911 Bird attacked by cat

[Cockatoo-Dust]

The vet is not in. I feel so stupid and irresponsible for this to happen, and it's not even my bird. I'm birdsitting a cockatiel (long term, a few years), and i had him out in a room with no cats and the door was closed. the bird panicked over something and flew near the door, and onto the ground. the cat reached under the door and pulled him under the door. my dad caught the cat and the bird seems to be okay.
he doesn't have any punctures in his organs/breast muscles/back/head, but his leg is bloody and i put peroxide on it to keep him from getting infected by the cat.
im not sure if i did the right thing, and he seems okay now, just in shock.
i dont want to accidentally kill my friend's bird.
please help if you can, i will take him to the vet when i am able.

 

[JosienBB]

Oh no! Is the emergency vet in? Cats have bacteria in their saliva, and even their paws. A scratch could turn deadly

 

[Karen]

You have to find e Vet. Time is limited, the bird will need antibiotics ASAP.

 

[Karen]

Peroxide will not help the infection, only antibiotics will.

Don't use the peroxide it will only break down the skin.

 

[painesgrey]

In the future, try to avoid using peroxide - it's benefits are questionable and it can actually slow down healing. Diluted betadine is best, but mild soap and water will work in a pinch.

See if you can get him seen by an emergency vet. He needs to be on antibiotics asap.

 

[Karen]

Please hurry, you'll need to start your bird on antibiotics within hours. Do not let this day pass without care for the bird.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

definitely do not wait to see the vet. it is very time sensitive to get the right antibiotics. cannot stress this enough.

 

[rocky'smom]

E vet ASAP, What @JosienBB said is right on the money. that bird needs to be seen by vet. Peroxide will not help to heal those wounds and may make them worse. please see the vet.

 

[Dartman]

Rescued a baby Gackle that a cat had caught. He was fine for a day and a half then the bad stuff in the cats saliva got him, poor lil guy. Get him in as soon as possible, not worth taking a chance as it gets them real fast.

 

[Hankmacaw]

It is Pastuerlla and is native to cats and dogs (most especially their saliva). A bird has no defense against this particular bacteria and is considered deadly to a bird.

Get your bird to a vet immediately so that anti-biotic treatment can start as soon as possible.

 

[MyAussieFriends]

Any updates?

 

[karen256]

Like everyone's said, he needs to be taken to the vet for antibiotics if there's a chance he got scratched. Otherwise, there's a chance he got infected and sadly, there are often no symptoms until the bird dies a few days later.
If there are no actual wounds that need to be treated, I don't think it would even be a very expensive visit. You would most likely pay for a checkup and the antibiotics (bird sized doses are cheap) and that would be it.

 

[Cockatoo-Dust]

I spent a good hour calling every vet in the area after it happened, even the emergency ones, and they were either closed (bird was attacked around 5:30pm) or "didn't have an avian vet available" even when i had called a few weeks ago to see if they had avian vets (they said they did).

so we will have to go to the vet when they open in the morning at 8am. it's almost 3am now.
before you say that "i need to go NOW", i am aware of that, but please keep in mind that i am a minor and unable to drive a car. there's nothing i can do about that and my parents absolutely refuse to drive 3 hours to get to a vet, no matter how i try to convince them. I've been through that debate before.

As for his condition, he seems to be doing okay so far, I'm going to be keeping an eye on him all night until we get some antibiotics for him. as for injuries, his leg seemed to have been torn open, but it hasn't been bleeding since i rescued him from the cat. i just hope that he makes it through the night.

I've also called my friend to let her know what happened, as it is her bird. i still feel terrible about it, even though i know it's not my fault it happened.

 

[Beanurita]

Hope all goes well!! Keep us posted

 

[camelotshadow]

I hope the bird will be OK.

Next time you have birds out you will have to stuff a towel under the door to block the large gap.

 

[sunnysmom]

Please keep us posted. I hope he's okay.

 

[Cockatoo-Dust]

And we have some good news!

The vet said that he won't need antibiotics, because the wound is so small and already scabbed over nicely. I asked if the peroxide was the right thing to do, and apparently it was good that i had done that after it happened, because there's no chance that any bacteria would be in the wound now. The vet said he dodged a leg break, and was lucky he got away with such a minor injury.

Anyway, i was told to check on his leg every few days and make sure it's healing properly.

EDIT: forgot to mention I'm going to get a door sweep so no more birds can be pulled under.

 

[greys4u]

praise

 

[sunnysmom]

Happy news!

 

[Karen]

And we have some good news!

The vet said that he won't need antibiotics, because the wound is so small and already scabbed over nicely. I asked if the peroxide was the right thing to do, and apparently it was good that i had done that after it happened, because there's no chance that any bacteria would be in the wound now. The vet said he dodged a leg break, and was lucky he got away with such a minor injury.

Anyway, i was told to check on his leg every few days and make sure it's healing properly.

EDIT: forgot to mention I'm going to get a door sweep so no more birds can be pulled under.

I probably should bow out of this conversation, but I just have to say this and then I will shutup:

If it were me I would insist on a round of antibiotics. Once the skin was broken on the birds leg the deadly saliva (if it was teeth that broke the skin) or the bacteria from the nail (if it was the nail that broke the skin) entered the birds system.

Bites From Dogs Or Cats