- Joined
- 10/6/15
- Messages
- 176
I had to work late on Thursday, 10/3, and got home about 15 minutes before the birds' light cut out for the night. I looked in and Peaches came flying straight into my face, as usual. Mango, however, just peaked out of the curtain and went back in to nest. I figured he was just tired and left hom alone.
Friday, I got home at about 5pm and sat down with some fresh veg for my boys. I realized after about 10 minutes that something had to be wrong. Mango wasn't coming out of the curtain. I peaked behind it to find him clinging with one foot, the other foot tucked away, shivering and disheveled. He's extremely timid, but he let me pick him up and did not fight when I slowly unwrapped the string that was loosely wound around his foot. I guess he had chewed it off from constricting, but it had dug into his skin at the front of his foot and caused the whole foot to swell around it. I pulled it out and rinsed it with salt water and was happy to see the swelling start reducing immediately. I watched closely all weekend as he continued improving.
Monday, I left before they were awake and went out of town, certain that my boy was safe. I got back Wednesday at about 5pm and found him with his foot swollen nearly as badly as before. I called the vet Thursday morning and got an appointment for Friday afternoon. By then, 2 of his toe tips, just at the nail, had darkened. The vet said he had an infection from the large wound and the darkened toe tips would resolve once the swelling reduced and blood flow improved. She gave him an antibiotic injection, oral antibiotics in water, an oral anti-inflamatory, and a topical antibiotic wash and was hopeful he would improve quickly with no tissue loss.
Yesterday, the darkened portion had progressed about 1cm from the toenail. Today, its halfway up his toe. The other toe has pinkened back up near the nail. The swelling is still significant in the whole foot and he only puts weight on the foot after I use the antibiotic wash twice a day because it softens the scab. I'm terrified that this is necrosis and he will lose his whole foot and leg if it isn't quickly resolved. Should I rush him back in for emergency amputation of the darkened toe in the morning?
Note: he is still flying, eating, drinking, and playing normally other than some extra care to avoid using that foot. He and Peaches are free-flying in their own room, which was disinfected after the injury in an attempt to prevent infection. It has been a struggle to catch him twice a day for his foot wash, but we're getting better at it.
Friday, I got home at about 5pm and sat down with some fresh veg for my boys. I realized after about 10 minutes that something had to be wrong. Mango wasn't coming out of the curtain. I peaked behind it to find him clinging with one foot, the other foot tucked away, shivering and disheveled. He's extremely timid, but he let me pick him up and did not fight when I slowly unwrapped the string that was loosely wound around his foot. I guess he had chewed it off from constricting, but it had dug into his skin at the front of his foot and caused the whole foot to swell around it. I pulled it out and rinsed it with salt water and was happy to see the swelling start reducing immediately. I watched closely all weekend as he continued improving.
Monday, I left before they were awake and went out of town, certain that my boy was safe. I got back Wednesday at about 5pm and found him with his foot swollen nearly as badly as before. I called the vet Thursday morning and got an appointment for Friday afternoon. By then, 2 of his toe tips, just at the nail, had darkened. The vet said he had an infection from the large wound and the darkened toe tips would resolve once the swelling reduced and blood flow improved. She gave him an antibiotic injection, oral antibiotics in water, an oral anti-inflamatory, and a topical antibiotic wash and was hopeful he would improve quickly with no tissue loss.
Yesterday, the darkened portion had progressed about 1cm from the toenail. Today, its halfway up his toe. The other toe has pinkened back up near the nail. The swelling is still significant in the whole foot and he only puts weight on the foot after I use the antibiotic wash twice a day because it softens the scab. I'm terrified that this is necrosis and he will lose his whole foot and leg if it isn't quickly resolved. Should I rush him back in for emergency amputation of the darkened toe in the morning?
Note: he is still flying, eating, drinking, and playing normally other than some extra care to avoid using that foot. He and Peaches are free-flying in their own room, which was disinfected after the injury in an attempt to prevent infection. It has been a struggle to catch him twice a day for his foot wash, but we're getting better at it.