[MissCV]

Hi All

I am concerned that my cockatiel has bumblefoot. I was looking for some suggestions/recommendations for treatment that i can discuss with the vet (we have an appt on Saturday morning).

There is a bit of a history with my little guy and his feet which i have listed out in the thread here:

http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=25864

But to update, he is still meds twice daily (clavulox to treat the sores on his feet and mycostatin to try to manage a reoccuring yeast infection). There are only 2 perches in his cage, both low to the ground and easily accessable and his cage is lined with newspaper. His perches are all different sizes and all natural wood.

I disinfect the perches every second day with boiling water and clean his cage morning and night to try to prevent any further infections.

He is still eating normally and singing and looking for head scratches but I know his condition is worsening by his continued limp and sores on his feet, even with the meds.

So I am really hoping that you guys can suggest some alternate solutions that i can discuss with my vet as I am starting to feel frustrated that he has been on the meds for so long now (4 weeks) and no improvements are happening.

I really appreciate your time taken to read my post and hope someone can offer some advise for me and little Pooks!

 

[bjknight93]

Poor baby...which foot are you concerned that it may have bumblefoot? His right one that you were having issues with last time or his left on with the broken toe?

 

[bjknight93]

I think getting him a comfy perch (rope perch) would be very good for him at this point...just a thought. They shouldn't irritate his feet the way natural, wooden, or any hard perch in general would.

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm rather new to tiels. So I can't offer any advice. I hope others can. My only thought is would a rope perch be easier on his feet than wood? I hope the vet can help him.

 

[MissCV]

Thanks for your very quick replies!!

I think its in both feet. The foot with the broken toe has the sores on it, which have now spread to his little heel as well as the part of the broken toe that rubs on the perches. And his other foot is the one he limps on, and from what I have researched online, Bumblefoot can cause inflamation and soreness even if there are no sores evident on the skin. So this makes me think he has it in both feet

We have a rope perch for him but he is so scared of it, he goes mental trying to get away from it. I have been sitting it ontop of his cage during the day when i am home so he starts to get used to it, but i think its going to be a long process of getting him familiar with it before we can use it. Thanks for the suggestions though, its very helpful!

Im just hoping the vet can offer some alternate treatment options as it feels like the ones we have been using are not working out. I often take suggestions from these forums and mention them to the vet, which can sometimes help them think of something that they might not have considered before. Everyone on here is always so helpful and has so much knowledge, I respect everyones opinions and suggestions!!

 

[tielfan]

Does he like millet spray? If so, putting some next to the rope perch will help speed up the learning process. You might have to start out at a distance and gradually move the millet spray closer to the perch.

 

[morla]

What is bumblefoot?

 

[tielfan]

Bumblefoot is an abscess on the foot that can be caused by unsuitable perches, bacterial infections, or Vitamin A deficiency. There's an article at http://www.avianweb.com/bumblefoot.html

 

[morla]

Oh ok. Thank-you.

 

[MissCV]

Thanks for the tip on the millet spray tielfan! Will try that out tonight.

 

[MissCV]

Update from the vet: not good news.

The vet could only suggest we start bandaging his foot (the one with the broken toe) which would add a massive amount of stress onto him and due to the broken toe would only be a short term fix. As it appears the pressure of the break in his toe is causing pressure to be applied to parts of his feet that are not meant to hold their weight, thus causing the sores. Anyway the bandaging would need to be changed every second week, so that could mean lots of vet visits potentially with no long term solution. He said we would start it in the new year as they will be closed for the next few weeks during the Christmas break, but I am concerned with how much worse his feet will get over the next few weeks with no treatment options.

He also suggested amputation of the toe but due to his old age, the vet didnt think that it was really necessary. In the vets own words, we need a long term solution for a short term bird

In relation to the fact that his other foot is sore, the vet didnt seem too concerned. He said its not the main issue to be addressed?

On top of all of that, he has a yeast infection from the meds. So my vet advised me to take him off of the antibiotics and continue with the antifungal meds to try to get the yeast infection under control.

I feel very disappointed with the outcome and would like to take him to another vet for a second opinion. It almost feels as though the vet didnt think there was much more we can do for him.

I asked about Vitamin A deficiency but he didnt seem to think that was a resolution either.

So the mission continues to get him fixed before time runs out. Ill try to keep the thread updated so if anyone else goes through the same issue, it might assist them one day.

Thanks for taking the time to read my thread! Wish me luck.

 

[DyArianna]

Wow.. we wish you luck! Keeping our fingers crossed here for you guys. I think I would get a second opinion too.

 

[sunnysmom]

I am so sorry the news wasn't better. Poor little bird. I think your idea of finding another vet is good. I hope a different vet can help. Please keep us updated. Sending positive thoughts your way.

 

[bjknight93]

I would definitely get a second opinion. But maybe it would help to amputate the toe? I feel like that would take the pressure off and it shouldn't bother his grip if he can't really use it properly as it is now. It sounds absolutely horrible but it's possible it could help him a lot.

 

[srtiels]

Are you using an avian vet? Some thpoughts come to mind. I have had broken toes and birds bones in their feet can knit back together within 7-10 days. So if there is a broken toe it should be set when the break is new, if not the bones will heal crooked.

Other causes of the sore feet are gout. a vet can do some bloodwork to see what the uric acid levels are.

if gout is suspected it can be treated.

 

[MissCV]

Thanks so much for everyones replies. Its a very sad and frustrating situation for both me and my poor little tiel. The only upside is that he still appears happy, singing and occassionally biting us, so he is doing a good job to put on a brave face.

I am using an avian vet. He has been very good in the past but it just seems as though he has run out of ideas. Plus the fact that my tiel HATES him and attacks him with a passion may impact his treatment options he is giving me (he said he has never seen a tiel with so much passion towards biting him. he actually uses the towels he uses for lorrikeets with my guy, as he has bitten him through the wraps that he used to use on him! So handling him becomes an issue)

His toe has been broken for a long time now. We tried to strap it but it didnt heal, as we werent sure how long it had been broken for before we noticed it sitting crooked. There is a bit of history on the broken toe in this old thread i started when we began with the problems http://www.talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=15531

Thanks for your suggestion srtiels! I will ask about gout. How do they take bloodwork? Is it something that they need to anesthatise for??

The only other avian vet i can find is over an hours drive away and with Christmas just around the corner it is hard to get an appointment, especially with how busy i am with work. But I am doing my best to get some resolution for my poor tiel

 

[MissCV]

I just made an appointment for Thursday morning at a Specialised Bird & Exotics Vet. It will be expensive but hopefully worth it. They suggested a morning appointment so that they can take tests etc and hopefully have the results back same day.

Now just to convince my boss to let me take the day off!!

Ill let you know how we go. Fingers crossed!

 

[DyArianna]

You have a sick family member?? We will be thinking of you guys! Good luck!

 

[MissCV]

We visited the vet today so just updating you all.

Apart from it being a very expensive visit ($500+ AUD), we managed to get some xrays and blood work done. My tiel didnt even try to kill the vet, so it wasnt all bad

The vet suspected kidney problems. If the kidney is swollen apparantly it can put pressure on the spine and the nerve that affects the leg/foot.

The xray didnt show any major issues. His kidney was slightly enlarged but not to the size that the vet would expect that it would cause problems with his feet. And his bones in his feet were ok too. The broken toe is broken but luckily the use of his foot hasnt caused any of the other bones to warp or thicken.

We are just waiting on the blood work to come back tomorrow so hopefully that will give us a little more information.

For now he has got a bandage on his foot with the broken skin from the bumblefoot, which should help his sores and prevent infection. And has been put back onto antibiotics and antifungal. But the medication is different to what he has been given previously so hopefully it will be a little more effective.

Ive attached a pic of him and his bandage (its coordinated with his feathers at least ) and will let you know what we find out from his blood test.

Thanks again to you all for your support and comments.

 

[Kenziekenz]

Aww. He has a cute little birdie bandage!

That vet visit sounded promising! Hopefully things take a turn for the better.

I was thinking, I'm sure its already been brought up and I just didnt see it...if he doesnt like the rope perch, would it be beneficial to him to maybe remove perches entirely until his foot heals?