How to Wing Amputation????

[Bananarose24]

There is a rescue in our area that deals with Exotic birds. They have a bald eagle there with only 1 wing that they nursed back to health several years ago.
We will be calling them in a bit to see if we can bring her in to be checked over, see what they think should be done and go from there.

I absolutely will not let this bird suffer. Before any measures are taken we wanted to see that she made it through the night. She did, she has her head held up high, alert and oriented. She looks strong today, it has been 24 hours and we will be dealing with this the best way we can.

My husband and I and our 2 daughters care for these girls very much and will not let them suffer. Yesterday we were both in a complete panic most of the day. Today I feel very calm, got a little sleep, and just generally recovered from the overwhelming emotion from the whole attack.

Now is the time to get her the proper care needed.

 

[FenDruadin]

The rescue is a GREAT idea! I hope they can help you! And I'm glad you're feeling calmer today, and that your girl seems to be recovering. It has been my experience that ducks are extremely tough--if she's acting happy and normal, then she will probably be just fine, provided her wing is taken care of one way or another. Good luck!

 

[tammye]

To cut off her wing without anesthia would be kinda cruel, she is already in pain and not knowing what to do or expect, you may end up in a huge mess. She may heal with a splint on the wing, it may not ever be right again, but she may heal and live a good life anyway. I would give her a few days to see how she is doing. If she is eating, drinking and pooping, hopefully she will do OK. I know I would not want to be killed because I had a broken leg, even with a bad break. A little pain while healing would worth it even if I walked with a limp for the rest of my life.

 

[duckluck]

Quote:
I hope the rescue can help you. I wouldn't hold out much hope for a vet myself...vets that treat ducks are few and far between, as are knowledgable avian vets. There are far too many out there willing to soak you and still have you leave with a suffering or dead animal. A course of antibiotic injections probably wouldn't go amiss at this point, which you can do if you have the materials and knowledge. I highly doubt there are many of us on here who can afford the price of a used car for every animal we keep...and I have seen it happen far too many times, including to myself, when going the vet route for a bird. Pretty bad when it costs less to have a 1200 lb. horse in the hospital than it does for a bird who weighs less than a pound, and the same for pharmaceuticals. A lot will depend on your area and how honest the vets are. I can tell you that around here, the sky is the limit on vet bills.

 

[chickensioux]

I'm afraid I would try to amputate before I would kill the bird. I explained how I would go about it in the emergencies section. Once the wing is removed, the healing process can begin. Of course the choice is up to you. Can you amputate the wing and the duck have a good quality life? That's the question I would ask myself. Many animals survive attacks in which a wing is completely torn off. They heal and thrive. What's the difference? I'm just saying, if it were my duck and I felt like I could save the bird, I would. Yes, it will hurt. It hurts now. But if the amputation is successful, infection does not set in, and it shouldn't if proper care is taken, the duck will heal and do fine. If it continues to suffer and go downhill, that's when I personally would have the duck euthanized. At least I gave it every chance. I can only speak for myself.

 

[FenDruadin]

I probably should add to this thread the fact that I have a bird with an amputated wing. She was found by the road with her wing badly damaged, and a local rescue took her in, amputated, and rehabilitated. I adopted her from them and she has a great quality of life--I don't think she even notices that it's gone most of the time. It's hard to even tell until she raises her wings to stretch them. She's a goose, and not a natural flier anyway, so it's no big deal to her. I would say the same would go for a duck--the question is whether at this point the wing should be fixed or removed, and that's hard to decide without first-person access.

I agree with everyone here about vets. There is simply no way I could afford to give each and every animal on my property the kind of medical attention I'd give my children under the same circumstances. If only those homes with the financial resources to handle massive vet bills were allowed to keep animals, there would be even more homeless animals than there are now. There's no shame in not being able to take extreme financial measures for a pet.

Good luck--I think you're doing great, and it sounds like she's improving, so keep plugging!

 

[Quackmire]

Yes, you should cut the duck's wing off. But you need to be able to do it with one hand. Because you would need to cut your own arm off FIRST just for practice sake to make sure you get it right when you do it to the duck. Y'know....just so you have some idea what the duck will be going through.

Seriously, would you amputate ANYTHING on your own body? Your spouse's body? Your CHILD'S body? Yes, I know, it's "just a duck" but come on people, they are LIVING BEINGS, and whether we are of the belief that humans are 'higher beings' than they or not, they still feel PAIN.

I can't believe anyone would even CONSIDER leaving an animal with exposed bone, or cut it off at home. Unbelievable.

 

[chickensioux]

Obviously opinions vary and you must make up your own mind. What will make you happy and what do YOU think will save this animals life, if this is what you want to do? PM me if you want to take this to the next level.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
I agree in part. Where we differ is about taking the duck to a vet. In the first place most vets know little about poultry. Secondly it's not cost effective. Around here the cheapest vet office visit is $25. That's to walk in the door anything beyond the basic exam is extra. A surgical amputation would no doubt be costly. Put the duck out of it's misery & buy a new duck with a fraction of the money you might have spent on a vet bill.
I have birds & I can afford a vet but I wouldn't consider taking a bird to the vet.

 

[Quackmire]

I will never understand that mindset..... a bird only costs a few bucks, therefor it's life is only worth a few bucks.

Is a $1200 English Bulldogge's life more valuable....more deserving, than a $12 parakeet?

Why?

Because it's more difficult to 'replace' financially?

That parakeet is just as *alive* as the dog. The value of an animal's life should NOT be based on the pricetag around it's neck at purchase.

My FREE cats have cost me a small fortune in vet bills. My FREE muscovy duck cost me equally as much. My $900 african grey parrot hasn't cost me a dime outside of normal maintenance. But my free (and 'easily replaced') animals deserve the same chances in life that my pricey trophy bird does. Do they not?