Dr. Sam's Thoughts

LACK OF WING TRIM DOES IT AGAIN!!

Had a poor little 8 month old cockatiel present as a referral yesterday (Saturday, April
24.2004) for the loss of his right foot!

That's right! No right foot! Seems he had flown over to his houseman's cage, a Moluccan Cockatoo, and the Cockatoo did not like the invasion of his personal space so he let the cockatiel know about it!

If we keep infection controlled this little bird will likely live a normal lifespan, if the owner chooses to learn from the experience and trim her birds wings.

THIS ONE ALWAYS GETS ME, WING TRIM SAVE MORE LIVES THAN ANYTHING WE DO! PERIOD. SOME PEOPLE SAY TRIMMING WINGS IS MEAN AND INAPPROPRIATE, TELL THIS TO THE COCKATIEL WITH NO FOOT!

Sammy

Hello Dr. Sam.



When I got home today one of my breeder lovebirds was hanging from the top of her cage by her leg band. She had gotten it stuck on her swing sometime during the day. She is not using her leg or foot. Her leg is being held parallel to her body with her toes pointing toward her tail. She doesn't seem to be in pain, just stressed. What can I do to help her? There aren't any vets with Avian training nearby. Also, how can I remove her band safely without causing extra damage?

Thanks,
Kera & Patches

Well, you need a vet, you may cause MORE damage trying to remove the band with the bird awake, so anesthesia may be the safest way to go, if the leg is fractured it will need a splint at least, or a bone pin, worst case scenario. Also we need to know if deep pain is still present, if it is we have a good chance to save the leg and return her to normalcy. If it is not the prognosis for saving the leg is poor, BUT do not give up yet if no deep pain is present, sometimes it will return in 72-96 hours.


Hello Dr. Sam.

I am the one who wrote you last night about the lovebird. We did manage to get her band off without any stress -- she actually seemed relieved. I am located near Watkins Glen, NY and I have found a rehabilitator to help me with her. She seems to be using her foot slightly. Is it possible that she will regain most of the use of her foot/leg again? I feel so badly about it. She had gotten in caught on an open link on her swing. Instead of having an O shaped link, it had a U shaped link between the cage attachment and the swing. She must have been playing on the swing and got caught. I can send a picture of link if you'd like. You can use my incident for your website. Can I have a link to this site? Any other suggestions you can offer will be most helpful and I thank you for all advice already given.

Thanks,
Kera & Patches


I am glad to hear Patches is doing well. Thanks for permission to share the story. Very likely nerve function will return, especially since you see her using the leg slightly!


Samuel B. Vaughn, DVM, Avian Diplomate, ABVP

What a shame the poultry industry is slaughtering millions of birds in Canada (British Columbia) in an effort to stop the spread of Avian Influenza. Folks for the time being I strongly recommend AGAINST buying chickens for backyard flocks. The risks are just too great, and if you were to own psittacines (parrots) the Federal Officials will probably require you to destroy all of your parrots as well as your chickens. This was the case with the outbreak of Newcastle's Disease Virus in California. Luckily, Kentucky escaped this disaster, although narrowly, we did have some bird purchased from California, but all testing proved to be good news!

NEAT STORY! New client came in for the first time today and a Pionus parrot had flown onto his porch, jumped on his arm, climbed up his arm and started talking to him and kissing him on the cheek! I guess God wanted this gentleman to have a bird. In the event your bird ever escapes to the wild, and you are lucky enough to get it back, be sure and have it tested for internal parasites ( worms, coccidia) as well as the routine White blood cell, Red Blood cell count and Gram Stain. This little bird checked out well so far, we are waiting on the white blood cell results, and the gentleman is obviously going to give this little guy a VERY good home!
Now how do you PREVENT this from happening to your bird? Flying away never to be seen again, and trust me most of them are not as lucky as this little Pionus. Most of them become prey for hawks, owls, cats, dogs and other birds of prey.
1) Keep your bird wings trimmed!! I know, I know some people think this is cruel, so tell me which is the most cruel a wing trim or becoming lunch for a RedTailed Hawk?
2) Remember that wings trims LIMIT flight, they do not stop flight. I have seen cockatiels (who are excellent fliers) still fly just fine with all their flight feathers trimmed!
3) A brisk wind or a hot air thermal coming up off a road, parking lot or other asphalt or concrete structure can provide plenty of lift for your pet to take off!
4) Do not walk around outside with your bird on your shoulder, arm or hand. Had a lady many years ago walking in Cherokee Park with her Cockatoo on her shoulder, she had told me she did this and I told her not to do this. She told me how cruel I was, to deprive her bird of such an enjoyable activity. The bird was plucked off her should by a bird of prey, in a split second, was gone never to return. Again, which is the most cruel scenario?
5) Do not begrudge a wing trim because you are waiting until more feathers come in so you get the most for your 15 bucks! Or whatever your vet charges for a wing trim. Some birds only need a flight feather or two to fly like an eagle!

Common sense goes a long way, keep your birds wings trimmed, don't walk around outside with it not in a cage or carrier, and hopefully your bird will live longer than you!

Sammy

A special note from a dear client:

Dear Dr. Vaughn,

We wanted to once again express our deepest
gratitude for the love and care you showed Buddy over
the past 10 years. We always knew you provided the
highest quality medical services but just as important
to us was your obvious affection towards Buddy. We
especially want to thank you once more for coming in
on Sunday and putting Buddy out of his obvious misery.

For your information, we have started to explore
getting another PBGVsince Buddy gave us so much
enjoyment and made our lives richer. Perhaps Buddy
was truly extraordinary in his temperment and
personality,but we're hoping we might be able to find
another PBGV who can ,with luck,at least approach
Buddy's terrific qualities. And if not we'll still
love him or her. Our search may take some time given
the relative rarity of the breed, but if we are
successful, you can be assured that the only vet we'd
consider caring for our puppy would be you.

Finally, we don't know if you are familiar with the
work of a small organization in N.Y. called Angel's
Gate.They provide care to animals that are seriously
infirmed or otherwise suffering from a fatal
condition. In your honour,we are making a contribution
to Angel's Gate in your name.

With much appreciation and love,

Chris, Michael And Scott Gilbert

April Special

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