- Sep 9, 2013
- 11
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For months, everything has been going well with my four rescued button quail, but the other day, one escaped, flew to the ceiling, slid down the wall and apparently hurt her leg. I could not see any visible sign of a break or swelling, so I allowed her to rest quietly for a few days without bothering her, hoping it was just a bruise and would heal on its own. Unfortunately, there has been no improvement in her motion, though she seems otherwise perfectly healthy. As far as I can tell, she is not putting any weight on her left leg at all, and lets it just drag behind her, though she gets around fine by hopping on her right leg. There is no visible injury whatsoever, no swelling, discoloration, or other obvious signs. When I touch her toes, they seem to react like they should. I can't see any difference in the angle or length of the her legs.
I spoke with an avian vet over the phone, and she advised me that there may be nothing they could do to help. She said it sounded like a dislocation at the hip rather than a break or fracture. If it is a dislocation, I could bring her in and they could try to "pop the leg back in," but she told me that when they've done this before, the leg kept popping out and she advised that it may be worse for the bird in the long run to keep subjecting it to the pain of popping the joint in and out. She said they could do x-rays, but they would cost around $200-300, require anesthesia, and the only scenario in which they would help is if there was a break that could be helped with a splint, which doesn't seem like the problem. The vet was also worried about the stress of transport and handling. The vet advised me to watch her for another day or two before making a decision.
I'm wondering if anyone else has any experience with anything similar? Does anyone have a button quail or other bird that gets around on one foot, since it's sounding like this may be permanent? I understand the vet's concerns, but I'm still hoping there is something I can do for her. I hate not knowing how to help my poor little bird.
I spoke with an avian vet over the phone, and she advised me that there may be nothing they could do to help. She said it sounded like a dislocation at the hip rather than a break or fracture. If it is a dislocation, I could bring her in and they could try to "pop the leg back in," but she told me that when they've done this before, the leg kept popping out and she advised that it may be worse for the bird in the long run to keep subjecting it to the pain of popping the joint in and out. She said they could do x-rays, but they would cost around $200-300, require anesthesia, and the only scenario in which they would help is if there was a break that could be helped with a splint, which doesn't seem like the problem. The vet was also worried about the stress of transport and handling. The vet advised me to watch her for another day or two before making a decision.
I'm wondering if anyone else has any experience with anything similar? Does anyone have a button quail or other bird that gets around on one foot, since it's sounding like this may be permanent? I understand the vet's concerns, but I'm still hoping there is something I can do for her. I hate not knowing how to help my poor little bird.
