# Injured foot; ways to help her?



## PetiteTiger

Sooooo, long story short, I've got myself a 3rd budgie!

Short story long, however... Me and a co-worker (I work at a pet store) found this little sweetheart in the early morning, her foot stuck in a rope toy that had gotten too frayed. We really don't know how long she was like that, because it had to have happened at some point at night. It was though, long enough that it's seeming very likely the tips of her toes might die off.  Rather than leave her at work and hope our general vet would be able to help her, I ended up adopting her.

I got her to the vet and the vet put her on antibiotics and a pain killer, and said to keep an eye on her to see how it progresses. It was also recommended to try to give her poor foot some warm water soaks, if she'd let me. So thankfully, that part is as managed as it can be, right now! If she seems to be losing weight/getting worse, it's back to the vet for her.

What can I do for her in the mean time, though? I tried to set up her cage in a way that she could easily get around and access food and water, and I'm planning on making some platform perches so she can rest her poor footsies... I know that no matter how much of the toe she loses, she'll probably cope with it pretty well and adapt, but right now she's obviously in pain...

And of course, obligatory photos of the babe! The first photo is about 20 minutes after we got her free from the toy, the second is earlier today, and the last two are her after her first doses of meds and a nice cozy cage to rest in!


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## aluz

Oh, the poor girl, I'm so sorry that she got her foot tangled on the rope. 
I can notice an improvement from the first to the second photo, the foot doesn't seem to be as swelled up, and the tips of the toes don't seem as bruised (black bruised). 
You can cushion the bottom of her cage with a soft cloth, like an old t-shirt for example, its fabric won't potentiate her toenails from getting caught. It's also true that she will benefit from the platform perches.

Hopefully with the treatment prescribed from the vet, her foot heals up well. 
If you see the black on the skin to spread onto to the foot, then you will have to take her to the vet immediately, as she may need to have part of her foot or toes amputated.

I'm sending my prayers and best wishes for your budgie girl's full recovery, and may she heal without having to resort to surgery. ray:


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## PetiteTiger

Ooooh, I didn't think about the t shirt! I have some layers of paper towel but that might be a bit more cushy...

She's definitely a feisty girl, which is good! She already realised that she does not appreciate her meds, and gave me some very angry squawks and nips to let me know. This morning I also came in to find her nibbling on some millet, and she had been moving around!!!! Progress to her sitting in one spot!!!!

And yeah, I'm really hoping it doesn't come down to surgery, but we'll have to see... The very tips of two of her toes haven't changed color at all, and she definitely isn't gripping with it either. On the plus side, it hasn't gotten worse!

Of course... more pictures! The first was her giving me the stink eye over the meds, and the second is the result of me trying to soak her foot....  I need to find a better method...


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## FaeryBee

*Brittany,

Karma to you for adopting this little beauty and doing all you can to help her. :hug:

I know you are providing her with the best care possible. If you can get her to let you soak her foot, either using room temperature chamomile tea or disolving some epsom salts in the water will help with the inflammation and bruising and will promote healing.

Best wishes and please do continue to give us updates on her condition in this thread. *


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## fatmaguler

Poor baby! I hope she heals very well!


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## PetiteTiger

Thank you two so much for the well wishes! She's definitely a fighter and has a strong will, so I think she's gonna pull through.

I found a nice solution for soaking her foot; one of those plastic kritter keepers that is juuuust budgie sized! I'll have to give the chamomile a try tomorrow, since I don't want to stress her out too much. Would the epsom salt potentially bother her if there's a sore? It looks like the string might've cut a bit into her foot where it wrapped around, and it looks to be a bit of pus as well... I'm not too familiar with epsom salt, but I know that regular table salt can be painful in an open wound.

Thankfully, it doesn't look like the black is progressing at all! Her foot is still pretty swollen, but it's not getting any worse other than the pus, which I am definitely keeping a close eye on...


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## FaeryBee

*Brittany,

Is the vet aware the wound has pus in it at this time? If not, you are going to want to let him know as that is a sign of infection.
Neosporin is safe to use on budgies so you might ask if it would be a good idea to put a little on her wound at this point in time.

While the Epson salt mixed with water might sting a little, it is not as bad as table salt. 
I use Epson salts in my baths frequently.

You won't use very much depending on the amount of water the container holds. 
The good thing about using Epson salts in water is it helps draw the pus out of the wound, helps prevent infection and promotes healing.

There is nothing wrong with using the chamomile tea if you don't have Epson salts or are concerned about adding to her discomfort.

Sending lots of healing energy, positive thoughts and prayers for your little girl to have a full and speedy recovery. :hug:

I'll be looking forward to your updates.*


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## StarlingWings

Brittany, this little girl is so fortunate to have you looking after her! 
Deborah has explained Epsom salts and chamomile tea nicely 
She looks much better already and I'm hoping she makes a full and quick recovery. Keep us posted and we never object to more pictures


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## PetiteTiger

The vet isn't aware yet, but I'm most likely gonna give them a call today anyway, since my gram scale isn't precise enough to keep track of such a tiny little bird. I'm a bit concerned about if she's eating enough.

I tried the chamomile today and she didn't seem to mind it too much!

Unfortunately, the other reason that I'm gonna try to give them a call is her poor little foot  It's looking quite a bit more swollen and red, even going above her.... birdie ankle??? Bird anatomy is confusing, haha! You can see in the picture the scab where the string was, and how it's getting pretty red past that... She is still active as before, at least as active as you'd expect a bird with this kind of injury to be.

Fingers crossed that I'm just being extra paranoid!


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## FaeryBee

*Brittany,

I do believe it is a good idea to contact the vet again.

I agree the leg looks more red and inflammed than previously. 
The fact that she's willing to use that foot at all at this point IS a good sign though.

You are doing a great job in caring for her and I'll be looking forward to your update after you speak with the vet. :hug:*


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## PetiteTiger

Alright, we are back from the vet! She said that while the foot does look sad, it's not an unexpected thing to see in injuries like this. She did send me home with an antibiotic cream, just to be safe!

The poor babe has lost quite a bit of weight, though  She was 30.4g when they weighed her first, and today she was down to 24.6g... So I have to bug this bird even more often and handfeed her every 4 hours to keep her weight up and give her the energy she needs to heal up! I've also hung like, 5 sprigs of millet around the cage to entice her even more.


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## StarlingWings

I'm glad to hear the vet was positive! I hope she eats more, though. If she likes boiled eggs, egg and biscuit mix can help her gain weight. 

Fingers crossed she starts feeling better! :fingerx:


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## PetiteTiger

Its been a bit without an update! All is going fairly well with the little babe. I think she's starting to realise that if she cooperates more, she doesn't have to deal with me holding her and poking at her as long! She also seems to like the food I've been giving her (which is basically a like... super baby food mix?) and has been eating more of the millet around her cage! She is still not a huge fan of the soakings, but it definitely helps get the gross gunk off her foot.

I think I'm gonna go with Anya for the name, short for Anastasia. c:

Obligatory photos, of course! The first is her after all my fussing, and her somehow getting her wings wet in a quarter of an inch of water. The second is my other birdies! You can barely see the keets in their cage, but the blue hen is Mikan, and my little yellow boy is Ringo. The awkward tiel is my baby Jasper, who just learned today that their cage is a fun jungle gym that lets him feel like Godzilla.


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## StarlingWings

They are all beautiful! Mallorn does the same thing to the dove's cage, she crawls all over it and then stands on top for hours just so she can feel more important 

Anya (lovely name!) does seem to be getting much better


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## Riovedo

How wonderful of you to do all that for her!  I hope she continues to progress! I had a rope perch that my budgie played with causing the threads to fray.....into the garbage it went and after reading all this, I will never buy another one! Good luck with Anya


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## PetiteTiger

Pestering the parakeets is now his most favorite game in the whole world, he's turning into quite the naughty little bird... He still drinks from his water bottle like he's being hand fed, though... teehee!

And yeah, rope perches and toys can be so much fun for birds, but you really have to keep a close eye on them.  I threw that toy away at work!

I've got some mixed news on little Anya... She IS gonna be fine! But to spare you all the really gross details, those toes are definitely dying off, and it was clear she was in quite a bit of pain from it.  She wouldn't stop picking at it and there was some blood, so I brought her back for vet visit number 3.

The vet decided that there was no point in trying to keep those toes, so tomorrow they're going bye bye! She's gonna lose both of her outer toes, and at least a part of her inner front toe. But with some luck she'll be feeling a lot better in no time! I know she'll adapt without a problem, since she's been giving me enough trouble already.

So that's how things are going!!! She's staying overnight, and hopefully everything goes smoothly tomorrow!


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## PetiteTiger

A double post, but I feel like it warrants it! Anya is back home with me!

Unfortunately, the rest of her toes died off overnight and he had to take off her whole foot...  She's still got the ball of the foot, but no toes. Even fresh from surgery she's getting around pretty well, she found her food and water right away and is exploring as best she can.

I don't wanna bother her too much right now, so still no pics. Now it's just hoping she heals up well!


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## FaeryBee

*Sending lots of love and healing energy for little Anya.

I hope her foot heals up quickly from the surgery and she adapts well to the change.

Please keep us updated on her progress.

Best wishes!*


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## StarlingWings

I'm sorry that Anya's foot didn't heal up well  

I'm glad she had surgery done, though, and I'm sure she'll heal well. 

Keep us posted! :fingerx:


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## PetiteTiger

Oops, sorry for the lack of updates! Thankfully in this case, no news was amazing news! Her foot is healing up wonderfully! She gets around without a problem, you wouldn't even know that she's got a stumpy leg. She's even taken quite a liking to Ringo, but in typical guy fashion he's... even more into her. Now he's got two ladies to bother, haha! Mikan doesn't seem to mind.

So yeah, Anya's gonna be just fine!

Attached is a picture of her cage~ She doesn't have any problems crawling her way around; she uses her stump as leverage to climb around.


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## FaeryBee

*Thank you for the update, Brittany

I'm glad to hear Anya is doing well after her surgery and has adapted to the loss of her foot.*


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## StarlingWings

I'm so glad Anya has adjusted so splendidly  She truly is a courageous little girl  

Thank you for the update! :clap:


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