Avian Orthopedics
In a Western town we find two men of sullen countenances discussing an unpleasant set of circumstances. "Maybe we should just put him out of his misery," moans an obviously distraught cowboy. "You can tell that the leg's broke by the way it hangs there."
"Maybe there's another way", counters the thoughtfully attentive figure in white. "How did it happen?"
"Well, Polly and me was practicing this new trick where he rollerskates backwards on top of a ball up a teeter-totter. Guess he teetered, then crash, he was on the floor! Think I could teach a macaw to skate on one leg?"
Fortunately, Polly and others like him have several options when suffering from broken bones. Some are simple, some are complex, but at least we are not routinely forced into choosing the ultimate option. A word of caution would seem to be in order as we look into the various options. Many of the procedures mentioned here can cause almost as many problems as they solve if done improperly or if they are not cared for properly after application. Encircling a bird's body with tape may aid in the mending of a broken wing bone but it is also an excellent way to prevent that bird from breathing. The too, while one might get the idea that we are outlining a series of steps to be followed in any case of a broken bone, in actuality, each type of fracture must be evaluated in regards to the particular set of problems peculiar to each case before an initial course of action is chosen. All too many times well meaning but misapplied techniques have left little chance that the doctor can repair either the original problem or the ensuing complications. Please, do not use this one article as a course text in avian orthopedics. It is meant merely to point out some of the options open to the owner or breeder.
A natural starting point is how to determine if a fracture, or dislocation has occurred. There is little doubt that our cowboy was correct in his diagnosis. If the leg seems to have an extra joint which permits it to move at right angles in a 360° range, one might surmise one or more bones are no longer intact. However some fractures are not so dramatic. A broken toe or crack in the radius (thinner of two bones between the elbow, at the wing web, and wrist, at the base of the long primary flight feathers) but not in the ulna might be detected as restlessness or a relatively slight posture change. The best advice we can give is to take Max the Moluccan into his doctor whenever an abnormal posture or activity persists for more than a few hours.
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