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Lovebird toe necrosis progressing (Sad update #81)

lunasalix

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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.
 

lunasalix

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Here's a picture of his toe. Please excuse the poop that happened in the last 30 minutes. I can try to get a better one tomorrow when I catch him for his wash.
For reference, his meds are:
Enrofloxacin injection and in water
Metacam oral
Chlorhexidine scrub 20191013_180527.jpg
 

camelotshadow

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Consult with a vet. darkness moving up the foot is not a good sign. Take a photo so you can email it to a vet.
Don't know if it could be bruising but if its moving up the foot not good.

I just saw a photo but really can't tell..its looks black around 2 nails & one foot is darkened but could be bruising...

I hope someone can give more advice but I would call the vet back & ask them or get a photo to them...
 

lunasalix

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I sent an email with the picture, but they're closed for the weekend and probably won't see it until they open tomorrow. I'm so worried and feel awful about not catching it sooner when he was first hurt.
 

camelotshadow

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So now you realize he was hanging caught in the curtains Thursday til Fri 5PM with no water & food.

Strings are bad...I keep them out of cages & toys.

Then you left them Monday morning before they were awake & came back Wed at 5 pm almost 3 days later to see his swollen foot?

You need to have someone check on the birds & change there water & feed them every day when you go out of town...

I hope his foot will be ok...

 

lunasalix

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1. He was not hanging in the curtains. On Thursday, he came out from the middle of the curtains and was on the outside before he went back in. He may not have even been injured yet. I added that to say that I'm not sure exactly when the injury happened. He usually comes to perch in front of me when I walk in, but it's not unusual for him to stay nested if it's close to lights-out.

2. Saturday and Sunday, he was nicely scabbed over with only a small swollen spot where the scab was and had every indication that he would heal completely on his own, so yes, I went on the non-refundable $1,000 trip that I had booked months ago thinking that he was fine.

3. My boyfriend was home while I was gone and was replacing their food and water. Once again, Mango is very timid. My boyfriend would not have been able to get close enough to notice the swelling because Mango has been doing everything to mask it (lifting his leg into his feathers as if he's perching for a nap, turning that leg away, and hiding behind things). My boyfriend was watching for any serious signs, like not flying around or chirping.

I am a teacher and the week before last was the end of the quarter, so we had lots of end-of-quarter paperwork and meetings which kept me at work late. I do not regularly voluntarily neglect my animals for entire days. Their lights are on a timer which turns on 3 hours after I leave for work and turn off about 3 hours after I typically get home. Other than in special situations, I typically spend 1-2 hours each evening with my birds. The curtains were up to prevent the sun from disrupting their sleep, but have been taken down and replaced with cardboard nailed over the window. Other than that, there are no long strings or cloth on anything else in the room.
 

camelotshadow

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Understandable...thanks for the details...From what I read it seemed they were alone for days so I was concerned...Thanks

He may need to not be able to get all over the place when in your boyfriends care for his safety while his foot is healing. Do they have a cage? Cages can be for safety so they can't fly around & get themselves in danger...

Whats important is Mango & I hope his foot will be OK.
 

lunasalix

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I thought the same thing and asked the vet if she thought I should lock him in his cage until he's better and she suggested that it might cause undue stress since he's used to being free. She also added that he seems to be taking good care of it on his own - making sure not to bump it on anything. I have caged them when out of town in the past, but thought he might be more comfortable out since there are more flat spots to rest. I'm taking the day off tomorrow to get him an emergency appointment in the morning. After comparing his foot to pictures on Google, I think it is necrosis and the swelling seems to have worsened since he saw the vet Friday.
 

camelotshadow

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Well, I guess the vet has a point about the stress but he may not have gotten injured if he was secured when you are not there. I guess it depends upon how bird safe the area is & its very hard to have a safe secure space for a bird free to roam. If the bird chewed the string & loosened it it was good but if the string was still dug into the skin it could have lost blood flow. The vet saw it though it seems it was alright at that point. It is lucky as sometimes a bird will chew off its foot to be free too...

Not sure whats best to do...cold compresses to the foot slow the swelling if there is leakage in the bloodvessels which should not be now as it has some time to heal. Most important is to try to get circulation going. Advice on that would be good until you can get to the vet tomorrow.

After a wound like that some would say initially cold compresses but now it late for that so I'm not sure whats best. Foot needs to get oxygen from blood flow...if there is any infection it has to be treated...

I hope Mango will be ok...
 

Tiel Feathers

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I’m really sorry that Mango’s foot seems to be getting worse. I really hope the vet visit goes well tomorrow, and that he will be okay! Don’t forget to keep us posted please.
:sadhug2:
 

lunasalix

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Update: Mango's toes worsened overnight. The entire inside front toe has necrotized and up to the first joint on the inside back toe. I just dropped him off at the vet for ultrasound therapy to help with blood flow and hopefully save what's left of his toes.

Other than those 2 toes, the vet said his foot and other toes look like they're healing well, but the joint appears damaged now that some of the swelling is reduced. She is doing some debridement around the wound to make sure it's completely disinfected. I'll be doing warm water massages and physical therapy with him twice daily to help with blood flow from here on.

She thinks that the blood in those toes was stagnant too long when it was swollen, so when it went down, they clotted up.
 

camelotshadow

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Update: Mango's toes worsened overnight. The entire inside front toe has necrotized and up to the first joint on the inside back toe. I just dropped him off at the vet for ultrasound therapy to help with blood flow and hopefully save what's left of his toes.

Other than those 2 toes, the vet said his foot and other toes look like they're healing well, but the joint appears damaged now that some of the swelling is reduced. She is doing some debridement around the wound to make sure it's completely disinfected. I'll be doing warm water massages and physical therapy with him twice daily to help with blood flow from here on.

She thinks that the blood in those toes was stagnant too long when it was swollen, so when it went down, they clotted up.

I was going to suggest massage but I was not sure so I did not...Glad you got him to a vet.

Hoping for the best...
 

lunasalix

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Update: we just got home from the vet. After debridement, she noticed that it was actually dead skin causing a stricture, not swelling. All the stuff that looked discolored (except the necrotic toes) was just dry skin around the wound. He is bandaged and looks much better now. 20191014_184610.jpg
 

Tiel Feathers

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That’s great news! What a cutie he is with his big bandage. When does he go back for a recheck?
 

Dartman

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Well hopefully everything heals up but the bad toe may not. I will say if it doesn't and he looses it birds adapt well to things like that and move on and adapt like nothing happened. Hoping it all heals but he should be ok eventually either way. We had a house finch that lost the ends of two toes before we realized that she and my Pionus no longer played well together, plus she wouldn't leave him alone given a chance. She climbed and hopped around fine and flew like a mini fighter jet and was quite happy.
 

lunasalix

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He has already pulled the bandage off of his leg. The vet is closed today and I won't be able to get in until tomorrow evening at the earliest. I have some medical tape. Would that be safe to use to re-stick what he has removed until we can get into the vet?
 

Hankmacaw

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Yes, but put a lot of cotton or gauze padding under the tape. You don't want it cutting off his circulation.
 
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