Injured foot

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Injured foot

by David Enrique Martinez
(Orange County)

A couple of days ago, I woke to find that my Sun Conure's foot was trapped in a string that was on her hut. She had somehow managed to get it wrapped completely around her foot. I cut her loose and she seemed fine. I inspected the foot and found some swelling and a very small skin laceration where the string was wrapped (I assume from her pulling on it).

I waited a little while to see how she would progress. Currently, there is no discoloration, the foot is warm to the touch, the swelling has decreased, and she is able to pick things up with it as well as balance on it. There has been no change in her demeanor other than a slight limp (which I also noticed has been improving) However, I inspected the foot today, and there are skin abrasions on it. They look similar to a skinned knee.

Should I just wait and watch her to make sure there are no other symptoms, or is there any type of ointment that can be placed on it for healing?

Comments for
Injured foot

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Mar 06, 2011

Bird foot caught in string
by: The Avian Vet

Do not use a greasy ointment. It needs to be water soluble so as not to affect the feathers. The only topical I recommend is AVIx Soother Plus. Otherwise, do nothing at home, but, you should consider having it looked at by an avian veterinarian.

Dr B

Mar 05, 2011

Injured foot
by: Linda

Never put any kind of ointment on your bird unless your Avian Vet has prescribed it. Ointments and oils can kill birds when they migrate to cover the skin all over their bodies. So, never use any petroleum products, and I recommend you have sick or injured birds examined, diagnosed and treated by avian vet.Over the counter drugs are dangerous and never treat the real problem

In this case, I use Betadine for my bird's little owees. It is found in the drugstore section of local supermarkets or can be found in a pharmacy. It is non-toxic and when applied, blow on it a bit to dry it quickly. The Betadine puts a protective covering over any minor abrasions like your bird has and will keep microbes out of open cuts and scratches. It can be applied using a cotton ball or swab, and it is not necessary to over cover it, just enough so you can see where it is as it will make area a bit orange/red. I've used it for years, and though it cannot be taken internaly, it does a great job on minor external cuts and scrapes our birds sometimes have. I use it on the dogs and myself as well. It is the same stuff used to paint an area before surgery for humans and other animals and birds. It is also cheap which is an added bonus!

Keep an eye on this and if you see any swelling or he starts favoring it, get him immediately to an Avian Vet for this means infection is now internal. The Betadine will keep this from happening, and needs to be reapplied daily as it does not stay on for a long time with an active bird.

The other thing here is to make sure there are NEVER any loose strings anywhere that your bird can become tangled in. Lots of birds have lost limbs and lives because of either srings on toys or nylon rope on toys. Always and Only use 100% cotton rope for toys because these are soft and less likely to get all tightly wound around any body part. Nylon rope is dangerous to say the least, and bird's little snuggle thing may have nylon threads because nylon holds up to washing. So does cotton, so everything for your bird needs to be natural cotton when it comes to thread and ropes.

Thanks for writing and hope all is well for your little bird.

Linda

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