911 Remove leg or let it fall off naturally? -Geralt

[CrazyBirdChick]

I just wanted to send hugs to you and Geralt
I'm so sorry that you both have to go through this! I'm so glad he has you

 

[Garet]

Well, I left for an appointment and came back to find that he'd thrown a toy I gave him into his food dish, blocking himself from getting any food, but he's looking chipper today. Ate like a pig as soon as I was back to help him out, so he's at least still going strong.

I think it takes a couple of weeks for a leg to wither and fall off.

A couple of weeks!? Poor little guy. It sounds like he's going to be unhappy for a while yet, then. The vet's calling me back in a week, and in two weeks, we get the cone off. It still feels wrong to hope that he loses a limb by then, but I really hope it's gone. Our main concern after taking the cone off (if he's still got the leg or not) is him going back to mutilating his leg/stump/whatever he has left. She had said that there's still a possibility of him attacking himself once the leg is gone, but it's not as likely if it comes off.

She also mentioned something about possibly taking a pair of clippers to his leg once she's absolutely certain it's completely dried out if it becomes a problem, but that's something we're going to have to discuss after the cone comes off.

This is going to be a fun couple of weeks.

 

[Garet]

Welp, another vet day. She checked his throat and leg, and so far, everything's going well. Bar anything else happening, she said there was a high chance for the leg to fall off on its own sometime this coming week. No guarantees, of course, but we've got our fingers crossed. Push comes to shove, she said removing it once it's entirely dead and there's no chance of cutting into an artery was much safer and could be done with a pair of clippers, which I think will be the route we're going for, if it doesn't fall off on its own. The risk of Geralt's dead leg getting caught on something is just too damned high.

With a little luck, the cone's coming off next Thursday. If he doesn't attack his own stump/whatever he has, he'll be cone free. If he does, we'll at least be at the vet, and he'll at least have a much smaller cone that doesn't restrict his flight.

 

[Sweet Louise]

Sending good wishes to you and Geralt...

 

[Lady Jane]

Thanks for the updates. So many people pulling for you and little Geralt

 

[Garet]

Thanks for the updates. So many people pulling for you and little Geralt

Thank you, too. ;; Just having somewhere to talk to about this with people who don't tell me 'it's just a bird' is really helping keeping my stress down a lot. The folks in my life don't really seen to understand that Geralt's a good boy that deserves all the good things.

 

[faislaq]

Everytime I see an update on this thread I'm praying the leg is off safely when I click on the alert. But I am relieved to hear the good updates. You are an awesome owner, @Garet.

 

[Lwalker]

I do hope all goes well and soon so he can start adapting to life without the leg. Glad to hear your vet is so good.

 

[greys4u]

Wonderful news

 

[TikiMyn]

I am very happy to hear that sending more well wishes towards the two of you

 

[Garet]

He's either getting more feisty or even more grumpy than usual. Little brat tried to bite me.

Oddly enough, I think I may have seen him flexing his bad foot after setting him back down? Is this even possible? He's not putting weight on it, but unless I'm seeing things, I saw him stretch out his leg and try to grab at things with it. Is that even possible with a dead leg?????

I'm bringing it up with the vet as soon as they're open again, this is just too strange. Like, I had put him down and he sort of flopped forward and reached out with both legs to get up? i couldn't see anything else after he stood, so I don't know if he's still using it or what???????

 

[Hotpockets]

Poor little dude. I hope his leg issues clear up whatever happens. Sometimes people experience phantom limb syndrome which is where they feel the missing limb that's been amputated. Sometimes people will feel like their missing hand, for instance, is clenching into a fist, so what they will do is put themselves in front of a mirror that reflects the hand that they still have and practice unclenching. The mirror provides the visual feedback the amputees need to feel as though the missing hand has unclenched even though their nerves are no longer attached. Maybe he still feels like he can use the foot even though it's dead.

 

[Garet]

Poor little dude. I hope his leg issues clear up whatever happens. Sometimes people experience phantom limb syndrome which is where they feel the missing limb that's been amputated. Sometimes people will feel like their missing hand, for instance, is clenching into a fist, so what they will do is put themselves in front of a mirror that reflects the hand that they still have and practice unclenching. The mirror provides the visual feedback the amputees need to feel as though the missing hand has unclenched even though their nerves are no longer attached. Maybe he still feels like he can use the foot even though it's dead.

Maybe? But the limb's still attached. I don't think you can move a dead limb like what I saw, I think? It was stiff and unusable for a week and tonight, he just moved it as well as his other leg.

 

[Hotpockets]

Did he manage to grab anything with his dead leg?

 

[Garet]

Did he manage to grab anything with his dead leg?

No, the toy he was trying to grab was just out of reach.

 

[zoo mom]

Maybe? But the limb's still attached. I don't think you can move a dead limb like what I saw, I think? It was stiff and unusable for a week and tonight, he just moved it as well as his other leg.

It is possible that there is still some circulation and nerve impulses. It may mean the leg is more viable than the vet thought. Or it could be just a little bit of reflex movement from neural pathways that are dying but not yet completely dead.

 

[Begone]

He's not putting weight on it, but unless I'm seeing things, I saw him stretch out his leg and try to grab at things with it. Is that even possible with a dead leg?????

If that vet was saying that that leg was dead I would have get a second opinion with another vet.
I think this is really strange and the first thing that strikes me is that is some kind of nerve damage as he is moving this leg now.

 

[enigma731]

It's probably a residual reflex. That doesn't mean the leg is viable and/or will ever be functional again. Remember that reflexes can be present even after full cardiac death in a human or animal.

 

[Garet]

It's probably a residual reflex. That doesn't mean the leg is viable and/or will ever be functional again. Remember that reflexes can be present even after full cardiac death in a human or animal.

Ah, that's true.

It is possible that there is still some circulation and nerve impulses. It may mean the leg is more viable than the vet thought. Or it could be just a little bit of reflex movement from neural pathways that are dying but not yet completely dead.

If that vet was saying that that leg was dead I would have get a second opinion with another vet.
I think this is really strange and the first thing that strikes me is that is some kind of nerve damage as he is moving this leg now.

I'll monitor him for the next couple of days, at least? I mean, if the leg is even just a little useful to him and isn't a danger to his health, then I see no reason to remove it.

This is very strange. I'm going to get a q-tip in the morning and see if I can (gently) get him to hold it without hurting him.

 

[Garet]

He was definitely using it again today. And I don't mean just twitching it. I had set him down in the tub while I was cleaning his cage, and I scooped him up into my palm so he was standing on my hand. I felt him kicking and stepping with both feet in tandem, and when I went to try and clean off a bit of fluff from his beak, he scuttled away, and I saw him using the bad leg.