try to find a seam splitter (or stitch splitter). They might be called something different in Australia, but if you scroll down *this link* to the paragraph titled "foot of feet tangled in thread or cotton", the second photo down shows a seam splitter in use on a string damaged foot.

Have you checked the inside of her mouth for canker, just in case?

*This* is a link to a thread I wrote when I found a pigeon whose foot fell off due to string damage. The pigeon's quick recovery was amazing.


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Thanks for the reassurance and advice feefo. This is the first time I have helped a string foot injury pigeon - it is good to hear I am on the right track. 

I have left the house for a couple of hours but think I may well have some rabbit metacam - when I return I will check and if so list the concentration of the active ingredient and maybe someone could then help with how much to give

I have metronidazole on hand, didn't see any lesions in mouth but poops were slightly too cream colored so maybe if pigeon has recovered from shock in the morning should I start this preemptively? 

I will go through the antibiotics I have on hand and perhaps you can then advise me which to go with if "bird" survives the night. The injury is pretty extensive - what worries me is that the skin up the leg is fragile and 'loose' on the leg - I figure I will leave well enough alone tonight, and if the bird perks up, pictures up in the moving so you cab advise me as to the viability of the foot 

Thanks again for your advice and support, 

SuZ


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

i do indeed have some metacam - or meloxicam 1.5 mg/ml - dog strength. in syrup. how much should i give? 

birdie is hanging in there for now - 3.5 hrs post surgery so to speak - eyes wide open - looks in pain and in shock - but is not blinking rapidly 

dont believe it is drinking on its own - should i give it more rehydration fluid before i go to bed? 

oral antibiotics on hand: 
ceclor (cefaclor) 375 mg 

keflex (cephalexin) 500 mg 

amoxycillin 500 mg 

azithromycin 500 mg 

and i also have chlorsig - chloramphenicol - better for wound than savlon? 

i'll wait around for a while for an answer, thanks wonderful pg talk people (esp feefo of course!) - benefiting pigeons around the world! 

suz


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

dont worry about the dosage for the metacam found an old thread with the dosage - 0.06 ml - for a dosage ratio of 0.1-0.2 mg/kg which would be equivalent to a drop - so that is what i gave. hope my maths was good in the middle of the australian night, but the poor thing was in soo much pain - i really just wanted to get things going. 

the foot is really warm and inflamed, so hopefully the metacam will help

birdie has had a touch more rehydration fluid - and both he and i are going to sleep for the night. 

nite nite, and thanks for the great links feefo


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, since you mention bleeding, it's not clear whether you have removed any/all the string and now he is recuperating, can you clarify this point. Also, photos of the injury would be helpful, in the selection of antibiotics you have you may want to go with the Keflex, it works well on soft tissue injuries. I can help you with instructions on mixing some up and dosing, if you need help. Please keep a water and seed dish within easy beak reach for now to make things easier for him in self maintaining.

Good luck with him,


Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

i am fairly certain i removed all of the string, and will examine the bird now and take some photographs. Poor thing was in too much shock/pain last night and I didnt want to freak it out more. 

I will put the water dish/ seed back in, i took it out last night because he ended up walking clumsily into in it - which i figured couldnt do his foot much good! i hydrated him before bed though again and he was pooping


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

heres a link to the images of the foot, post string removal and the bird itself. 

http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac269/kamzi/

let me know which antibiotic to go with and i will get started on it guys. 

i am just not sure if the foot will be viable, so i will be interested to see what you think of the photos. the white goop on the foot is the savlon


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, the suggested dosing for Cephalexin (Keflex) in pigeons is 100mg/Kg BID (twice a day). To do this take one of the 500mg capsules you have and add it to 5mL of pancake syrup, stir well, let sit 20 minutes, stir well again and you will have a 10% suspension (100mg/mL) ready to use. You will give 0.30mL (this is the third line on a 1cc syringe and is about 6 drops) twice a day, just put a drop or two at a time in the front of his mouth and let him tongue it down, this will not take long. To measure the 5mL of syrup just use a cooking teaspoon (not a common flatware spoon) or you can also use a 1cc syringe measured out 5 times. Refrigerate between use, and stir/shake well before drawing each dose.

I will let Feefo and other who deal with string feet on a regular basis comment on the prognosis for the foot, but I would for now, out side of starting the antibiotics, rub some of the salvon cream each time you give the oral antibiotic to keep things moist, as moist wounds heal faster and better.

Looks like he is comfortably set up, nice job and good luck with him,

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

wasnt entirely sure what pancake syrup is - but i know i can get maple and that in previous posts this has been used so I will go get some  thank you very much for working out the dosage and explaining how to do the suspension 

bird wants to eat but is not drinking - so at the moment i am having to tube feed fluids. how often - how much? at the moment i am giving it 2-3 mls every few hours- the birds crop seems to be emptying


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

lol just wanted to add that i snuck in quietly to see what the bird was doing - and it was grooming itself! its amazing how resilient birds can be


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

concoction is resting now - i even found a funky little vial for it - just got to give it its second stir and then away we go! also tried some of the maple syrup - y'know, just to make sure it is safe for the bird : ) yum


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, maple syrup is just fine. If this little one is preening, I see no reason it should not also feel to self-maintain, may be a little shy to allow you to see him drink right now, but with water close at hand he should be fine, you can always confirm things by what's coming out the back end.

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

definitely eating, and things are still moist at the other end...so maybe its time to relax now  cheers again 

birdie has been given his antibiotics, savlon'd and is back in his heated bathroom - for some chill out time for the day  

will weigh birdie tonight.


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

What causes this string foot and once as bad as the pics suggest can it be treated.I have witnessed loads of feral pigeons without feet at all is this the result of this disease.?


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

The cause essentially is drug, hair, fishing line or some other material wrapping itself around the foot, which then over time slowly tightens around the foot, cutting off either both the arterial or venous blood supply or simply impedes the veous return of the toe, resulting in either swelling, and lack of blood supply to the toe/foot, which could ultimately rsult in necrosis and the toe/foot falling off eventually, or If the venous return alone is impaired then there may be blood supply to tissues but also gross swelling. 

This is as much as I have garnered about string injuries. 

As to whether a foot in this condition could survive - I am keen to learn as well


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## jeff houghton (Jul 17, 2010)

kamz said:


> The cause essentially is drug, hair, fishing line or some other material wrapping itself around the foot, which then over time slowly tightens around the foot, cutting off either both the arterial or venous blood supply or simply impedes the veous return of the toe, resulting in either swelling, and lack of blood supply to the toe/foot, which could ultimately rsult in necrosis and the toe/foot falling off eventually, or If the venous return alone is impaired then there may be blood supply to tissues but also gross swelling.
> 
> This is as much as I have garnered about string injuries.
> 
> As to whether a foot in this condition could survive - I am keen to learn as well


Thankyou for shedding light on this.Jeff


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Lol I should spellcheck more. I mean string not drug in my last post


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

Whether the foot is viable depends very much on where the thread was. 

The thread will usually be so tight that it cuts off circulation to a toe, which turns black and drops off or to to the whole foot as in the photo below. That is a foot that is clearly not viable, nor was the one below that which had to be amputated.! 

The third picture is of a bird that was released shortly after the string was removed, when we found him he had both feet tied together as well as thread round his toes, but he didn't lose anything as we caught him in time.

Pigeons that lose a foot can often be better off than those who just lose toes, it is less painful for them. Those that have remained with me have lived long, healthy lives. Even Danny, who I rescued in 2002 and who ended up with two stumps is still well.




























I will try to find some photos of Poppy's feet when I found her in 2002. She looked really bad, but has kept her feet although she lost toes.
.


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

thanks the thread cutter idea is a really good one. 

Brief update:

Pigeon is now standing on one foot, alert, looking around, and struggling more and more every time i Handle him/her. 

crop contents have cleared nicely over night so more seed today

i have turned the heater off now as i think the bird is out of shock - and out of pigeon ICU  

I will take some more pictures today and put them up on photobucket - poops included. 

I think i will have one last look to make certain in my mind that I got ALL of the thread - I have checked, and rechecked, but to me i still think there is some somehow.


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Stringy, as I have nicknamed him, is doing well. I caught him drinking today on his own - sneaky pigeon! He is not afraid to eat in front of me now (I'll have to try be more predator like lol) pictures at medication time once bf stops watching movies on the computer

The foot is still really inflamed but less hot. He will put it down now to use as a crutch to hobble, with the good foot supporting most of the weight.


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

And feefo thanks for putting up the other images - rather useful for comparison. It is reassuring to know that a pigeon with a stump can live a good life. would a pigeon with one good leg and 1 bad still be releasable?


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

here is a link to look at stringy's throat, poos and feet. I have a couple of questions. 

http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac269/kamzi/Valentines Day Photos of Stringy/

1. Is that pox on the other foot and what can/should I do about it - anything at this point? 

2. as these are circumferential wounds - do i need to slit the wound (essentially just opening the wound bed) in order to relieve pressure to optimize healing?

3. If there is no feeling or sensation for the bird in the largest, most swollen toe - would it be a good idea to remove it? It feels like it is hanging on by a tiny connective piece of skin - but should the foot heal i am not convinced that its presence would assist the bird. However obviously it does has a blood supply that is arterial i suppose. 

Cheers 

Susie


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, I think it may be a little too early to think about removing toes or making relief slits. I would for the next few weeks keep the foot well moisturized with an antibiotic cream (not ointment, cream = water based, ointment = oil based) to give the foot a chance to settle out a bit, now that the the constriction has been removed, I would also spend some time massaging the foot to help things as well. 

There is a spot on the good foot that looks to be like it may be the start of bumble foot, the dark, little circular patch on the foot pad. This can start as a result of the extra weight the good foot has to bear from a bird avoiding putting weight on the afflicted foot. Things in photos are not always as they appear and it may just be a bit of dropping, but if it bumble foot, we will have to consider a treatment regimen for it.

Karyn


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## Feefo (Feb 8, 2002)

I don't think that is pox on the other foot, there are pics of feet affected by pox *here*, the pox pustules are plump.

To me the ankle area looks a bit dodgy, and I don't know how well antibiotics would work on that ball of infection ....so I will e-mail Pidgey to look at this thread, he will know about the blood vessels suppying the toe and will be able to assess the damage better than I can.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, this pigeon will probably never win any CoverPigeon awards for her legs or feet, but they may end up being serviceable when all is said and done. I'd probably put her on a regimen of antibiotics that work well in necrotic areas like a metronidazole coupled with either Penicillin (like Amoxicillin) or Trimethoprim/Sulfa. Yes, there's some inflammation in there but we'll just have to wait and see. Over a period of a month or so, some of those really ugly circumferential blackish rings around the tarsometatarsus will eventually go back to normal as long as all of the string is off. About the only worry there is that the underlying bone has developed constriction rings that would make weak spots. That said, I'd be real careful to keep this bird in a fairly cramped box so that it doesn't "load" that leg with serious pressure from a hard landing like they do when they try to fly out of a window, lose their lift and fall straight to the floor. Or when they're pushing against you real hard with their feet trying to get away while you're treating them. Those things can be very bad on a bird with a leg like this until it reforms enough of its original strength. Remember when Jaz had that bird that broke its foot off and bled like a stuffed pig to the point of deep shock?

http://www.pigeons.biz/forums/f6/injured-pigeon-on-my-balcony-15077.html

Pidgey


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Thanks for all the links and information guys. Your input and links were much appreciated pidgie. I have amoxicillin and metronidazole so could start those

Stringy is being kept in a small pet carrier and is actually mostly compliant when I am treating his foot. As long as his head is covered He will stay lying on his back motionless when I am carrying out his foot care. I think pidgie knows it is to help him. He must have been smart to stay alive this long! 

I perhaps underestimated the length of time of rehabilitation would take. I am off overseas for a month in a couple of weeks, but will take him to see dr Colin walker next week to see if he can board there at the veterinary clinic for a month. 

Thanks again for all your input


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well, let's see what it looks like in a week and a half, eh? It's possible that it will be good enough by then, you just never know.

Pidgey


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

You know u might just be right pidgie. I narrowly avoided a few beak snaps when I went to tidy up after putting his foot cream on. I think stringy thinks he's perfectly capable of taking me on


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

just a brief update guys. Pigeon hasnt really improved overly - have started the amoxycillin and the metronidazole. hope that helps. the particularly swollen toe i was concerned about has broken down a little bit on the superficial skin. 

he definitely has bumblefoot which is getting worse on the other foot - it is like a nasty black scab? which doesnt come off. 

let me know what i need to do for that and i'll get on to it. 

birdie photos up in the morning 

thanks, susie


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

one more question - i stopped the metacam after the first couple of days - should he/she stay on it?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, as Pidgey mentioned earlier confining this guy to a small cage for a while will be a good idea not only for the string foot, but also for the bumblefoot as well. It would really help if you could find a few old terry cloth towels to use for the cage floor to make a soft floor for his feet. To help with clean up you could get a brick, cover it with some towel/soft cloth and place a paper towel under this, as it will make clean up quicker/cleaner, if he perches/rests on the brick and concentrates his droppings in one place.

Bumblefoot can be problematic to clear up, once started, as the the infection encapsulates itself making it hard for antibiotics to penetrate the pocket of infection to clear it. Baytril would be a good place to start (Amoxicillin is not going to penetrate tissue as well) and if this can be combined with Minocycline or Clindamycin if the Baytril alone fails to clear it up. Topically you can "paint" the sore with a mixture of Baytril and DMSO to help outwardly.

If antibiotics alone fail to clear it up, then debridement of the infection pocket by a vet, with a continuation of oral antibiotics most times will do the trick. He should continue with the Metacam, as it will help reduce inflammation, which causes less blood to flow (which had the meds in it to treat) to the inflamed/infected tissue areas. The other thing that should be mentioned is that since Metacam is an NSAID it will affect the way the blood clots. I mention this because of the mention and link Pidgey posted (quite a story) on the possibility of the foot inadvertently breaking off, so in the remote possibility this were to happen a major bleed would not clot as quickly.

I don't think this will happen, but if it were to happen, I guess you should have a plan. You should have a small elastic band ready to loop around the leg above the bleed (you elongate the band, wrap it around the leg so you have two elongated ends coming around, one from each side) and a toothpick to spin the elastic to spin/compress it. You should also have some gauze rolls cut to 1/2" size at hand as well. After the tourniquet stops the bleed, pack it with cornstarch and wrap it well up with the small gauze roll, with good pressure, and finish with a bit of adhesive tape. Wrap him in a towel and keep him from moving to give the wound time to clot/stop bleeding.

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Thank you for your response dobato. I've kept it in a towel lined carrier the whole time pretty much - but I guess the bird is putting more weight on the 'good! Foot now what with the other one being sore. 

Thanks for the heads up re potential bleeding. I read that thread that pidgey alluded to, it had some very useful information in it. I had got elastic bands, bandages and corn starch near if required - And also Valium and propanolol coincidentally. Not that I would want to have to use them on birdie 

No baytril though for the bumblefoot! Is choleramphenicol going to help eith that? That would target gram - and + bacteria ? I could massage it into the necrotic area

Birdie is back on the metacam, 

Susie


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

I will put more pictures up tonight did his foot moisturizing and then completely forgot to take photos


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Can you put a couple more pictures of the leg in the album?

Never mind--just saw your other post that you were obviously doing while I was doing this one.

Pidgey


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, I did find a number of references of Chloramphenicol being used to treat pododermatitis (bumblefoot), and it is an antibiotic well tolerated by pigeons so we can give it a try, and you can stop the Amoxicillin once you start the Chloramphenicol, as it will cover a number of soft tissue infections. I have used Chloramphenicol a number of times in the past myself, so I am familiar with it, so there is a caution I need to mention to you and it is that Chloramphenicol is known to cause a toxic reaction in some humans (not applicable with pigeons) that can cause aplastic anemia. This contact toxicity is not dose dependent, meaning that it causes what is akin to a severe allergic reaction in people who are susceptible, in very minute amounts for sensitive people. There is a range statistics for the number of people who would be susceptible to this reaction, they are all in the tens of thousands, so the chances of this happening are quite small, but need to be mentioned if you are going to use it, so best use some latex gloves when handling it to remove this caution.

What form do you have the Chloramphenicol in and how much do you have, and yes, it can also be used topically as well.

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Okay guys, here is the link to todays feet  Looking back in comparison to the images from the other days i think the two toes joined are healing quite nicely - not so red, not so inflammed - its just the large 'ball' toe which is really breaking down. The ankle joint itself i think is looking good? tell me what u think guys 

http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/ac269/kamzi/Stringy/18th February String and Bumblefoot/


I decided to weigh the bird and its weight is 290 grams. a little low, but i will recheck it in a few days. I think not so bad for a bird in its situation. It eats, and drinks, and poops lots  

The chloramphenicol that I have is an ointment - topical use only. I have a small tube, approximately 4 grams (but it does tend to spread nicely once warm - it might be worth me making him some kind of bootie so it doesnt all come off on the ground)Thanks for the warning dobato re: glove usage. Would I need to attempt to moisten and remove some of the plaque to enter the capsule, or simply apply over the necrotic area as it is? 

Thanks for all your input


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, please start the topical application to the bumblefoot with the Chloramphenicol ointment you have twice a day. The Amoxicillin you are using is not really a drug of choice to treat this condition, although the use of potentiated Amoxicillin, Clavamox, can be used. Is there anyway you can get a hold of some Baytril, oral Chloramphenicol, Doxycycline, Minocycline or Azithromycin?... as these would be better choices for oral antibiotic treatment. You can ask friends and family members if they have any antibiotics around, either for themselves, their children or their pets, you may come up with something. What is the dose of Amoxicillin you are using and how are you dosing it. The foot does look a little better and the dropping I see in her carrier cage (decided this bird looks like a hen to me) looks decent and while a little low, I am sure her weight will be back up before long under your care.

Karyn


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Worst one that I've had to deal with in helping another rehabber was a bird that said rehabber eventually named "Stitches". We started with it looking like this after the basic string-injury had healed:



















Just about no way to keep that from breaking off down the road--the only thing holding it was the tendons, blood supply and a little bit of scar tissue. We decided to start working on carefully pulling out some of the scar tissue on one side a little bit at a time (took a couple of months) and suturing the portions back together so that they'd fill in with some skin and flesh beneath. We knew we'd probably never get the bones back together but we might get enough skin to bridge the gap so that the foot wouldn't get knocked off easily.

Splinting was performed:










And debriding & bandaging:










Pidgey


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Some open-air time while healing:



















And finally we got what we got:










And a girlfriend to boot:










One of the things to learn is that you don't always get a reduction of the tissues that can form in such a deal. In short, the swelling might never "go down" because a bunch of scar-like tissue is formed. In Stringy's case, you'll be happy if the skin eventually fills in on that ring around the tarsometatarsus and it ends up looking somewhat solid and protected, but those enlarged toes may never get much smaller.

Pidgey


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Pidgey, pretty amazing, especially looking at the second photo that enough blood was flowing into and back out of the foot to keep it from completely necrotizing, all in all it looks like you got a really good result from where it started.

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Thanks pidgey for the case comparison. Very helpful and informative. Ive started the chloramphenicol on the foot with bumblefoot and have some azithromycin. The amoxyclin I also made a suspension of, with 500 my per 5 mls, giving. .25 mls bd using pigeoncote as a guide for dosage. Will check to see if they have dOsage for azithromycin. Can I keep her on the amoxicyllin and add in the azithromycin?


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

kamz said:


> Thanks pidgey for the case comparison. Very helpful and informative. Ive started the chloramphenicol on the foot with bumblefoot and have some azithromycin. The amoxyclin I also made a suspension of, with 500 my per 5 mls, giving. .25 mls bd using pigeoncote as a guide for dosage. Will check to see if they have dOsage for azithromycin. Can I keep her on the amoxicyllin and add in the azithromycin?


Kamz, once on the Azithromycin there will be no need for her to be on the Amoxicillin as well. What form, and strength do you have the Azithromycin in?

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

I have 2 500mg capsules


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Kamz, the dosing for Azithromycin will be 40mg/kg q24h, since she is just under 300g she will need 12mg once a day. I would add one 500mg capsule to 10mL of syrup, stir - let sit 20 minutes, stir again and you will have a 5% suspension to dose with. She will get 0.24cc (12mg) once a day. Keep refrigerated between use and stir well before drawing each dose. This should be enough to treat her for a number of weeks and we should know in a few weeks if she is responding to treatment, check her weight a few times a week, in case we have to adjust the dose.

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Thank you very much. - I couldn't find pigeon dosage for that on the Internet. Wl make it up and start tonight. Muchly appreciated, and will put up more photos tomorrow


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

i mucked up. THey are actually tablets, not capsules. DO I need to crush and suspend them, or put it in a water solution


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

No big deal, yes, just crush up the pill as very fine as you can, I use a shot glass and the end of a rounded knife, then add the finely crushed pill to the syrup.

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Birdie is getting stronger and stronger by the day, eating and drinking well, andfighting me now every time I go to get her out! She may well yet be ready by the time of my deadline. Foot is pretty well unchanged in it's trajectory, big toe has what looks like necrotic scans on it, is colder than the other two. The bird actually uses the two toes to push against me when I am caring for his feet - which he wasn't doing at first. So she.must be feeling better - or developing a strong dislike of my interference! 

She also still flies well - I let her out in the lounge room in the morning - and was calm, and headed straight for a nearby curtain rail. Tonight she hesitated and tried to make a break for it when I was herding her back into her box

Will put up more photos tomorrow afternoon


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

just a brief update, have been busy getting ready for my holiday, and recovering from illness - so have been slack with photos 

'Stringy' is eating and pooping better than ever - might have had a few trichomonads floating around. 

Foot with bumble foot - the necrotic plaque became soft enough today for me to remove it in its entirety. underneath was nice, slightly dark pink skin which was non oozy- i covered this again with the chloramphenicol. Bumble foot looking better. 

Stringy foot - I am sure it is simply a matter of time as to when this bird looses its biggest, most inflammed toe. it is about 50 % necrotic, only the toe tip is now still pink, the rest of the toe is sorta grey. Am playing with the idea of putting around a band at the little bit that joins the toe to the foot. the bird has no feeling in this toe and i think it only provides another infection risk. Am curious as to what you might think about encouraging the body to drop this toe. 

cheers, susie


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

http://s906.photobucket.com/albums/...022011 Only 4 days til I have to go overseas/

there is the link to the foot. I need people to go and look at the photos, and think about three things: 

1. I am going away in four days. would it be ok to return the pigeon to its flock? it flies just as well as it ever did, and is in a good location to get lots of food. 

2. Should i err, encourage the necrotic toe to fall off? i am inclined to think it would be better to fall of whilst in my care, than in the wild. 

3. How does the foot look compared to the earlier images? Has it improved


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Susie, glad to hear this little guy is doing well with her eating and droppings. My personal preference would be for the little guy to stay on the Azithromycin two full weeks, and we are not quite at a full week yet, to make sure the infection that lies deeper in the foot is fully cleared. Not sure what Feefo and Pidgey may say on the foot/toe, but it might be best to leave it to continue to resolve itself a while longer, as the oral antibiotic is continued. Is there someone who could take over her care while you are away?

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

unfortunately not. I have pigeons like her in the house on the proviso that no one has to do anything for the pigeons i look after, as they are no friendly to the idea of rehabilitation pigeons. 

I could take her to the vet and see if she could board there, funds permitting, until the leg had healed. It would depend how much it would cost. I have just been hospitalised for 5 weeks myself and have been on sick leave W.O pay during that time, so I am broke - do get paid tomorrow tho - but only a weeks wages.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Actually, it looks pretty good. I don't actually see that there's particularly any infection per se there--it looks more like there's just the lasting effects of the damage. And said damage will still keep repairing itself to the extent possible.

That said and given the circumstances, it'd probably be the best to leave her in a cage while you're gone with a soft floor in it so that she won't have to be walking on hard stuff like she would "out there". That is... IF your temporary caretaker would be willing to just feed and water her. Is that how your arrangement works?

Pidgey


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

That's how my arrangement for my pets works - but not my temporary pigeons. I will try and bribe my housemate. I think that is the best I can do


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Try bribing with chocolate...

...always works for me!

Pidgey


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

I just wanted to post to say that stringy will have to go back to the wild whilst I am away. I hope fares well. I just couldnt afford to pay for someone to look after her. My rabbit became fly blown last week, so as it is i have had atronomical vets bills to deal with before I go away. As my housemate now is helping with our incontinent older rabbit, i felt that three pigeons, two cockateils and another rabbit was too much already. 

The foot - is in good condition. I am becoming more certain that the big toe will drop off - after having a bath it appears she has bled a little around the junction where that toe joins the rest of the foot. The tip of the toe on that foot is turning dusky. The rest of the foot appears much as it has. 

I return her to the wild with a heavy heart - but I hope that I have provided her with a better chance than she would have had with no intervention. At best, I think the bumblefoot has really improved, so hopefully that will help her chances. 

She is lively and taps with her beak on the side of her carrier wanting to get out now - so I hope she is ready. I will stuff her full of seed before I drop her off to her flock. 

Wish her well on her travels, and me on mine, 

Kamz

P.S big thanks dobato and pidgey with all your help, Susie.


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## whytwings (Feb 12, 2011)

Heya Susie , sounds like you have done an amazing job , full marks to ya !

Enjoy your holiday and safe journey to you and Stringy where ever you both are headed .

Darren


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Well done, Susie! Enjoy your trip and try not to worry (I always do). Fare well to both of you! 

You're welcome, by the way--I wish there were more people like you on this Earth.

Pidgey


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## Dobato (Jul 3, 2008)

Susie, yes, enjoy your trip and try and not worry about how Stringy is doing, with your care she certainly is in a lot better shape than before, with a much better chance at a future. You did great a job for her.

Karyn


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## kamz (Jan 23, 2010)

Just released stringy. I took her back to the park where her flock had been. She started struggling from within her towel to be released as soon as she saw where she was. I couldn't find her flock there, so I just let her go near the BBQ area. She flew so powerfully away, that in the photo I took, she is just a blur. I am sure she knew she was home.


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