# Broken legs



## bdoherty9 (Jun 7, 2011)

I discovered a young pigeon who was still on the nest not more than 8 or 9 days ago on the ground next to the loft yesterday. Her breast feathers were missing & she had 2 broken legs. The tibiotarsus bones are broken. I am sure she must have hit a utility wire & a miracle she made it back to the loft. I have taped her Thetibiotarsus (both of them & placed a piece of tape to hold her legs about an inch apart so her legs dont' splay out) She is in a pigeon basket and I made a donut with a towel to use as a nest. I have water & food within her reach. Any suggestions for pain meds ? If I give her water, how many CC's per day will be sufficent? Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for any help, in advance.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Just hold the water in front of her and let her drink whatever she wants a few times per day. Often when they break both legs like that, people will actually put them in a sock with holes cut in order to let them hang in such a way that they're more comfortable and the legs heal better. Here's a story about one like that:

http://www.redroselofts.com/braveheart.htm

Pidgey


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Make a Sling out of some old Cotton light weight T-Shirt material...

Suspend the Pigeon so the Legs dangle freely through oval holes made for them to do so, and, make sure they are 'Set' in their Splints for a good mending and a straight resolution-result.

Arrange Seeds and Water on something so they are close to the Bird's Beak, and, make sure the Sling allows them to poop easily.


One broken Leg, you can do the Do-Nut...

Two Broken Legs, ya really should use a Sling.


If you use a Sock, make sure the Bird is not overheating..!


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## bdoherty9 (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks for the suggestions. I just want to say again the breaks, both of them are above the knee ( if you will ). The Thetibiotarsus bones are broken & not much wiggle room to place plastic straws or wooden match sticks to work as splints. I taped the areas as best I could, trying not to tape too tightly. I will rig a sling this afternoon. Any thoughts about some way to stablize her legs where the breaks are? I feel so bad for this bird, she must be in alot of pain. Again thanks & thanks for anymore suggestions in advance.


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## Pidgey (May 20, 2005)

Repost:

It's possible to splint a broken leg on any bird with masking tape and it's pretty simple as well--that's what most vets do if it's not too complex of a fracture. You can take a look at this page and study the skeletal drawings to help you figure out the applicable anatomy:

http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/skeleton.html

In any case, you can roll up a towel into a donut that the bird can settle into the middle of in such a way as to take any pressure off of the leg easily. Sometimes, you can bring them in the house and treat them like the Queen of Sheba with food and water right in front of them and they'll behave pretty well. About the only thing they'll stand up to do is poop and if you dutifully keep that cleaned up and then gently put them back down, they can learn to take it real easy and heal up just like that.

Otherwise, you sometimes have to clip the feathers of the leg closely with scissors and use masking tape to immobilize the leg as shown here:










...and it might come out looking like this:



The break on this bird was high enough on the tibiotarsus that I extended the tape up and over the back to help it immobilize it--otherwise, following the drawings above wouldn't have gone high enough to actually do the job. I clipped all the feathers short where the tape went, too.

Pidgey


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi bdoherty9,


You just have to look at the condition and make a Spint which will answer.

I usually use the Handle from a plastic Spoon or Fork, especially the kind which has a sort of 'trough'. I cot the Handle free of the Spoon or Fork end of course, and, round the cut edge.

I bend this by warming the local area over a Cigarette Lighter, and, make it so it is a sort of lazy 'Z' shape, which wil correctly fit the Leg in question, and, once in place, will keep the Bone ends up together for them to mend. You do not want there to be a gap or a mis-align where the break is.


The lazy 'Z' shape with the Sling, allows the Leg to be in a relaxed and somewhat extended position, comfortabe for the Bird, and excellent for the Bones ot be correctly alinged and the Bone ends to be brought together properly.


I fold some paper Towel into a long folded strip of maybe four layers of the paper Towel, and, tape that along the side of the Splint then, where the Leg will be, then, gently tape the Leg around that in all three parts of the lazy 'Z' shape.

The Tape I use is called 'Micropore'; and is 1/2 inch wide...and this Tape can be had of any Home Medical Supply place for like 99 Cents a Roll.


This type of Splint works very well, and, with the correct Tape kind, is easy to remove later, once the Leg has had time to heal.

The image you show does not appear to answer the needs of the Leg for alignment or for the ends of the Bone being brought together.


Good luck!


Phil
Las Vegas


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## pdpbison (Mar 15, 2005)

Here is an example of such a Sling - 

http://public.fotki.com/PhilBphil/sling_bird_-_july/


I do not appear to have made any Albums showing instances of both Legs in Splints, nor any Albums showing the lazy 'Z' shape splint.

Whether the Splint is an 'L' shape as this one is, or, a 'Z", will depend of course on where the break is.

But, here is an album showing a single broken Leg, and, an 'L' shapes Sp[lint made from a plastic Spoon Handle -

http://public.fotki.com/PhilBphil/broken-leg/


With yours, it is sometimes difficult to adequately secure the above-the-break part of the Leg there, since it is usualy short and about to become Thigh, but, it must be well secured to the Splint for the below-the-break area for the break to be in a correct and stable position.

These things can sometimes take several attempts to get right.


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## bdoherty9 (Jun 7, 2011)

I just want to thank everyone who responded for all their time, help & suggestions. On behalf of the injured bird, my family & myself thank you. You all are very kind to share your time.-- bd


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