(Update #15) Missing Toe!!

[Instinct]

Long story short, a big accident happened. April, one of the tiels, is missing a toe. We don't know how it happened, but best guess is it was during playtime. We put her in cornstarch and sent her back in the cage with Buddy and Angel. I noticed she was hobbling around on it and took her out and put her in a smaller cage, with cornstarch on the bottom and only one perch but she is still climbing the bars which makes it keep bleeding.

It's too late to call a vet but is there anything else we can do in the meantime? Thanks in advanced!

 

[WingedVictory]

Hi, try and relax!

Pack the toe in cayenne pepper it will stop the bleeding and act as an antibiotic. If it keeps bleeding apply pressure but keep the cayenne on the wound.

Keep us updated please.

 

[KatherinesBirds]

Cayenne pepper is great for this. Also, make sure the perches and bottom of cage are clean for tonight. The vet will know what else to do. Good Luck to you and your little bird.

 

[Instinct]

Thank you so much for the quick replies

We're going to pack on the cayenne pepper. I didn't even think of that.

 

[WingedVictory]

Just checking to make sure the bleeding has stopped. The cayenne will not only stop the bleeding and protect the wound, it will also help with pain.

 

[Renae]

When Charlie’s (Cockatiel) toe-nail was ripped off, it was too late to go to the vets, I stayed up all night and kept packing flour onto the toe that was missing the nail until I could get him to the vets the next morning, he was fine. (and it did eventually stop bleeding)

You need to keep her somewhere quiet (if she is in a cage, even put a blanket around 3 sides) where she won’t get hyped up and jump around, that is what you really don’t need, and they lose so much blood is it unbelievable.

 

[Instinct]

When putting pepper on her toe we noticed that she had another wound, possible blood feather pulled out, behind her leg. We coated both and patted gently (this bird isn't hand tame so she was very scared) before we put her back in the cage. It stopped the bleeding at first but she keeps on climbing the bars which wipes the pepper off and reopens the wound. I'm keeping a close eye on her and she is currently sitting on a rope perch. I wish she'd stand at the bottom of the cage where I coated the whole area with cornstarch but she seems to like the perch better. I don't know what else to do, I'm just watching the clock tick by until we will be able to call a vet.

Her cage is covered with a blanket but I can still hear her moving around a bit. I turned off the lights and keep at hand a small low light lantern to occasionally peer in at her.

 

[Laurul Feather Cat]

Do you have a regular old cardboard box? Cover the bottom with newspaper. Apply the cayenne and put her in the box. Cover the top of the box with a screen and cover the screen with a towel but leave enough room for air exchange. Putting her in the dark will make her stand still and fall asleep. Give her at least an hour in the box, better two hours, to decrease her blood pressure and calm her down. Check her toe. She cannot climb the cage bars if she does not have something to climb. This is why I like an aquarium for a hospital cage; nothing to climb unless you give them something. Works every time.

The other thing to remember in a bleeding emergency is that direct pressure is always your best first aid choice. Yes, the bird does not like being handled, but if you cover the bird's upper body with a wash cloth or a towel, they instantly calm and then you hold the bird still in the towel for AT LEAST FIVE MINUTES with constant pressure on the bleeding site. This will even stop a small artery from bleeding most times. If that does not work, you must get to an emergency vet right away. Birds cannot stand losing a lot of blood; they do not have that much to begin with. Putting cayenne on the bleeder before you apply the pressure is even better. Cayenne actually does cauterize a bleeding wound chemically.

 

[Macawnutz]

How is she this morning?

 

[Thugluvgrl187]

Just seeing this now. How is she doing this morning?

 

[srtiels]

Just a random comment. I have also found that pressing the inside of a freshly peeled banana skin to the bleeding will also stop the bleeding. I'm on blood thinners and cut my finger while preparing the mousebirds food, no paper towels in sight, so I grabbed a banana peel and was so surprised it stopped the bleeding.

 

[Big Blues]

Let us know how April's vet visit goes.

 

[Instinct]

Thanks for the help everyone. It is very much appreciated, I'm just so worried that I can't even think straight.

Just an update, around 2am I noticed she was messing with her foot so I called her to get her attention but realized it was bleeding again. I took her out and reapplied some cayenne before putting her back on top of a small pile of cornstarch and pepper mixture on the floor of her cage. She stopped climbing around and fell asleep, leg tucked up, till about 7am this morning. She then climbed to a low hanging rope perch and been sitting there ever since preening herself.

I have a 10 gallon aquarium that I'll go clean out and put her in. It will also give me a good chance to thoroughly check her before we take her to the vet.

 

[Birdiemarie]

Has April been eating/drinking ok this morning, Jillian? Be sure she stays hydrated and does not get listless due to blood loss while you're waiting to go to the vet. If she doesn't look well put some kyro syrup or even a little sugar water or honey in her beak to keep her electrotypes up.

 

[Instinct]

Just another small update.
Took April to the vet to get her checked out. Everything seemed to be scabbed up and is in the starting process of healing. I was expecting to be prescribed some antibiotics but I was just told to just keep an eye out for infection and make sure she is eating and drinking.

I haven't seen her touch her food or water since the accident. I made her some eggs since I know she loves them but now she won't even go near the food bowl. Currently, I am giving her water with an eyedropper but now I'm going to go try to put a little karo syrup on her beak.

 

[WingedVictory]

Hi, have you been weighing April? If she is not eating or drinking you should start hand feeding as soon as possible as birds go down hill extremely fast when not eating or drinking. For hydration you should consider coconut water or children's clear pedialyte. If you do not have any hand feeding formula grind up pellets in a clean coffee grinder if you have one, or try feeding oatmeal or cream of wheat. How does her poops look as far as size, color, consistency? Is there any smell to her breath? How does the wound look, any infection?

Please keep us updated