[lilkitty90]

ok so yesterday. i checked on my love bird and his left foot was all swollen and warm. and it looked a little yellow and crusty. the vet was closed yesterday so we couldn't call them. (we don't ahve a bird vet but he cuts nails and wings and said he would look at him anyway) but they are charging us more than a regular visit. so first i wanna see if any of you guys know what it is or know if we can give him liquid antibiotics ourselves before we waste all this money to get him checked out by a non bird vet. it doesn't impair his flying. and he walks fine. he can grip with it just not really tightly so if he is on your shoulder and you walk to fast he can't hold on as good. and he is as vocal as ever. the yellowness of it and how it's warmer than the other foot just make me think infection but here are some pictures i took of it

 

[Wallaby]

I'm really not a bird expert, I've just read a lot of books, but that looks like it might be bumblefoot (which is something you need a vet to fix, I'm pretty sure) to me... What kind of perches does he have in his cage?

 

[lilkitty90]

he has a big thick wood perch. a couple of little plastic ones with ridges and a couple of metal ladders. and he has some plastic/wood type perch that he loves

 

[TwisterRush]

I think you should get rid of the plastic and metel ones, Birds need different types of perches, so that they avoid get artitic in there feet. with different shapes.
He would need natural wood perches, dowels, rope perches, calcium perches and a pedi perch. etc

Also PLEASE FIND YOURSELF AN AVIAN VET. NORMAL VETS CAT AND DOG VETS DONT REALLY NO HOW TO PROPERLY CHECK AND DIAGNOSE SOMETHING IN A PARROT, i wouldnt even want him touching my parrots nails and wings lol. ( no offence)
But you NEED to find an avian certified vet.

 

[lilkitty90]

we are looking but i thats why i wanted help with him till then. and we cut our own wings and nails so we don't even take him up there for that because i know exactly what you mean

 

[TwisterRush]

i can find out what i can, but you should really phone some vets and find some qualified avian vets asap... his foot look really puffy..

 

[Lucara]

I am by no means experienced with birds but this picture looks like he has a hole in the top of his foot. Could he have gotten punctured a while ago, not noticed and gotten an infection from it?

 

[lilkitty90]

it's a possibility we do have 2 cats and he does torture them through the cage. maybe they got a paw in and got him? i looked and so far the closest avian vet is about an hour or so away. so i contacted the breeder we got him from and she said to see if our local vet carried bayatrial or soemthing along those lines?? would that possibly work?

 

[TwisterRush]

It is usual not to find a good avian vet that is at least an hour or so away, and in my opinion it is worth the trip.
I would really try to keep your cat away from them.... your lovie can die from an infection, and from shock.
Also saliva is toxic to parrots.

 

[Cheshire]

It might, but it's important to get him examined first. It would be best if his cage was out of the reach of your cats, as felines carry a bacteria on their claws and teeth that can be deadly to birds.

I have to tell you...as they are prey animals birds will stubbornly hide injury and illness until it gets quite critical. My parrot managed to hide the fact that a microfibre was wrapped so tightly around his leg it was cutting down to the bone...so even though your lovebird is not favouring this foot, that doesn't mean it's not really bothering him.

I suggest trying to get to the avian vet, despite the distance. Honestly, it could be a matter of life or death...or at the very least, loss of limb. But if that won't work out, then go to your normal vet, or perhaps see if there is someone closeby who specialises in exotics. It's better than nothing.

I also agree that you should get rid of the little ridged perches you are using and look into getting some rope perches, more natural wood perches, and at least one "pediperch". Parrots can develop foot problems if they don't have enough variety in their perches.

Good luck and let us know how it goes...

 

[lilkitty90]

well we are gettign tight for money and as my stepdad is out of town untill friday he only left us 60$ for the whole week so if i could go to the vet it would have to be after friday.. you know the huge midwest ferret nation cages. well took the levels out and he has the whole top half. which is huge for a little bird like him. as for now. we have some antibiotics that we have used on all sorts of animals from cats to horses to clear infections. i'm not sure what it is some lady gave it to us awhile back. and it has cleared all their infections in a week or so. we are gonna give him tiny amounts of that and see if it helps him any. the distance is far and if it were me i would go but our car is such a cas eater. and my stepdad being out of town and the tough economy i don't believe we can. our situation is tight at moment. we have 4 horses another one on the way on friday (she has already been paid for) and she is pregnant with a baby due in february. that and all the animals we have it's tough so we are gonna have to start thinning out our horse and animal herd in general because it's beginning to get tight on us all.

 

[TwisterRush]

What kind of antibiotic are you giving him PLEASE DONT GIVE IT TO HIM, It could kill him, if you dont know what is inside of it, only a vet should administer medicine to a bird.
phone the vet and see if you can pay him friday or give him a cheque and tell him your situation.
The Farrot cage you have him in, how big is the bar spacing, wouldnt want his head to get stuck in it and kill himself, also what type of metal is it ? or what is it made out of.

 

[Lucara]

Most vets can just bill you the cost of the visit. I know ours was willing to do it when our cat needed surgery.

I would also strongly suggest against giving your bird any antibiotics that you are unsure of. It takes very little to kill them. I would wait for the vet.

 

[lilkitty90]

ok i wont give him the medicine and no our vet wont do that. otherwise peopel could easily get away with no paying all they would have to do is skip around from vet to vet. and our vet closed today at 12 so it's closed now. the bar spacing on the cage is about an inch so he can't get his head out. and i'm really not sure what kind of metal it is

 

[lilkitty90]

ok i wont give him the medicine and no our vet wont do that. otherwise peopel could easily get away with no paying all they would have to do is skip around from vet to vet. and our vet closed today at 12 so it's closed now. the bar spacing on the cage is about an inch so he can't get his head out. and i'm really not sure what kind of metal it is

 

[lilkitty90]

omg my computer is dying lol sorry for the triple post

 

[TwisterRush]

an inch is to big of a bar space...
I would recommend a Cockatiel cage. with about 3/8 bar spacing. An inch is for birds like an african grey.
He could easily get his head through and kill himself.