Urgent Feet Problem in Cockatiel

[cinnamon]

hello my cockatiel is 9 months old and at the time this problem started he was 5 months old. in the beginning of january he got his foot caught in the bottom of his cage and got this injury
he started limping and we brought him to the vet they said nothing was wrong.
here’s a photo of his feet in early february.
notice how he’s standing
now over the month of february he started standing lower and lower on his ankle/knee? and this is a photo from the end of february
he started to stand very weird and his ankle was swollen and i was concerned so i brought him to a new vet since my old one was on vacation. she was amazing, nothing like the old one and she helped a lot, took an x-ray everything came back normal for his feet, gave me some meds for pain and told me to comeback in a week. his feet didn’t look any better and i ended up coming in early because they were so
bad. she put splints on his feet to help him stand taller.
they were working very well! we had her put on 3 sets of them and they were changed once a week and the last set was changed after 2 weeks. we went in wednesday and she decided we shouldn’t continue with them. she says it’s not getting any better and for me to take photos of his feet once a day till monday and then send an email with them and we can discuss further. the problem is i wanted to come on here to ask if anyone else has has this problem with their bird. what’s the cause of it? why does he stand like this? and why are his feet swollen? here’s a current picture from tonight of his feet

hopefully someone can help give me an explanation and maybe some advice. thanks so much

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

This is certainly perplexing. Are you in the United States?

@enigma731 any thoughts on this?

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Forgot to ask... what is the current diet of your bird? What type of perches are in the cage? Any other injuries besides the injury to the foot?

 

[enigma731]

That looks like a neurological injury to me. What meds did you try? And has he (actually I think your bird is a girl but it's still not 100% for sure at that age) had blood work done?

 

[cinnamon]

Forgot to ask... what is the current diet of your bird? What type of perches are in the cage? Any other injuries besides the injury to the foot?

his diet is mostly fresh food and some seeds and pellets, it’s reccomend to me by my vet. he has dowel perches, sand perches and a hay ball that he likes to sleep on. and no other injuries besides that

 

[cinnamon]

That looks like a neurological injury to me. What meds did you try? And has he (actually I think your bird is a girl but it's still not 100% for sure at that age) had blood work done?

he was on a pain med i’m not sure the name of it. we had it confirmed by the vet he is a boy! and no blood work. he’s had poop samples, a bacterial swab and a x-ray

 

[cinnamon]

something to add- he also had this huge callus on his foot where he leans his weight on. it recently came off though and now the skin is a bit raw there

 

[enigma731]

I would do bloodwork next and ask specifically about tests for heavy metal poisoning. Does he have any history of flying into things or falling?

 

[cinnamon]

I would do bloodwork next and ask specifically about tests for heavy metal poisoning. Does he have any history of flying into things or falling?

no he doesn’t really like to fly, and i’ve never noticed him falling. something to note is that i have a nose piercing he likes to bite on but that’s wouldn’t be heavy metal right? it’s just stainless steel

 

[enigma731]

I don't know. I also don't know for sure that this is a neurological problem, but since they don't seem to be picking up on structural issues with his bones or tendons, that would be my guess. It could be a congenital thing or an injury or from toxic exposure. Since it doesn't sound like he's had that kind of an injury, I'd think about toxic exposure possibilities.

ETA: Can he climb/grip with his feet? And how do they feel -- are they limp or like contracted firmly in that position?

 

[cinnamon]

I don't know. I also don't know for sure that this is a neurological problem, but since they don't seem to be picking up on structural issues with his bones or tendons, that would be my guess. It could be a congenital thing or an injury or from toxic exposure. Since it doesn't sound like he's had that kind of an injury, I'd think about toxic exposure possibilities.

ETA: Can he climb/grip with his feet? And how do they feel -- are they limp or like contracted firmly in that position?

the vet was telling me she thinks it’s an internal muscle issue that you wouldn’t be able to see in an x-ray. she says she doesn’t think that it will limit him in living a full happy life and she doesn’t think he’s in any pain but it still worries me. i hate to see my baby standing like that, it looks painful!

 

[enigma731]

Yeah, that's also possible. I agree that I don't think you're going to cure it, I think you're just going to have to adapt things for him.

 

[cinnamon]

I don't know. I also don't know for sure that this is a neurological problem, but since they don't seem to be picking up on structural issues with his bones or tendons, that would be my guess. It could be a congenital thing or an injury or from toxic exposure. Since it doesn't sound like he's had that kind of an injury, I'd think about toxic exposure possibilities.

ETA: Can he climb/grip with his feet? And how do they feel -- are they limp or like contracted firmly in that position?

he is very good with his feet i’ve been doing some exersises with him, he steps up great, both feet feel the same amount of strongness and they are contracted firmly to the ground

 

[cinnamon]

Yeah, that's also possible. I agree that I don't think you're going to cure it, I think you're just going to have to adapt things for him.

he is still quite young so i hope there is something we can do about it. it’s not like he’s an older bird who has just had this happen

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

his diet is mostly fresh food and some seeds and pellets, it’s reccomend to me by my vet. he has dowel perches, sand perches and a hay ball that he likes to sleep on. and no other injuries besides that

What are the fresh foods? Dowel perches can be detrimental to their feet yet doubtful this is part of the cause at your birds young age. I would change those dowel perches for more natural perches with varying diameters. I'd also suggest adding a platform perch too for a flat surface for him to sit on if his feet bother him. I can never remember which vendor sells the platform perch with the little dot balls in it but I'm sure @Macawnutz could make one for you any dimension you want. I would also ditch the sand perch... that's a likely cause for the callous on his feet and would irritate the raw skin.

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

Also, what is his cage like? Could there be areas of peeling or chipped paint, any rust? What do his toys look like? Does he actively chew on his toys if they have any metal parts?

 

[cinnamon]

What are the fresh foods? Dowel perches can be detrimental to their feet yet doubtful this is part of the cause at your birds young age. I would change those dowel perches for more natural perches with varying diameters. I'd also suggest adding a platform perch too for a flat surface for him to sit on if his feet bother him. I can never remember which vendor sells the platform perch with the little dot balls in it but I'm sure @Macawnutz could make one for you any dimension you want. I would also ditch the sand perch... that's a likely cause for the callous on his feet and would irritate the raw skin.

i make him a black berry sweet potato muffin and he gets one every morning. he also likes pasta, rice, and other food.the thing with natural perches is he had one and he used to sleep on it when we first got him but then it fell down one night with him on it and now he’s petrified of it and won’t go near any natural perches. the sandpaper perches were recommended to me by my vet, and the hay ball is a flat surface (kinda) and it’s almost like a platform perch

 

[cinnamon]

Also, what is his cage like? Could there be areas of peeling or chipped paint, any rust? What do his toys look like? Does he actively chew on his toys if they have any metal parts?

he has 2 cages. one downstairs that’s bigger and one upstairs in my room that’s small but it’s just for him to sleep in. he’s honestly not even in his cages a lot maybe an hour a day? there’s no peeling or chipped paint and he doesn’t really play with his toys :/ he has bad anxiety i think and whenever i try to put him in his cage he starts to cry

 

[Mockinbirdiva]

he has 2 cages. one downstairs that’s bigger and one upstairs in my room that’s small but it’s just for him to sleep in. he’s honestly not even in his cages a lot maybe an hour a day? there’s no peeling or chipped paint and he doesn’t really play with his toys :/ he has bad anxiety i think and whenever i try to put him in his cage he starts to cry

I

i make him a black berry sweet potato muffin and he gets one every morning. he also likes pasta, rice, and other food.the thing with natural perches is he had one and he used to sleep on it when we first got him but then it fell down one night with him on it and now he’s petrified of it and won’t go near any natural perches. the sandpaper perches were recommended to me by my vet, and the hay ball is a flat surface (kinda) and it’s almost like a platform perch

Here's a link to read about sand perches. They really are bad for bird feet. BTW... I saw a few ads on this page so overlook those and concentrate on the article for the sand paper perches.

Are Sand Perches Bad For Birds? Here Is The Truth!

When it comes to birds, it is a well-known fact that when given proper attention and care, birds make for remarkably pleasant and friendly pets.

beakcraze.com

 

[cinnamon]

I


Here's a link to read about sand perches. They really are bad for bird feet. BTW... I saw a few ads on this page so overlook those and concentrate on the article for the sand paper perches.

Are Sand Perches Bad For Birds? Here Is The Truth!

When it comes to birds, it is a well-known fact that when given proper attention and care, birds make for remarkably pleasant and friendly pets.

beakcraze.com

thanks!