I am posting this so that someone who encounters my same situation in the future will have some hope. Eight weeks ago, our eclectus squeezed his way behind a piece of furniture I didn't even know he could fit behind and got caught in a mouse trap. I saw him go back there and ran after him but didn't have enough time. The trap snapped onto him and then popped right off, but it broke his right femur in half in the process. There was no wound -- it was just broken in half.
The vet told us a $3,000 surgery (98% success rate, 2 week healing period) was one option and that cage rest (95% success rate, 6 week healing period) was another option. They also said that healing via cage rest was more likely to result in a deformed femur, which would lead Roger to have a slight limp or other instability for the rest of his life. It was a terribly hard choice, but we did decide to go with cage rest. I was so worried throughout the process because I could find nothing on the internet that said this was a valid treatment option. Everything I read said that a bird as large as an eclectus absolutely needs surgery on a broken femur for it to go back to tomorrow. I was terrified that we had done the wrong thing, but tried my hardest to maintain faith in out vet's word.
We are now right weeks from the accident and Roger's femur has healed. While he is slightly more pigeon-toed now, he perches, runs, and lands on his right leg just as he did before. He can hold food with it, scratch with it, and stand on it by itself. His life has gone completely back to normal.
If you find yourself in my same situation, I hope this post finds you and offers you hope. I also hope it encourages you to trust your vet over people on the internet.
Image is Roger, looking good as ever.
The vet told us a $3,000 surgery (98% success rate, 2 week healing period) was one option and that cage rest (95% success rate, 6 week healing period) was another option. They also said that healing via cage rest was more likely to result in a deformed femur, which would lead Roger to have a slight limp or other instability for the rest of his life. It was a terribly hard choice, but we did decide to go with cage rest. I was so worried throughout the process because I could find nothing on the internet that said this was a valid treatment option. Everything I read said that a bird as large as an eclectus absolutely needs surgery on a broken femur for it to go back to tomorrow. I was terrified that we had done the wrong thing, but tried my hardest to maintain faith in out vet's word.
We are now right weeks from the accident and Roger's femur has healed. While he is slightly more pigeon-toed now, he perches, runs, and lands on his right leg just as he did before. He can hold food with it, scratch with it, and stand on it by itself. His life has gone completely back to normal.
If you find yourself in my same situation, I hope this post finds you and offers you hope. I also hope it encourages you to trust your vet over people on the internet.
Image is Roger, looking good as ever.
