Injured Budgie, ?putting her down

[nilla]

Apologies if this has been discuss in another thread but i guess every case is different and I appreciate any directions to relevant threads.

About 2 months ago my budgie injured her right foot. I'm not sure how, I just noticed one morning she was leaning to the left, putting very little weight on her right foot. I couldn't afford to take her to the vet and I imagine there isn't a whole lot they can do for such fragile little birds so I lowered her perch and removed her toys to give her some space.

She seemed to improve briefly, putting a little more weight on her foot but lately she has deteriorated. She is now no longer able to put any weight on her right foot, she drags it behind her when she walks and uses her wings and beak to support herself when she moves.

I've made a makeshift bed filling a spare feed/water dish with tissues which she now sleeps in most of the day as well as at night and she rarely sits on her perch.

Otherwise she seems fine, still eating and drinking regularly and independently. She chirps when I come near her and is still happy to see me. She is also happy to let me examine her foot, doesn't screech or bite me when i touch or move it. I can't see anything wrong with it, it may be slightly pinker but who knows?

She's a gorgeous little bird and she's only just over 4 years old but I'm not sure what to do. I'm happy to continue to look after her as she is because I love her dearly but I'm concerned now that by doing that she might be suffering and in a lot of pain.

So I'm hoping that others can offer some advice or opinions about where to go from here. Thanks in advance :)

[budgiefriend]

It sounds like you are doing everything you can to make her as comfortable as possible. She's eating and drinking and chirping, all good signs. It doesn't seem like she is in pain. Do you think she may have a tumor that is affecting her leg? That happened to one of my birds. Good luck to you and the sweet little girl.

[barrieshutt]

I would have her put to sleep as her quality of life has almost gone

[Marianne Marlow]

Hi and welcome.

What are her droppings like? Can we see a photo of her?

I thought it might be worth letting people see, just in case it's a deficiency of some kind. Always worth a try before you go for the last resort.

Marianne
x

[Hezz]

A photo would be a good thing, of her fully and of the foot close-up, even if there isn't really anything to see. Does she still fly around? It is a pity that a vet visit is out of the question; as Marianne mentioned it may be a deficiency of some kind or it may be a tumour pressing on her leg nerves, but while she is still happy and sprighty, eating and drinking, I think she does still have reasons to live. Is she an aviary bird or an indoor pet?

[nilla]

Thanks for your replies everyone. It's good to know she might not be in pain if it's a tumour

I haven't noticed anything unusual about her droppings. They appear to be to normal. Maybe a little wetter and smeared but that could be because she 'lies down' a lot due to poor balance.

Attached pictures as requested, unfortunately our camera wouldn't focus on the close up of her leg but you as you can see it appears fairly normal.

Also I didn't mention it before but she has a small 'growth' on top and inside her cere for a long time... I didn't think it could be related, but it has grown bigger over time. You can't see it from this profile though. I could take another picture if you think it could be related?

edit: and she is an indoor pet, Hezz, and all on her own she gets quite spoiled!

[Marianne Marlow]

Does she ever flex her foot or is she completely unable to use it?

[nat]

It looks like it could be dislocated or fractured from the hip joint. That would interfere with the nerves to her foot. Is she able to bend her elbow alright? The wetter droppings would be caused by the stress. If you can find an avian vet they often offer payments by installments for emergencies. An avian vet will be able to make a more definate assesment than a regular vet. I wouldn't keep her going like this without treatment. Best of luck.

[skysmum]

Oh bless her, my first thought is that its a break or dislocation. Im afraid i would have to take her to the vet, you could ask about a payment plan some vets will do this if you ask first.

[nilla]

She used to be able to use her foot a little. Put some weight on it on occaision and flex it but now she really seems just unable to use it at all (including bending at the elbow). She just sticks it out well away from her body even when she 'lies down' and as I said drags it behind her when she walks like she has no control of it.

Unfortunately as I said before I can't afford to take her to the vet. And because she's so fragile I doubt they'll be able to do much more for her other than to tell me definitively what's wrong.

I'm becoming inclined to agree with you nat. She seems to be getting worse :(

[charlie1997]

can't you even try pdsa, they are there to help. all you have is to be on housing benefit, worth a try

[Bonesy]

Looks like Sciatic nerve damage to me, usually a tumour in the kidney region or in the spinal/hip area. Slow degradation of the leg is usually nervous more than break or dislocation. She wouldn't let you touch it without some refusal if it was broken or dislocated. Tumours in the organ region would show with dark black poops, runny watery poops and very green poops.

If she is happy, I'm sure she will tell you when it's her time, but a friend of mine has a bird in a similar situation, and I've told her to always ask herself if she would want to be in that condition herself, and if your answer is no, then it's time to think about taking them to the vet and putting them to sleep. It's not fair if their quality of life has deteriorated so far they can't so anything but eat and sleep.

Best of luck to the poor girl.

Soph.

[starling]

Poor little bird. I had one of my own budgies put to sleep a few months back (a lutino, like yours) as she couldn't use one of her legs either, nor one of her wings. It's a mystery what happened. 12 years ago I had my 13 year old budgie put to sleep because of a broken leg. It's heartbreaking because they are healthy otherwise.

I agree with others.... you should try the PDSA and see if they can examine her for free. A private vet will charge you for an examination and to put her to sleep too, which you might need to have done. I think it cost me £25. If you can see the PDSA, they should do it all for free, or a small donation.

[nilla]

I live in Australia actually, PDSA would be great but I don't think there's any Australian equivalent organisation. Unless any aussies out there know of one?

Thanks starling and bonesy for your insight and for talking about your similar experiences. Now that I think about it, her poops are a dark greeny shade. Always wet too. Also I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, but her breastbone seems to be protruding more than it was before, she's always been a bit on the runty side but she does feel thinner.

So... I've decided that I will probably put her down very soon. She's still a little fighter at the moment. She chirps a lot and seems fairly happy, likes to cuddle and hops around wanting to come out of her cage still.

But I think very soon we'll both know that it's time for me to let her go:( . It's been really helpful to have your support and get a better idea of what might be going on. So thanks everyone. I'm really glad I asked!