# Kiwi Broke Her Leg



## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

I was really busy the past few months and was hoping to come back on here.. I just didn't think it would be like this.

This is something I hoped would never happen. Ever. Kiwi flew up onto my door and when I went to go get her... my brother slammed the door. Really hard on her leg. It was bent at like a 80 degree angle. At least it was only the leg and not both or her life.
I took her to the emergency vet right away since I had the address on my phone, it was a 30 minute drive. They had an avian vet there and she said Kiwi had a compound fracture. Leg broken in two places. She wanted to amputate Kiwi's leg, but I said no. Kiwi was already bleeding on the way there. I'm hoping for it to heal. We get Kiwi back in 5 hours, they're keeping her overnight to continue adjusting the splint.

They had her in an incubator, but they didn't start the pain medication or set it until way later when I'd paid. By that time 2 hours of waiting and the 30 it took to drive there. That horrified me that Kiwi was in pain for that long. I thought at least pain meds... but they did a really good job on her regardless.

Have any of you ever dealt with a broken leg before? Any tips or advice. Anything I can feed her or put on it to help it heal better?

If you could offer up a prayer or hope for Kiwi... she and I would really appreciate it. I'm hoping for her leg to heal, because she loves climbing on things and perching on my computer. 

*Edit:* To anyone looking at these posts for injuries to their bird, it has now been found out to be a badly dislocated leg.
This is worse than a broken leg. ColorGuarder08 has said that a dislocation can be worse that a break because the hollow bones of a bird may not be able to handle to force it takes to pop a joint into place.
It could end up breaking the bone just trying to force it back into the joint. Her vets also said that the swelling and inflammation can cut off blood circulation to the toes and feet if not positioned right. Kiwi's leg was not positioned right.
Some of the same things used to treat broken bones are used in here since it was originally thought to be broken. Note that if your parrot is on the smaller side, they might not be able to pin a leg or do surgery. Kiwi was 80 grams and they said they could not because of the risks. She ended up not needing it.
Please do continue to read Kiwi's story, I hope it helps.


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

I have nothing of value to say but sending a very big hug to poor Kiwi and hope both of you are feeling better. I'm feeling sick just thinking about it, can't imagine how you must be feeling


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you! Just your thoughts and hugs are very much appreciated by me and Kiwi. 

Edit: I'm doing ok now.. just worried about Kiwi. I'm not sleeping at all tonight. Thankfully I get to bring her home again in a few hours, but she has to be confined to a small traveling cage for weeks. I feel horrible about that.


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## Bmcqueen (Jul 24, 2014)

Oh the poor little dear.


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Sorry I don't have any advice, but will be wishing all the best for little Kiwi. I really hope her leg heals and she can be back to perching on your computer soon.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Oh my gosh  so sorry to hear this has happened to Kiwi!

Perhaps BirdCrazyJill could give you some advice. Her Chewy broke his leg and it healed fine. I hope she sees this thread, or you could contact her via private message.

In the meantime, sending my best wishes to you and Kiwi.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I am so sorry about Kiwi.


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

Sorry about kiwi! Hope she heals soon!


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

I'm so sorry to hear that. Sending good thoughts and prayers.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you all for your kind words and advice. Me and Kiwi really appreciate it. I will try and pm BirdCrazyJill, thank you CharVicki.

I just got home with Kiwi. Her leg looks pretty bad. She wouldn't stop chewing on the wrapping so I had to take her out and hold her next to my face to get her to stop. Good thing I wasn't driving. There were so many bumps on that 45 minute ride, I felt so bad for my poor baby. ....

Kiwi chewed the wrapping and splint off when we got home. She pulled out all of the feathers around the wrapping and then it came off. Luckily I had arranged an appointment with an avian surgeon who was making house calls today. She will be here in 24 minutes to re-set the splint. It beats having to drive all the way back on those bumpy roads and aggravate a now unset bone that's sticking through the skin. This is so frustrating, just as she gets better she got worse. 

She's just really still in her traveling cage right now. I'm afraid to move anything so no food and water in there atm. It's just covered like they said. ><


Edit: Omg it's pouring outside. Really, why did it have to rain now?


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

I think I know. There was once a budgie who didn't have legs. He actually did have legs but he lost the use of them. They turned the cage into a bed with blankets and scattered his seeds near him. And I saw a video that a cockatiel broke its leg but he chewed on his leg all the time so the owner made a collar for it. I will try to post the link so you can see the collar. It was not really a collar but it was. Sort of.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

http://www.amazon.com/Bird-E-Collar-3-5-4-8-Diam/dp/B005OB6SMY


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

The collar was like this. Just click on the link. You will see the picture.


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

When Chewy broke her leg we kept her in a hospital cage for about 2 months, which was really a large plastic bin (shown below)



It's going to be really hard for her because she is used to climbing and being in a cage, but it's got to be done. No perches, nothing to climb on. I would also clip her wings because she should not be able to get out. Trust me, it's worth it.

Here is her with her cast on when we picked her up from the vet



Chewy went through several stages of healing. First she would drag her foot behind her and would fall on her face with she tried to step on in. We would do our best to re-position it so that she was standing on it correctly. Then she decided to not use it at all and hopped around on her good leg. After about a month, she did begin to use her bad leg and was able to put some weight on it, but wasn't gripping at all. The vet told us that even if the bone did heal, there could be nerve damage so she may never actually have use of her foot again. Luckily, she does! She was gripping with her foot by about week 5. After a month in the hospital cage, I started letting her out on the floor and to climb on the wooden play stand. 



She tried to get in the big cage but we wouldn't let her



we let her go back to being a regular bird and climbing around in the big cage for about 2 weeks with the cast on and then we ended up taking it off (her vet was an hour away and I had already gone about 4 times, and my fiance is a surgeon so we felt comfortable doing it)

This was her cast and leg when we took it off





Now that she has been fully healed for a few months (this happened in March), you would never know she had an injury! It really is amazing.

This is her last month





I'm sorry the vet took so long to give her pain meds, that's just not right. But I'm glad your bird was treated. In the hospital cage, I got 2 of the weighted reptile dishes for food and water and I put in a stuffed animal for snuggling (she was only 6 months old at the time). I hung two toys from the side of the bin for playing, but nothing that she could climb on. I put newspapers in the bottom and paper towels on top of the newspapers. I would change the paper towels once or twice a day and the newspapers once a week.

She never chewed her cast, thank goodness, but if your bird does then you might want to consider one of those cones or something. I'm not sure what they gave you for medications but mine was on an amoxycillin for 10 days and pain meds for 14 days.

The important thing to remember is that it takes time. Keep her warm, try to keep her quiet. Spend lots of time with her. I would sit next to the bin and put my hand flat in there so she could stand on it. I did not start taking her out to cuddle on my chest for at least 3 weeks. They think they are ready before they are really ready, so just be patient. I hope your bird has a quick recovery! Sorry for the long post lol hope this helps though!


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## SoCalTiels (Oct 8, 2013)

Edit : Jill beat me to it, lol. But her first hand experience is far more valuable to you. My post is a bit redundant but I will say, it was amazing watching Chewy's progress over time. Please keep us updated with how Kiwi is doing. 




If Kiwi is already chewing on the splint and having problems with it, I would honestly suggest the collar idea as well. There are ways to make them at home, I would suggest googling it, if the vet doesn't suggest one while resplinting. Kiwi probably won't enjoy it too much but she will be better off in the long run if the splint is able to do its work properly, she's already learned she can destroy the nuisance object. 

Do you have an aquarium of any sort, or like a clear storage bin? I would almost recommend creating a comfortable zone in that with blankets/tshirts instead of a wire travel cage. Like the set up of a hospital carrier. And when I was hand feeding Reptar, he had this little teddy bear and I swear he would snuggle up to it every single night. It's a flock comfort thing to have something in there with her, even if you keep her in the travel cage. 

I hope all goes well and that Kiwi makes a speedy recovery. They're resilient little birds, and you've done a wonderful job reacting to the situation. Sending well wishes your way and all the good juju possible.


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Nice to see you again. Unfortunately I was hoping for a nice story about Kiwi, not a horrible one. I hope she recovers soon


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you Nimra, they're going to put a collar on her if she tries to chew this splint off as well.

The avian surgeon just wrapped her leg with a second skin, put a cotton ball between her feet, and vet wrapped it. Then she did a low level laser treatment on Kiwi to help boost cell regeneration healing, immune system, and help stop the pain (gives a natural endorphin rush). Kiwi is resting, eating and drinking (a miracle!!), and she hasn't tried chewing it off. Was so scary because I had to help hold her broken leg so she could set it, but we did it! Kiwi's leg is now set and she's sleeping right now. She feels so much better, visually she looks amazingly calm. I love that avian surgeon right now, Kiwi is feeling awesome! Tuesday Kiwi is getting a metal splint put on. They'll take off the vet wrap, keep the second skin on, then vet wrap it back up. They'll also be able to tell how well it's healing, I hope it's healing well.

BirdCrazyJill I wish they had given pain meds sooner, but I'm glad she's ok. I have her in a plastic travel cage like that. It's now the hospital cage because she kept climbing the bars of the travel cage, even with a broken foot. Thank you so much for showing me the steps of the recovery process. It's helped me with a timeline for where Kiwi will be in the next few months. Kiwi loves face time so that is going to be difficult for her. I'll just have to put my face close to her I think while she's down there. I'll change the towels often. We worked out a way to arrange the food and water with the towels so it's comfy. They are thinking of coning her Tuesday. I don't know how she will eat or drink with the cone though. I'll have to ask. Kiwi got I think baytril and meloxicam. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. I have her bird heating pad next to her, but the vet said not to get it too close or it could release fumes from the plastic traveling cage.

SoCalTiels, I have a petco plastic traveling cage, it's great since she can't climb all over. You're right, since she knows she can destroy it, she will try again. Especially since she has pain medication in her right now, it doesn't hurt as much to bite at it. Watching her carefully. I'll see if I can get a little toy for her so she wont feel as lonely when I'm out. :S

CaliTiels, nice to see you too! I was hoping to have nice stories too. She was very healthy up until now so that was a plus! Hopefully I will have a happy story to share as she recovers.


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

That's great to hear  she will be ok, I'm glad they have a recovery plan for her. if you have any more questions, or if you ever feel frustrated, feel free to message me!


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I'm so glad you were able to get the leg reset. How wonderful that a vet made a house call! I am sending warm wishes to you and Kiwi.


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## TamaMoo (Jan 12, 2014)

Hugs, prayers and scritches being sent from Joey and me.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you BirdCrazyJill I definitely will! 

Thank you everyone, Kiwi is still doing great. I had to go over and take care of a kitten while someone was on vacation so Kiwi got to sleep. The kitten totally clawed my arm up. Going to give Kiwi her medicine, she gets some anti-inflammatory soon so I'm going to give her that.

I'm glad we were able to reset her leg too. She hasn't managed to chew that tough vet wrap off yet. And hasn't been chewing on her leg, just sleeping.

Thank you for all your prayers, hugs, warm wishes, and scritches. They're definitely working, thank you all!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Here is an update on Kiwi. She took .2 ml of baytril a while ago. She ate half a sprig of millet, and nibbled at 2 nutri-berries. She's been drinking a lot of water too.

She feels really hot and a little sweaty almost. It's like when I scritch her head the neck feathers feel humid. I'm wondering if that is because she is in pain or if I should be thankful she feels hot just because of circulation. But combined with this she's also sleepy. Vet says she thinks she didn't sleep much last night. At first she was even nodding off while eating millet, but then she woke up and started actually eating.

She's still eating and drinking. She's even hormonal again. When I was cleaning up some of the droppings on the towels she climbed out of her travel cage and walked over to me. I don't know if it's a good thing she's putting weight on the cast. The cast completely covers the leg now. She doesn't chew on it when she's in her travel cage, but when she's near me she chews on it. Maybe because she's hormonal. Not sure if it needs to be looked at again yet since she's not constantly chewing on it. It looks like a little vet wrap peg leg. Since she's using it to get around (limping + with wing) and doesn't show that she's in that much pain unless she puts too much weight on it I don't know. I was surprised how active she had become so I covered her cage so she'd stop moving around on the leg.

She snuggled up to me for a little while since she snuck out of her travel cage. She seemed so peaceful just snuggled there that I let her for a while before putting her back in.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

Good. I think your cockatiel is okay.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you. I think she's ok now too. She keeps trying to get up next to my face. She like climbed up my shirt and it was so hard getting her off with that cast. Poor baby. T_T


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## Korvia (Aug 3, 2012)

sends scratches and hugs from my flock.
Hope she gets better soon.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

Hope she recovers. I know she will. Then she won't have a hard time to climb off your shirt.


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## Janalee (Jul 25, 2012)

*Kiwi*

I am so sorry for little Kiwi's injury! I hope it heals quickly and completely and they don't have to amputate her leg. Poor little bird!
Did the vet say anything about removing perches from the cage? I once had a budgie with a broken leg. That break was higher up, so the vet couldn't splint it. He told me to limit the bird's use of its leg by putting her in an empty aquarium so she couldn't climb. But that was a long time ago; maybe treatments have changed. And maybe it's different with a cast.
Hugs to you and Kiwi!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

I think since the pain meds she was injected with wore off she doesn't think it's a good idea to walk on her cast anymore, so that's good. I thought I might just have to keep the cage covered for a long time. She got the meloxicam today, the inflammatory/pain medication. She seemed to feel better after that. And no more climbing on my shirt so I have to prey her off lol. She's not chewing at her cast anymore either. So I'll take that as a good sign as well.

The vet said to keep her in a travel cage with a single perch at towel level in case she feels up to it. The avian surgeon had to re-splint it yesterday, I had to hold the leg, so I saw where the break was. There was a little bone sticking through the skin a little below the leg joint. The surgeon told me about it. So basically it broke below the knee in two spots for Kiwi. 

I hope she recovers well too. Kiwi and I appreciate the hugs, thoughts, and scritches, thank you! 

I'll try and update with a picture later when she's more awake.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

She's more awake, but I didn't want to disturb her much. So here are some pictures of her in her travel cage setup.



















I know it's hard to see her right leg in the cast in the pictures. I'll get a better one of that later. I need to clean out the towels soon anyway.


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

Poor little thing give her a cuddle for me when she wakes up.


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

this is just my opinion, but I would change her set up. I wouldn't use towels because her claws can get stuck in the little loops of the fabric. Also, that bedding underneath creates an unstable surface for her to move around on her good foot. Also, I would recommend getting a larger bin as her hospital cage because she is going to be in there for a while so she needs room to move around and get used to walking again. That may be why she is getting so hot, because there's not much circulation in that little bin. Here is a pic of the one used, it's probably 3ft 1.5ft, it's kind of hard to tell but Chewy is snuggling with the little stuffed dog on the right



here is Muffin next to it on the outside trying to hello lol


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Poor little Kiwi , I hope she heals fast. I had a similar thing happen to my tony a few months back, although it wasn't that serious. He was perching on top of an open kitchen cabinet when I shut it closed forgetting that tony was there.
Anyway, poor little guy had a bruise on his toe for a while...
As far as a cone, I would suggest a fleece poncho instead. I am saying this because my avian vet made a collar for my Candy to prevent her from plucking. She had a fit! She was thrashing and lost her balance trying to get used to the collar. In the end, I took it off and the poncho worked out a little better. I will see if I can post a picture of it. I sure hope little Kiwi heals fast!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

She got lots of cuddles now that she woke up. 

I just realized that I haven't slept in 36 hours because of stress. I sounded slurred talking to the surgeon the other day and on the phone today. Lol... o.o

The avian surgeon is checking out Kiwi's leg Monday at 11 am and Kiwi has an appointment at her regular vets Tuesday at 10:30 am. Monday the surgeon is checking to see how the leg looks by taking off the vet wrap and to see if the bone set right or has formed a callus on it yet. If not, she may need surgery to correct it. Then she gets some more laser treatment Monday. So praying everything still looks good Monday.

You can see her cast better now, it goes completely around the leg and foot:









I'm going to target to get a bin for her very soon. I think I'll still need to use the towel though since the hard surface may hurt her leg. They're new towels so no little strings. I made sure of that because I didn't want her to get tangled up in them. I'm going to put a paper towel on top of the towels I think, because I understand about the little loops. Those could trip her too. :S

She is perched up at the top of the towel because she loves high places, the little gray towels are to fill in the space so she can get down easier. She doesn't want to come down from there though, she's kind of stubborn. So I've been making sure she gets enough water by hand. And the millet is right in front of her. xD

She didn't want any veggies, except a small nibble of kale. Besides her millet and her bird seed she did eat some whole grain bread. I'm going to see if maybe she wants some hard boiled egg later on.

Edit: Poor Tony, right on the toe! ><
Oh a poncho sounds like a good idea. I was wondering how I could get her to eat with a cone, so the poncho might work better.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

She's looking alert, that's good. Thanks for the pictures and updates. Sending hugs and good thoughts your way.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Yeah and she's been preening a lot. 

When she snuggles up to my hand I can really feel her pulse like from any part of her body. I guess she has such a strong pulse because of pain but... I hope that helps with the circulation.

She's just started elevating her leg last night and throughout today. She like finds something, like a millet sprig, and props her leg on top of it. Could it be swelling and she's trying to take the pressure off of it? Wanting to know if I should try and see if I can get the vet out there today rather then tomorrow if that's the case.

Since it's totally wrapped I can't tell if there is any swelling really so I'm paranoid about it. :S


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Aw. I don't know, but sending good wishes.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you for the good wishes.

Kiwi is doing good today. The avian surgeon checked her out.

There is still circulation through the leg and the top of the foot. I guess instead of like below the knee where I thought. The break is actually in the middle of the big thigh bone. We can't really see the toes through the wrap. I think I saw one pink toe though. Part of one of her toes that got a bad scrape from the door has started to turn black... that part will most likely have to be removed.

Kiwi's vet appointment tomorrow will tell us more with an x-ray and everything.

I'm hoping that the circulation stays and that she wont lose any more than that one toe...


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

Glad Kiwi is doing well! I would use fleece instead of towels...much safer. Toenails can get caught even in new towels because of the way they are made. Look at a towel closely and you will see what I mean.

Also, I would maybe provide some very low rope perches for her to use if/when she's feeling up to perching. You can just lay them on the bottom of the tub, and make sure they are secured to the sides so they don't roll over. I cared for a budgie with a broken leg a couple of years ago and that worked well for him. Perching is more natural for their bodies than being on a flat surface, and her other leg/foot can bear the weight. At least birds heal very quickly, so she shouldn't need the cast for more than 3-4 weeks.


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

Poor baby Kiwi and mummy, hugs to you both and kudos to you for taking such good care of her!


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

Poor Kiwi  This is never an easy situation. I guess the good news is that even if she has to lose a toe, losing a toe isn't too much of a big deal. I don't think I've ever heard of a bird that lost a toe and wasn't fine.

We'll be thinking of her! I'm sure she'll be ok.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Well we cut out a yoga mat and fitted at the bottom of a plastic bin. I've covered that with a sheet so Kiwi can't escape, but have an opening for air and heat to escape.

I hope she hasn't damaged anymore of her leg, my baby just wont stay still. 

I pray it's just the toe.. or that that toe is just bruising.

I really wish this had happened to me instead of Kiwi. 

Here are some more pictures of Kiwi and her bin.


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## Tisena (Sep 28, 2013)

I know what you mean. If my babies were ill or hurt I'd want what they had instead 

Get well soon little Kiwi! 

(love the quote in your signature)


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

She looks like such a sweetheart. I do hope things go well and her leg heals well.

I had a very sweet cat that went outdoors and came home one night with a mangled leg. We took him to a vet. He splinted the leg. However, when we returned two days later the leg had gotten infected and had to be removed. My daughter cried and cried about it. She said, "He'll be ruined!"

The vet amputated the leg (a back leg). When we brought Cinders home, he was so happy and seemed so glad to be alive. He actually got around fine and adapted to the missing leg. He lived about another ten years, but was not allowed outside after his injury. He was a wonderful, affectionate kitty.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you guys for the encouraging words.

I'm just so mad right now. We got the x-rays back and it turns out that well.. it's not broken at all! It was dislocated. But the emergency vet was convinced it was broken, and then she convinced us that it wouldn't do any good to do an x-ray. So we eventually listened to her. I'm so mad they didn't x-ray. They could have popped it back into place maybe. But the surgeon(who is Kiwi's angel right now) said that even with that we may have had the same results as now. Especially since Kiwi loves chewing her splits off. I'm just so mad at the emergency vet place still. I was willing to pay anything to get her better. The emergency vet place treated her for a compound fracture without even any anesthesia either! It's like what the heck, never going back there again! I feel like I want to chew them out, but I know it wouldn't do any good at all.

Now the vet can't pop it back into place because it's been healing like that, it wouldn't budge today when she tried. Inflammation and stuff apparently....

I'll update with pictures of her foot later. Her vet took some really good pics. I'm hoping the bruising down the side of one toe is just bruising. Their is a bit of discoloration on part of her foot by the toe. If you guys could give an opinion on that when I get the pics that'd be great.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

How upsetting! I would be mad too. It sounds like Kiwi has a good doctor now and hopefully everything will be okay.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Oh my goodness, I am so so sorry.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you guys. I'm heart broken right now over this. 

I'm just thankful that I didn't go along with what the emergency avian vet said. Then I would have been furious. That emergency vet wanted to cut Kiwi's entire leg off. No x-rays, just take it off. And it would have been for nothing! That's what I keep thinking. At least I wanted to try and save the leg. We saved the leg..

Just ugh... $800 on this to find out that a $50 x-ray we asked for could have made a difference. So frustrating. It's not about the money, it's just my poor baby bird has to go through all this because of negligence.

The only other part to worry about now is the toe, the foot, and mobility for the swelling in the ankle. Ugh.. I have college today and a test. And I know I'm not going to be able to focus at all. All I want to do is stay home and hold Kiwi.

The avian surgeon is coming out tomorrow to do another laser treatment on Kiwi's leg. She's going to get all the x-rays and pics from me when I get them, so hopefully she'll know better what we're dealing with now.

Friday her regular vet will look at the leg, hopefully they can tell what stays on at that point and hoping the foot stays on. And only that tiny tip of the toe comes off.


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

Wow, that is ridiculous! And they suggested to have that leg amputated?? Thank goodness you didn't accept it.
I know what you mean about the money - I spent almost $900 on Candy's vet treatments for her feather plucking, with no results...


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

That's outrageous! 

That's wonderful that her leg isn't broken, though. Just, hopefully they can fix their mistake!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

I know! Glad I didn't accept that ridiculous offer and I'm hoping they can fix it too.

Here are some pictures you guys (May be graphic?).




If anyone can tell me anything about what they think it would be very much appreciated. Especially the center of the foot. I'm hoping that's just a little bruise. Please let it just be a bruise! 




























What do you guys think? :S


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Well, Kiwi's avian surgeon looked her over. She's hopeful about the foot and toe because of how pink it is around the blackened areas. She got some more laser treatment too.

But she said that because of how bad of a dislocation it is (basically if you took your wrist and moved the end of one to the center of your wrist) she will have arthritis in the joint and it will be mostly like a crutch for her.

Our regular vet is calling the Raptor Center of Minnesota to see if they can do a surgical option on Kiwi since the leg is pretty much set like that now. But I don't know if they can do surgery on a bird that small. And I don't want to risk Kiwi's life if the chances are bad since she'll be fine without it. :S


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Sending good wishes to you and Kiwi.
Keep us posted.


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## Amz (Apr 10, 2013)

How awful... I've heard bad things about how emergency vets treat birds. I hope I never have to resort to going to one. I'm so sorry her leg has already set, hopefully they can get it fixed to where it doesn't bother her too much... :/


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

Glad to hear you are getting positive results from the avian surgeon, that makes me really mad about the emergency vet :frown: and glad that I had a good experience with the vet we took Chewy too... we thought that was going to happen with us, that it was either going to be amputation or euthanasia but she never mentioned either one of those things. It's unfortunate that these vets don't all have the same training, or that there aren't more avian vets around I guess. 

He's hoping that Kiwi doesn't lose her toe and that they are able to give her some stability for her long term recovery


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## RachelD (Aug 30, 2014)

Kiwi looks very pretty. I feel very sorry for Kiwi. I hope her leg gets better in a short period of time. My best wishes to you and Kiwi. Please keep us updated.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you guys!

Ok, the worst possible outcome was mentioned today. They said Kiwi might have a fracture on top of the dislocation. The diagnosis has changed like three times already, it's really frustrating.
They sent the x-rays to the raptor center and the person there said she thinks there may be a fracture. But the x-rays are so dark I had them send them to a radiologist. At this point, they want to amputate her whole foot off. The one toe is turning black completely pretty much, but the rest of the foot is pink.
I'm not going to let them rush into the amputation aspect unless this fracture is a fact. I'll get more x-rays if I have to. Also, I want to hear what the avian surgeon has to say first, she may be able to fix the fracture part (if there is one) where they just want to cut if off with the ankle I think.
Raptor center can't pin it either, I guess basically if your cockatiel ever dislocates something they're saying there is nothing they can do. Which is really, really frustrating to me because you'd think a dislocation would be better than a break. 

Poor Kiwi has it rough. Not this little girl's week. Send prayers and good wishes for her please guys. I want the fracture to be a fluke with all the other stuff going on she doesn't need this.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Oh, poor Kiwi. Sending good wishes.


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## eduardo (Jan 27, 2012)

I am so sorry to hear about all these troubles you and Kiwi are going through. I hope there is some acceptable solution to this problem and Kiwi gets better...
I can only imagine the cost of this treatment; my heart goes out to you. And karma to you for taking such good care of your little bird.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you guys! 

It's cost a pretty penny. Especially with the $563 from yesterday's vet visit, but so so worth it!

There hasn't been much to update on so I haven't posted until now. Yesterday we took Kiwi to clinic of the vet who had been coming to our house and lasering Kiwi's leg (Kiwi's angel).
She took full body x-rays, did blood work, looked at Kiwi's foot, did laser treatment, and changed her bandage for her. She also cut a tiny spongy ball in half and placed it in between Kiwi's foot arch because Kiwi had been walking around a lot.
The sponge replaced the cotton ball that that been used previously in her splint wrappings. They also kept Kiwi in an incubator until I got done with college, aw. 

Kiwi got a little gas for the x-rays and they took a lot of pictures of her foot for us (I'll post them when they're sent ). She told us that Kiwi's foot was looking really good and it reflected in the pictures. The toe that was blackened last time was pink today. I thought she was going to lose that toe and the whole foot based off of last time. Still waiting on those pics from last time, I'll have to ask for them again to compare. But the vet said that it doesn't look gangrenous like it's spreading and based off of the pink skin on the toe and the pink in-between the blackened scabs on the toe, she probably won't lose the toe either. She would only lose basically her fingertip/fingernail on that one toe where the tip was already blackened.

I'm very sure that all the laser treatments saved her toe and foot. The day after the accident the wound was still bloody and bleeding, went all the way down the toe and she kept pecking it open and getting blood on the towels. I'm glad we got the doctor to come out and re-split Kiwi's leg with tegaderm, vet wrap, and laser it. If you had seen her toe only a few days after the accident when I helped take off the bandage.. you would have seen an open, wet, infected looking wound over most of her toe. And you can see that wound is pretty much gone in the pictures, the wound was most of that giant black line all the way down the toe. And the wound on her other foot had healed too. I wish I had taken a picture of it because I know it probably sounds unbelievable. So from 8/29 to 9/1 she had been having a few laser treatments before those picture and it had already closed the morning of 9/2. And the accident happened the night of 8/28. Kiwi and I are very happy with the results of that. I think it also helped Kiwi's liver as she had been getting more yellowish feathers on her wings, those are gone now. I was thinking of scheduling an appointment to check for liver disease a little before her accident happened. The blood work will be back next week to see about any infections or liver problems from the baytril so that will tell me then if it's ok.

The vet doesn't think she has a fracture either based off of the full body x-rays taken. She thinks that what happened was the joint completely dislocated and pushed the joint bone through the skin and that's what they saw that looked like a compound fracture. But it was hard to tell on the previous x-rays if it was a fracture or not because of the angle she thinks. On this x-ray you can see a little ball of sorts that is just naturally part of the leg I think? Well, you'll see it on the x-rays. She says that ball isn't fused to the bone in the first place, so it didn't break off and would either be re-absorbed by the body or push it's way out the skin. I hope it's the first one.

Edit: Forgot to add that the vet doesn't think Kiwi needs any surgery for the leg since she's getting around so well. She thinks she can live really well with the dislocation, even though it's like worse than I thought it was. From the side it is completely off the bone and in front of it a good few centimeters. Then it tilts inwards a little bit. Oh.. it looked better on the other x-rays in fact, yikes. But hopefully we'll keep having good news. I'll have to post the previous x-rays with the new ones to compare them.


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## sunnysmom (Sep 23, 2011)

Great news! I'm glad things are looking up for little Kiwi. Sending prayers for a full and speedy recover.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I am glad Kiwi is doing well and getting such good treatment. My heart goes out to you--it must have been so awful going through this.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you guys so much!! 

It has been so stressful. I barely slept since this happened. I've been watching carefully over Kiwi to make sure she hasn't damaged her leg or gotten the splint wet (she likes doing this to me). After the accident she had a night fright or two which made me worry even more what would happen if I slept through it and that happened. All those thoughts prevented me from sleeping well. When I did sleep I probably got 5-6 hours. :S

I'm hoping that she continues doing so well too. Keeping my fingers crossed. I won't know any further progress for a while. She's not getting the splint changed again for about ten to fourteen days unless it gets wet.

The vet is coming out again to laser Kiwi's leg next week too.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Got the pictures!! I think when I get the previous pictures I might edit them into this post.

So the vet says birds heal from the inside out. So she is pushing everything to the surface. All the blackened tissue and everything I'm assuming too.
Poor little girl has so many pin feathers. She keeps trying to itch them through the splint.

Look at the smile on her face lol: xD




































This one I want to ask further about what she saw, I wanted to see the other side of the toe and this is the best angle for that..

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Kiwi's laser treatment:









The ball for the foot:









Some x-rays, I kind of want to get the original ones. Maybe to frame. 
It does not look pretty. This is the x-ray with that ball I was talking about:


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## blueybluesky (Jul 9, 2013)

Poor little Kiwi, she sure has been through alot. Never seen an x-ray of a bird before it's interesting and a little odd  I'm glad the both of you have been getting better news.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

She will get ok hopefully.


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## rpo (Mar 8, 2011)

Corona had x-rays done a few years ago, and the vet gave me copies on a USB memory stick. You should definitely ask for them!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Yes, I've never seen an x-ray of a Cockatiel before either so I thought I would post one. I decided to post to compare the past x-rays and recent ones.
I hope she gets better soon too. The vet thinks she's doing great. I think I'll ask the vet if it's ok to post her name afterwards. Since she's done such a great job with Kiwi I'd love for others in Minnesota to know about her. 

So these four are from 9/2/14 (sorry links kept breaking):





























And these are the original recent copies from 9/10/14. The others were more zoomed in on the leg, but this is the whole picture:









Lol the vet said "Look at those guns on Kiwi's wings." She loves flying so she's got a lot of muscle. 
Those little white things in the gizzard are grit. I don't know what food of hers has grit in it. I definitely would like to find out which one it is. <_<


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

Does she have a cuttlebone or seashell thing? The grit could easily come from there.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

I've been giving her a calcium powder from AviTech since she kept tripping over the cuttlebone. So the grit may have come from there. Thanks for helping me figure that one out lol! 

Oh and the vet said that the blackened scabs on her toe had blood coming from abrasions so she thinks that they're just scabs. I think so too if blood is still flowing to them. 

Kiwi's blood test results came back and her liver, vitals, and other organs are looking great. She's just a little low on protein because she's using so much in the healing process.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

Good news. Yay!


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## stevechurch2222 (Sep 25, 2011)

Glad to hear that Kiwi is doing better.


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## Vickitiel (Oct 10, 2012)

Phew, it's great to read about Kiwi's progress. Those x-rays are really interesting. She's a strong girl!


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

wow those xrays are really cool to see! I'm glad she is doing better  that foam ball is a really neat idea to help her rehabilitate!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you guys! I'm glad she's doing better too. She's eating more and she's gained a few grams back. 

Of course the increase in energy means she really wants to stretch her wings and run around. The vet commented on how she was watching Kiwi run around in her travel cage when we got the x-rays. She can really get around on that leg and even more so since she got that foam ball under her foot lol. That foam ball I guess would be more like a foam perch. It's about the same size as a dowel perch, but soft to take the pressure off the foot.

I had to get her a new bin because she learned how to escape from her old one. This new one is Kiwi-proof. The old one had a little ledge just out of her reach, unless she used her beak to grab the side of the bin and used her wings to hoist herself up. I had just got out of the shower when I heard her chirping. I went in to look for her and saw she wasn't in the bin. She was on top of it, then she flew up on my bookshelf. -_-

We didn't have the wings clipped because her vets wanted her to have them for balance and if she falls she can use them to fly. Also, I guess they will focus on the clipped wings and start picking at them. Which Kiwi probably would have done. When I first got her the pet store had cut her tail feathers and she plucked out her clipped tail feathers (she only had 2 tail feathers when I got her, I think she plucked the rest). She's obsessed with picking at the cast and any time I put soother cream on her other foots abrasion she tries to get that off too. :/

Today Kiwi was climbing up my shirt and went onto my head. Which is scary because it's hard to get her off with her splint on. Thankfully, she just hopped into my hand. She is so restless, but I guess that's a good thing that she has energy. :lol:

I don't let her fly or encourage her to fly, but when she does she lands just like she used to. The cast doesn't bother her at all or get in her way. She even perched on the door and my head without problems. I'm just glad she can't get out of the new bin, it's 5 inches higher up. That's one less thing to worry about when I'm not home now. It also lets her flap her wings more without her flying around.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I'm glad to hear she's doing so well.


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## Nimra (Aug 4, 2014)

Me too. I love kiwi


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Aw I told Kiwi what you guys said and she went floof and puffed all her feathers out. So cute! xD

So Kiwi's avian surgeon came out again and checked up on Kiwi today because she stepped in her water dish. She was originally going to come out on Friday, but Kiwi stepped in the water dish so she found a spot for us this morning. 

I guess it dried out pretty well since it wasn't wet this morning. So we didn't have to redo it thankfully! That would have been stressful for Kiwi. Plus, she did such a good job last time wrapping Kiwi's leg under gas that I wouldn't want to undo it either.

Next week Kiwi is going in to see her at the clinic and we're hoping the necrotic part of the toe has fallen off. She said if it hasn't they may have to cut that part off surgically to remove it. She's also going to check to see if the wound has closed where the joint bone poked through the skin. Hoping for no drainage there or it may have to be fixed surgically too.

So I just got Kiwi's avian surgeon's permission to list her name today. I want everyone to know what a great job she's done with Kiwi on her leg. Kiwi also loves the laser treatment on her leg. She has so much energy afterwards, I can tell she feels so much better. The surgeon is also the funnest person to talk to, I learn something new every time I see her. It's really hard to find avian surgeons in Minnesota, and even rarer ones that make house calls.  So that would be DVM Dr. Janet Gordon. She runs Animobility, http://animobilityvet.com/ 

Dr. Gordon also works at New Hope Animal Hospital as one of their avian vets/surgeons. It was so cool, she gave us a tour while one of their vet techs handled Kiwi. They also use the low level laser treatment there. At New Hope it is hard to get birds in though if you're not already a client of an avian vet there, New Hope will say they're not accepting new clients otherwise. So you should call Dr. Gordon through Animobility and ask if she can make a house call or maybe if she can see you at New Hope if it's lab workish stuff. ^^


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

I'm so happy you've found a vet that works for you and Kiwi, good vets are like gold dust! Also great to hear Kiwi is recovering well!


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Kiwi said:


> Look at the smile on her face lol: xD


I LOVE this picture. Smiles all around!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Tequilagirl said:


> I'm so happy you've found a vet that works for you and Kiwi, good vets are like gold dust! Also great to hear Kiwi is recovering well!


I'm very happy too. It's funny because my hair stylist, whose done my hair since I was little, told me about Dr. Gordon. Dr. Gordon had done a wonderful job on her dog and was an avian surgeon, so I wrote down her name just in case. So glad I was told about Dr. Gordon, she's awesome!
And Dr. Gordon invited my Grandma and Aunt out to one of her seminars on laser treatment. Dr. Gordon was going to see if she could get them to be one of the people laser treated on stage.  They're going to it, just talked to them today. My Aunt was involved in a bad car crash when she was 16 after a drunk driver hit her side of the car. Basically, she has the injury equivalent of someone with ALS. She's about 45 now. Since LLLT is FDA cleared for brain stem and spinal injuries I thought it would be good for her. They're using it for people with Parkinson's disease and stoke patients so it would help her muscles and nerves out as well. It healed my mom's foot up pretty well when she pulled the ligaments in it and couldn't walk for a month without pain. Dr. Gordon lasered my mom's foot while she was out treating Kiwi and a day or two after the LLLT my mom could wear shoes without it hurting and run up the stairs. 



CaliTiels said:


> I LOVE this picture. Smiles all around!


I know!! It's adorable! Dr. Gordon took this picture because she thought I'd love how it looked like Kiwi was smiling there. And I do! xD

Also, glad that Jaid is doing well! I didn't get to comment on your thread because I saw it too late. My brother almost stepped on Kiwi when she flew under his foot. I grabbed his arm before he could step on her, thankfully. It's so scary when that happens. ><
So I'm glad Jaid is ok. Such a sweet little 'tiel.


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## slugabed (Jul 27, 2014)

That's great news! Good to see Kiwi doing ok.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi has been so broody for the past five days or so. And she is back to not wanting to eat anything unless I make her because she's too busy chirping for me I think. She also has been taking faster breaths I think. She's constantly chirping all day so maybe that could be affecting her breathing. She's also drinking more water. That cast also could be pushing against her ribs. Or maybe she's weak from not eating a lot again. Every time I take her out lately or pet her head for like a second she wants to mate. So if anything caused it it’s hormonal stress I guess since she also wants to mate instead of sleep. She also won’t sleep unless I’m sitting right next to her. I’ve tried, she will literally chirp for hours unless I sit next to her then sneak away when she sleeps. T_T

When she chirps she has a real set of lungs on her. So that hasn't changed. She’s preening and beak grinding, even right now. She seems to be smacking her beak. I think saliva or something is there because she usually does that to her mirror image. Of course she wants to mate with me now so I guess it makes sense I'm the target of it now. But I don't think it's normal that she's taking about 2-2.5 breaths per second? She's not breathing with her beak open or anything, but her wings are still moving up and down fast with her breaths. She is on baytril and metacam. Unfortunately, she really is bad at taking medicine. I sort of wish all her meds were injectable. They don’t recommend injectable, but she’ll store the medicine in her beak until she finds an opportunity to spit it out.

When I took her out to look at her she flew onto the top of her cage in my room. She did a lap or two around the room first, but when she landed she was breathing kind of heavy and her heart sounded like a jackhammer note for note when I put my ear to her chest. There was a slight clicky noise on her right side where the cast is. But I think it's maybe just the cast pushing against her ribs. Since the clicky noise was only when she had her cast propped up when she was sitting on the cage. I didn’t hear it when I had her in my hand and she was breathing like that. Maybe it’s clogged nares? The nares look white. She was cleaning them out in her water dish for the past 2 days and got rid of some feathers she couldn’t get out of her right nostril. She can’t clean out her nose on that side with the splint on.

As I'm writing this she stood on the Chinese finger trap toy and she's breathing a little better. But I don't know. I’ll also ask her vet what she thinks. I'm hoping I'm just paranoid, it is early. We have a vet appointment Wednesday morning anyways. :S


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## BirdCrazyJill (Apr 23, 2013)

when her wings are moving, is she kind of bent over? that's not breathing then, it's shaking her wings and doing like a little mating dance  also, I thought you clipped her wings for her recovery? even though she is calling for you, I would honestly try to ignore her a lot even though it is hard. It's not good for her to become 100% dependent on you, especially with eating and such because that could lead to other problems later on. When you are touching her, try to only pet her head because anywhere else is enticing her and she wants to mate. Also, when you are giving the meds, try putting the syringe in through the side of the beak and shoot it towards the back of her throat, that might help


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

It sounds like Kiwi is doing all right. It would be better, however, if she didn't fly considering the stress she's under from the injury, the bandaging, the pain, and definitely the medications. She can resume flying later after she recovers, if you eventually think it's ok. Right now, its just sapping the strength she needs to conserve and she risks having a bad crash, too.

Keep her warmer than usual, if possible. I have found that heat, when managed very carefully and safely, is very therapeutic for sick or injured birds. (Heat is tricky to administer so as not to create a burn hazard for the bird and a fire hazard for everyone.)

As for the meds, try to squirt it from the side into the lower beak/tongue so she can swallow the medicine at her own pace. At least with my birds, I found that that reduced the chance of the bird choking and gagging on the liquids. Even if she shakes her head and sprays some of the med around they still get enough of it. As for injections, I did them for a little while for my diabetic Buzz but it was really unpleasant for both of us (big understatement!) - so much so that I stopped and followed a different treatment course.

Hope Kiwi's vet visit brings good news tomorrow.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi laid an egg!!
I was watching her and didn't even notice until now. She's super protective of it. I was like 'what's wrong' because she's never actually lunged at me before, then I saw the egg. I try never pet her anywhere, but on her head area. She just got really nesty because of the paper towels and the brief period I put a little nesting puff fluff in there because her leg was bothering her. She loved resting her leg on the nesting puffs. She didn't show any signs of being broody until many days later. When she did I took them out, but she kept being broody. No matter what hormone reduction techniques I tried. That idea went downhill fast. 

I'll try that with her meds. I'm going to see if they have better syringes. The syringes I have are so easy for meds to come out of. It's ok with metacam since it's 0.03, but the baytril I have to add apple juice too and that makes it come to 0.1 ml. So I have to be super careful when giving her baytril it doesn't all go in at once. She uses the fact I have to go slowly to her advantage and tries and spits or shake it out as soon as she can. xD

When she does the mating dance she lowers her head to the ground and kind of does shaky heart wings with chirps. Or she has shaky wings in the normal position when she's excited.
These were just wings in their normal position, but like when I remembered she had a respiratory infection. It was an exaggerated up and down motion with her breathing. So I guess it was her breathing heavily when she was about to lay an egg since it appears to be gone now.

I hope she doesn't lay more eggs. She had a cuttlebone and everything she'd been chewing on but I don't want to risk her breaking any eggs on the trip tomorrow or at the vet's office. ><
I'm going to order some fake cockatiel eggs now I guess. It's too bad I didn't have any before. She's going to freak out when we have to go to the vet tomorrow and her egg isn't there. Unless I use a marble or something. She's going to be there from 11:15am-4pm basically. She's not going to be happy at all.

The vets recommended that I didn't clip her wings for her balance and because she has a little bit of a history with over-obsessive preening/plucking when she used to have clipped wings. She already solely focuses on trying to pull the splint off, so she would most likely pull her feathers out.

She doesn't get to fly around a lot. I use a towel to take her out so she can't fly and I don't want her to hurt her leg on a bad landing. But she runs around her cage on her splint and her avian surgeon said it was fine to move on it since she has a foam ball perch under the foot and it encourages blood circulation to the digits. I took her out of the bin and set her down to take a closer look at her breathing, because I thought maybe she was choking if she wasn't making a sound with her wings heaving like that. Then she flew off and I got her back a few seconds later.  She's a good flyer and only lands on flat surfaces, she just likes worrying me... They also reduced her inflammation/pain medication a while back because they said she's not in pain with her leg anymore. Which is why she loves running, attempting to fly, and stressing her mommy out. T_T

Edit: I'm going to watch out for egg binding now and am going to try to ignore her a little more. :S


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## rpo (Mar 8, 2011)

Wow, you are going through everything possible with your tiel lately! 

I have been able to control Corona's hormonal urges by keeping her away from all nesting material. She will occasionally try to unravel toilet paper for a nest, and I immediately take it all away. When she "dances" (as I call her mating behavior), I do something to snap her out of it. Sometimes that just takes picking her up....sometimes I have to force her to fly. Doing all of that with a cast on her leg is a bit more difficult!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi just doesn't do anything to help herself... T^T

But I got some exciting news. Kiwi had her vet visit the other day and Kiwi finally got her cast off!!! :rofl: I'll have pics soon. She's using the leg great! It's just a slight limp basically, but no difference. I'll upload a video I think.
She doesn't have to have any surgery to remove toes, fuse bones, or do any skin graphs like I thought she might have to have. Those were either to close the wound where the bone broke through the skin, to stop the necrotic skin from spreading further, or if there was exposed bone sticking out of her toe when the toe fell off.

I'm trying to keep her in her hospital bin and not let her do anything further to hurt herself. So the tip of that toe that was injured had already fallen off in the cast. On one of her back toes the claw is also going to fall off because of the lack of circulation, hoping the tip of that toe stays on. I'm trying to prevent her from chewing on the toe so she doesn't make it worse. She's been preening it, but not attacking it so I think it's ok for now. Of course, this morning she had a giant poo and stepped right in it. >.< I knew something like that was going to happen. Going to ask if I can wash that foot too.

Dr. Gordon said Kiwi has another egg coming and I have dummy eggs coming. That should take care of her laying anymore (hopefully). I'll try some of those things with Kiwi, minus the flying, thank rpo! Her leg is doing super well, so I can pick her up.


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## Tequilagirl (Mar 4, 2013)

I bet it was all that attention and care that got her in the mood. I'm so glad to hear she's doing well!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

She is a pampered bird, my little fid. 

I'm glad she's doing so well too! And I guess I'm a Grandma now haha. 

Kiwi also laid her second egg a little while ago. She now has two eggs tucked under her wings. Dr. Gordon says it can take them as little as 48 hours to make an egg. Oh Kiwi stop laying them.


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

Glad Kiwi is doing much better.
As far as the egglaying goes, when Puff would 'act up' with her mating squawks and squeaks I just ignored her for the moment and didn't pick her up or pet her or anything until she snapped out of it.
The only other thing I had to be careful with was the box of tissues that was always close by to clean up after her messy poops (she had watery droppings from kidney problems) and if the box was mostly used up and she saw it she'd climb in as though it were a nest. As soon as I noticed she was missing and saw a big long tail sticking up from where the next tissue should be  I would take her out right away. But almost every time that was just enough for her to start a series of eggs. I always just took the eggs away when she was out of the cage and didn't have to do anything else. There might be another egg or two after the first but just removing them worked for her. I also worried less about her with egg-binding, etc, because she had a relatively easy time passing the eggs. My first tiel Buzz had a hard time laying eggs and would have to stand like a penguin to expel them. It pained me just to see that.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you! 

I haven't gotten to see Kiwi actually lay the eggs yet. She lays them whenever I leave the room, I think she wants privacy. At least she has some painkillers right now to help with the egg-laying process. :lol:

I think it could be the paper towels that make Kiwi hormonal. She chews on them sometimes, but I can't replace them with much else with her toe and claws catching on things. The paper towels are the only things that don't catch on her healing toe stump at the moment. 

I don't pet her anywhere, but her head. Her vet said that might have even been enough to set Kiwi off if she was determined, darn. xD

Kiwi's fake dummy eggs just arrived so I'm going to be putting them in soon. Now I have to clean her hospital cage without getting bitten. >.<


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi has decided to lay her third egg today. So.. she now has ten eggs to take care of. Nine are fake eggs, one is real. I kind of thought she would stop laying eggs by now. :hmm:

I still haven't gotten those photos from the vet clinic yet and I really want to do a comparison. I'll have to edit them in to this post later. Here are some pictures of Kiwi's leg. Her back left toe was a dark gray color and we thought it might fall off, but she got all the circulation back in it and gets to keep it now. The skin is starting to surround the claw again since I'm keeping inflammation down. Hoping she gets to keep her claw too. Her toe in the front is doing well, she ripped some of the scab off and underneath was healthy skin after it healed a little today.

Edit: The pictures are here!!! 
From 9/24

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*Necrosis on back left toe:*



















From 9/26



















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Herb salad stuck to feathers:









A video of Kiwi walking and using her leg, she flapped her wings and made a mess of her hospital cage that morning:


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## WonOverBirdLady (Sep 30, 2014)

*Kiwi's Leg Healing*

WonOverBirdLady here ... I watched the video and was so happy to see her walking , amazing! Kiwi is going to be fine . Looking at your pic's I can only imagine what the 2 of you went through,I would've had a nervous breakdown. The hospital cage looked comfy and seemed to have the necessary restriction of room so she couldn't move around too much during healing. Kiwi acted perky though she had to lift her leg up now and then to rest it. It's incredible what you've done for her. Re multiple egg laying , I've read to decrease rich foods/seeds ,and go more for plain pellets and decrease light hours. Also read to allow sun to provide vit D to assist calcium absorption for the bones. Sooooooooooooo relieved for Kiwi .


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you for the egg laying advice WonOverBirdLady! I'll use that with Kiwi. 

I wanted her to be able to move in the bin, but not move around too much. She's a really bad patient. Dr. Gordon said to restrict activity, but not restrict it completely because you wanted blood to flow to the toes. 

I'm amazed that she can walk on the leg too. I was thinking that she would be dragging her foot and using her wing to help her limp across the cage her entire life. When we took off the cast I was hoping that the bit of toe had fallen off and that she wasn't going to have to lose anything else. It looks that way so far, the scab is starting to work it's way off. I'll do an update on that picture too.

I just got the pictures of Kiwi's foot from when she got the cast off!! I edited them into the previous post for easy comparison. Now we all can see what an improvement it was! 

BirdCrazyJill had mentioned before about nerve damage so I was prepared when Dr. Gordon brought up when getting the cast off how she might not be able to use the foot as anything other than a crutch or she could have nerve pain that made her mutilate her foot. Luckily she didn't have any nerve pain and she can use the foot as well as you just saw! She can actually walk on it much better now, just like a normal birdy. She does have permanent arthritis in the joint so sometimes I'll hear a click in the joint. I usually would hear it once a day, but I haven't heard it lately. The bones aren't even touching so knob the joint has become isn't moving to damage anything her surgeon said. It's just like if you crack your wrist, just like air popping in the joint, harmless. She gets an arthritis herbal supplement/pain reliever for it. She loves taking that since she is now off of antibiotics and pain killers.

The only thing to worry about right now is getting mobility back in her toe joints so she can grab onto a perch and that when the scab falls off no bone is sticking out.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Everything was going so well until today.

I noticed Kiwi's scab had fallen off and I was so excited that it finally had. Then I noticed the blood and bone sticking out. This is what I was hoping would not happen. Dr. Gordon agreed from the pictures that it is a piece of bone. I'm just hoping it's not infected or is going to infect her. Dr. Gordon is coming out tomorrow to look at it.

It looks like the broken piece of bone that's getting pushed out of the skin, I'm hoping. It's laying more sideways than straight so I'm hoping that it's either coming out or will be easy to get out. It's a dry, decaying, dead bone still under the skin so I can't tell if it's the whole piece of bone or not. You can see a tiny bit of the tip of that bone in her previous scab pictures. It was straight in those pictures though, over the next few days it started curling to the left to push the scab off the toe. It probably pushed the bone with it. It could be left over from the toe that came off, maybe the bone didn't come all the way off with it.

Here are some different angles. Now I know what one of their bones looks like.


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

I'm sorry to hear this. Hope the vet is able to help the situation.


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## tielbob (Mar 25, 2013)

I hope it's just a little piece that's ready to come out. It does look that way from the pic with the bone being sideways.


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## slugabed (Jul 27, 2014)

Poor Kiwi. All the best when the vet visits!


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Dr. Gordon was able to remove the bone piece from the skin. The bone was stuck in there and skin was starting to heal over the bone so it would have taken a while for Kiwi to be able to preen it out herself.
She most likely would have gotten an infection with that bone rotting in her skin. I'm so glad that Dr. Gordon could squeeze us in today! 

She pulled the bone out with some tweezers, she said it was the whole bone and it all came out. It was the bone part of the necrotic toe that didn't fall off with it.
Her toe bled a little since it was stuck in there. It was cauterized with a septic stick. I'm just glad it's out now.


























Kiwi may now be able to go back in her cage and get out of the hospital one. Dr. Gordon said to rehabilitate her leg by letting her climb and using perches of different diameters and shapes. If she does well in her cage then she can go back in it. I'm still going to keep her in her hospital one at night just to make sure she doesn't fall and until I know she wont fall if she's left in overnight.

I was so sad today. Dr. Gordon's said her horse had to be put down Monday. We both choked up while she talked about that. That horse was her baby, she really loved him. I gave her a bunch of hugs before she left, it's never easy losing the ones you love. 

Some videos I took today to show how well Kiwi can use her leg:

About an hour after the bone was taken out of her foot and she got LLLT. I couldn't clean up her bin yet because I didn't want to stress her out, so it's a little messy. Had to add extra towels so she didn't step in her droppings and get it in the wounds.


The head scratch:


The Superman Ice Skater, ignore the baby voice I used. Kiwi was too cute and I was super happy. :lol:


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## slugabed (Jul 27, 2014)

Poor Kiwi! At least that'll be the end of it. She does look relatively content; it's mostly birdie physiotherapy for the leg now, right?


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## dianne (Nov 27, 2013)

she"s such a cutie.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi and I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers! I don't know what we have done without all your support during this difficult time. I also want to thank the Talk Cockatiels site in general because before this even happened with Kiwi, I learned that parrots can live fine with a broken leg. That greatly influenced my decision to say no when 3 vets, including the emergency vet, told me that Kiwi's leg would have to be amputated. After find out it was a dislocation, they still suggested amputation. Well, through Dr. Gordon we found out that it did not have to be amputated. Almost everything that could go wrong, basically did go wrong, but the best prosthetic is her own leg so we fought very hard to keep that. Thank you all for supporting Kiwi and I! The only obstacle left is to get her grip back so that she can go back into her cage and be a happier Cockatiel. 



slugabed said:


> Poor Kiwi! At least that'll be the end of it. She does look relatively content; it's mostly birdie physiotherapy for the leg now, right?


Yes! Kiwi is finally out of the woods. 
Luckily what went wrong didn't affect her in a bad way. I'm just glad the only obstacle left is rehabilitating her foot. I'll do some updates on that. She's using her foot really well. She puts a lot of weight on it and barely holds it up anymore. I wish I could have captured even more of what she can do, like she'll jump and land without any difficulties. She's usually just tries to eat the camera and I can't record, so I love that I got to record her doing that. Those videos show how much she's recovered so far! 



> she"s such a cutie.


Aww thanks. And I love it when she does the little wing stretches and superman ice skater. x3
I have to mention, every time I see Emma on your signature I want to hug her. She's so adorable! 


Oh and here's a video of Kiwi getting some laser treatment. If you're wondering how parrots react to it or what it looks like. Kiwi usually sleeps after it and just sits there during it. 
Dr. Gordon said she had one parrot climb over and hang upside down in front of the laser once. His stomach ended up right in front of the laser right on the spot she was treating. He knew exactly what he needed to be healed it looked like. :lol:


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Update on Kiwi!

I've been rehabilitating Kiwi's foot using different sized perches and by massaging the feet and bending the toes. She's gotten some mobility back in 3 of her toes, the toe where part of it fell off I think is fused. I think the injury from the door slam was entirely on that toe, based on all the blood that was on it, and she dislocated it by flying away. I think the toe fused because of that injury because I haven't been able to bend it at all even after massaging it. It feels like trying to bend a wooden perch, unlike the other toes. 

Kiwi has started laying eggs again because I've been massaging her foot. I think she's thinking something totally different is going on there. I don't know how to get her mobility back without that rehabilitation though... super frustrating. She has so many eggs in there omg. She has 16 eggs in there, 9 are fake eggs. She's an egg hoarder. :/

She can balance on perches, but when she tries going across them or when she tries to climb her bars we have a problem. Her foot is tilted in so I constantly worry about her falling off because she does trip sometimes, she doesn't trip on large perches. For climbing, she can't bend the foot to grab the bars. The big front toe wont bend and she can't pull herself up with the little front toe it looks like. I might have to modify her cage I think. Right now she can't go in it because I'm afraid she will fall and hurt herself again. Poor little girl.


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## amberwydell (Oct 13, 2013)

Poor Kiwi  I hope she adjusts to it soon!


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## slugabed (Jul 27, 2014)

That's... I'm not familiar with cockatiel breeding, but that sure sounds like way too many eggs for such a small bird.


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## CloudySkies (Jul 11, 2014)

Kiwi said:


> Kiwi has started laying eggs again because I've been massaging her foot. I think she's thinking something totally different is going on there. I don't know how to get her mobility back without that rehabilitation though... super frustrating. She has so many eggs in there omg. She has 16 eggs in there, 9 are fake eggs. She's an egg hoarder. :/


I'm sorry, I know that this isn't funny but it's sorta super funny. But not! Poor baby. But kinda funny too. Except not, poor thing. (egg hoarder, tee hee! made me laugh)

Anyways, I admire your perserverence and dedication to rehabilitating Kiwi! I hope she gets everything straightened out soon.


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Hoping she does too, I emailed the raptor center about rehab ideas. Can't wait to hear back. Maybe it's just the tendon that's stuck.

Kiwi is kind of a unique bird I think?... She hasn't abandoned any of her eggs. She's pretty dedicated... o_o



CloudySkies said:


> I'm sorry, I know that this isn't funny but it's sorta super funny. But not! Poor baby. But kinda funny too. Except not, poor thing. (egg hoarder, tee hee! made me laugh)
> 
> Anyways, I admire your perserverence and dedication to rehabilitating Kiwi! I hope she gets everything straightened out soon.


Aww I hope so too, thank you Skies. 

Don't worry I put it in there to make people laugh, I'm glad it did! :lol:


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Kiwi has been doing really good. Her range of motion has increased! I'm hoping she will be able to grip better soon. If she can't I might have to get her one of those ferret cages with the walk ramps.

If anyone is interested this is the guideline I have been following for rehabilitating her foot/toes. 
http://www.exoticpetvet.com/breeds/physicaltherapybirds.htm

I'm really excited to see she is improving. She really needs to get out of her hospital cage. :lol:


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## wagon80 (Oct 22, 2014)

read your story. Poor Kiwi. Glad to hear she is doing better


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## Kiwi (May 12, 2013)

Thank you!

She's doing even better today with range of motion, but I think she might have a respiratory infection. I hear a few clicks sometimes when she's just sitting and when she flies and breathes heavy I can really hear them. She just got off of baytril a few weeks ago, I really don't want to put her back on it again. It's either that or because she's going to lay another egg, can't win. T_T
If it doesn't go away once she lays the egg she'll go to the vet. I have Monday and Tuesday off so it works out fine.


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