Budgie Euthanasia
Ivan Amery
us a lot of pleasure over the two years that we've had him. Unfortunately
about a year ago he developed a growth on one foot that wouldn't heal. We
took him to a vet. who diagnosed a condition called 'bumble foot'.
Apparently this is not uncommon in birds whether in captivity or in the wild.
The vet. operated on his foot to remove the growth and prescribed antibiotics.
This seemed to solve the problem for a couple of months, but then another
growth appeared. The vet. then prescribed more antibiotics, but to no avail.
He says now that the condition is untreatable. Casey's feet have been
getting steadily worse, but his energy and spirits have remained high. He's
been flying around the house and talking away to us constantly inspite of
having to hobble around on his heels whenever he lands. Unfortunatley his
condition has got much worse over the last week to point where he can no
longer walk and is obviously in pain. I think it's time to put him out of
his misery, but I don't know how. Does anyone know a quick and painless way
to put down a small bird?
Cathy Quinones
amery@idirect
com (Ivan Amery) writes:
:>
:>We have a sad situation with our budgy 'Casey'. He's an opaline who's given
:>us a lot of pleasure over the two years that we've had him. Unfortunately
:>about a year ago he developed a growth on one foot that wouldn't heal. We
:>took him to a vet. who diagnosed a condition called 'bumble foot'.
:>Apparently this is not uncommon in birds whether in captivity or in the
wild.
Hold it! This infection happens, but it is NOT something that should be
consider "normal" or "routine." Even if the bird's health is compromised
otherwise, there's a reason these infections keep showing up. Just think: how
come he's not getting growths on his nose or his back? Bumblefoot is
associated with situations where there is damage to the foot. What kind of
perch does the budgie have? Are they cleaned and disinfected regularly? Has
he had a thorough check-up to rule out other health issues (rather than
treating the apparent problem)?
:>The vet. operated on his foot to remove the growth and prescribed
antibiotics.
:>This seemed to solve the problem for a couple of months, but then another
:>growth appeared. The vet. then prescribed more antibiotics, but to no
avail.
:>He says now that the condition is untreatable. Casey's feet have been
:>getting steadily worse, but his energy and spirits have remained high.
He's
:>been flying around the house and talking away to us constantly inspite of
:>having to hobble around on his heels whenever he lands. Unfortunatley his
:>condition has got much worse over the last week to point where he can no
:>longer walk and is obviously in pain. I think it's time to put him out of
:>his misery, but I don't know how. Does anyone know a quick and painless way
:>to put down a small bird?
:>
I'm really sorry your budgie is this badly off. There's many ways to kill a
bird, as you can imagine... however, you want to make sure that, if the bird
must be euthanized, it will go painlessly. Your vet can help you do this,
through an injection.
Here's what one of my bird books ("Diseases of Caged Birds") has to say:
"Bumblefoot (pododermatitis) refers to localized and generalized inflamation
of the feet... occurs in species of birds forced to perch or walk on unnatural
surfaces... especially those surfaces covered with feces.... In
Budgerigars...bumblefoot is a very common cause of bilateral lameness. It
develops because of the abrasive action of sandpaper perches or perches that
are too smooth or cylindrical. Bublefoot in budgerigars may also be
predisposed by the insufficiency of vitamin A on the diet (Harrison, 1982)....
tangling of the feet in multifilamentous synthetics [fibers] can cause
bumblefoot.... Once a break in the epithelium occurs, Staphylococcus spp. or
Steptococcus sp. invade the foot and result in abscessation. E. coli,
Myobacter spp., and Candida albicans have also been encountered.... Prevention
and treatment of bumblefoot should include the replacement of soiled, abrasive
or cylindrical perches with clean, nontoxic natural branches of several
diameters." Treatment consists of draining the absess, and prescribing
antibiotics to help support the healing process.
Now, reading the above, your vet may want to check and see that the absesses
are not fungal in nature because if they are, the antibiotics won't do any
good. You should also tell us what you have been feeding the bird, and see if
a vitamin deficiency is at play (if you feed an all-seed diet, it's pretty
likely Vit. A levels are not adequate). I don't know much about bacteria, but
some kinds don't respond to some antibiotics, and that is another possibility
(assuming your vet used the same drug the 2nd time ... you could be dealing
with resistant bacteria, i.e., with a different species or strain from what
happened the first time around). Good luck! And, if your vet hasn't
discussed perch quality or the bird's diet with you at any point in this
process, you should look for another vet: that's just the basics.
===========================================================
Cathy Quinones quin...@mindspring.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~mintz/coverpg.html = bird care info
Poicephalus rule!!
Ronica M
Although it's quite possible and hopeful that your pet may fully recover,
there is also a good chance s/he may do very well even if there is some
disability. There are many one footed and no footed happy pets out there
with special accomodations, such as platforms instead of perches.
If your bird cannot perch properly during it's recovery, you may want to
look into these options.
Good luck.
Sharon Krantz
I recently lost a canary hen. The avian vet euthanised her with an
injection. I suggest calling around to find a vet who will do this
for you.
Again, I am terribly sorry. I know it is not easy.
Sharon
am...@idirect.com (Ivan Amery) wrote:
>We have a sad situation with our budgy 'Casey'. He's an opaline who's given
>us a lot of pleasure over the two years that we've had him. Unfortunately
>about a year ago he developed a growth on one foot that wouldn't heal. We
>took him to a vet. who diagnosed a condition called 'bumble foot'.
>Apparently this is not uncommon in birds whether in captivity or in the wild.
Cheryl
Ivan Amery <am...@idirect.com> wrote:
>longer walk and is obviously in pain. I think it's time to put him out of
>his misery, but I don't know how. Does anyone know a quick and painless way
>to put down a small bird?
Yes. There is a simple and painless way to euthanize small animals if the
sad need arises. I learned this one Easter morning several years ago when
I had a baby bird hatch with its liver outside its body. I called my vet
(bless him for taking on call on Easter), and told him the situation.
After telling me there was nothing that could be done for a baby hatched
with that kind of deformity, he explained how to humanely euthanize the
baby using automobile exhaust.
He said to put the animal in a sack or small container, start my car
engine, and then go back by the tailpipe and let the sack fill with the
exhaust fumes. He said this puts them quickly and painlessly to sleep,
and that they don't suffer at all. He said this is one of the official
"vet-approved" methods. Thankfully I have had to use this very few times,
but it's good to know how to take care of this situation if you have to.
-- Cheryl
Ivan Amery
vet including an operation on one foot. Our vet told us he wouldn't get
better, but we kept him for several months anyway. We felt that as long as he
seemed to be enjoying life we would keep him even if he had trouble walking.
He seemed OK for a long time, flying around the house, talking to us and
playing. Unfortunately his lifestyle deteriorated seriously in the last couple
of weeks, he lost much of his energy and was in obvious pain. We took him to
our vet last Friday who advised that we should probably have him put down,
which we did. We would have kept him forever if he'd seemed to be in
generally good health, but this wasn't the case. It was an emotional
experience for all of us, but we're now looking for a new budgie.
Thanks very much for your interest, I appreciate it.
