# I need help my budgie has a discolored foot and limp.



## Joojoobee7 (Apr 22, 2021)

This morning I noticed my budgie was limping this isn't normal I looked at his foot and his left foot one of the nails on the front toe had fallen off and on the back of it one of the toes was very very swollen all of the toes have slight yellowish discoloration he is clearly in pain I don't know what to do I've done online research and everything seems to point to something called bumblefoot I'm not sure how to treat this and I can't afford to go to a vet I have read you can give your bird vinegar and soak their feet in salt water to help but I can't find any information on how much vinegar to give them and how much water to dilute it with nor can I find any other information on how long you should give this to them and treat them. I don't want to lose him he is only 3 and a very happy bird but he is in pain and I don't know what to do.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi, Welcome to Talk Budgies!

Some Avian Veterinarians will set up a payment plan for you. Your budgie really should be seen by an Avian Vet. 

Avian Vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness or trauma.

This is important as "regular" vets will often overlook symptoms that are quickly obvious to an Avian Vet.

When you rely on anyone who has not had training in Avian diagnosis and care, you may be delaying effective treatment. 

This can prolong suffering that may be avoidable.

The bird will often require a more intense, prolonged treatment with a poorer chance of full recovery than it would have if you seek prompt professional diagnosis and treatment at the first sign of illness.

If there are no Avian Vets near you, please find an Exotic Pet Veterinarian with experience in dealing with small birds.

Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense

The next two links will give you information with regard to bumblefoot:

BumbleFoot
*
*Symptoms and Treatment of Bumblefoot*

*Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.*

*SITE GUIDELINES*

*List of Stickies*

*Posting on the Forums*

*Let's Talk Budgies!*

*FAQ*

*Articles*

*Avian First Aid*

*Quarantine IS Necessary!*

*A heartfelt plea to forum members new and old*

*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*

*Cage sizes.*

*Essentials to a Great Cage*

*Resource Directory*

*If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!*


----------



## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Do not soak the feet in anything. It looks to me like the problem may be gout although the pictures are not too clear. Gout is a build up of uric acid and it causes great pain and suffering. Gout causes lameness, swelling and yellow discoloration on the feet which you have said you see on your bird. You are going to have to find a way to see a vet that treats birds in order for this to be verified and treated.


----------



## Joojoobee7 (Apr 22, 2021)

Cody said:


> Do not soak the feet in anything. It looks to me like the problem may be gout although the pictures are not too clear. Gout is a build up of uric acid and it causes great pain and suffering. Gout causes lameness, swelling and yellow discoloration on the feet which you have said you see on your bird. You are going to have to find a way to see a vet that treats birds in order for this to be verified and treated.


The problem is the closest aviary vet to me is 6 hours away one way and there is no way my car would make it without breaking down at least once on the way there. What's worse is I just paid my bills so it will be another two weeks till I can have him seen as I am paid biweekly and nowhere will let me bring him in to be seen unless I have money up front and I don't qualify for that pet Care credit card because I have low credit due to medical bills. I'm so scared of losing my baby bird I don't know what to do and yes his foot is yellow and one nail has fallen off and it looks like another on the rear is going to as well.


----------



## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

What is the closest large city to you?


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*You can now video chat with a vet on-line at Chewy.com for free IF you are an auto-ship customer

You can also try on-line vets through the following:









Have Bird questions?


JustAnswer has bird specialists online and ready to give you professional answers to your Bird questions. It’s faster than an in-person visit and more reliable than searching the web. Try it!




www.justanswer.com




*


----------



## Joojoobee7 (Apr 22, 2021)

Cody said:


> What is the closest large city to you?


La crosse but there are no vets there that will see him I already called they don't work on small birds. The closest one I could find that would see him is 5 hours and 34 minutes from me one way.


----------



## Joojoobee7 (Apr 22, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *You can now video chat with a vet on-line at Chewy.com for free IF you are an auto-ship customer
> 
> You can also try on-line vets through the following:
> 
> ...


That site charges you just to talk to a vet I did that already for free over the phone.


----------



## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Did you try searching on the Association of Avian Vets site here is a link, https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803, I searched for vets within 100 miles of LaCrosse and 2 came up, one does virtual visits .


----------



## Joojoobee7 (Apr 22, 2021)

Cody said:


> Did you try searching on the Association of Avian Vets site here is a link, https://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803, I searched for vets within 100 miles of LaCrosse and 2 came up, one does virtual visits .


I managed to find one in Madison that will see him so that's only 2 hours away but they said I need to either have a pet care credit card or cash. so again I'm stuck in the water here. I brought him to one that said they would treat him but when I got there they refused cause there vets didn't feel comfortable working on a bird that small. but that is not what they told me on the phone. his foot seems to be getting better but i am still worried.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Do you have a friend or family member that can loan you the money until you get paid? *


----------



## Joojoobee7 (Apr 22, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *Do you have a friend or family member that can loan you the money until you get paid? *


I don't really have any friends i am very anti social. I have asked family and they are as tight on money as i am.


----------



## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm sorry you've found yourself in this position. 
Try asking your workplace to give you a salary advance -- explain the situation and that you are out of options.*


----------



## Joojoobee7 (Apr 22, 2021)

FaeryBee said:


> *I'm sorry you've found yourself in this position.
> Try asking your workplace to give you a salary advance -- explain the situation and that you are out of options.*


they don't do that unfortunately. i thought about getting a loan but i don't qualify cause i don't make enough and have bad credit due to medical bills.


----------



## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

See if this organization can help they have a financial assistance program What We Do - RedRover


----------

