How to Help Bird with a Broken Leg

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Taking care of a bird in your backyard can be a fun and rewarding experience. But it also comes with great responsibility, particularly in taking care and looking for its welfare. This responsibility is the main reason why it can be terrifying for a bird owner to find his beloved animal unable to balance in its own perch. In fact, a bird having a sprain or a fracture on its leg can be easily spotted by the owner.

But how to help a bird with a broken leg? The moment you see a bird standing on one foot and unable to balance well, the best thing to do is consult an authorized veterinarian. But, you can also provide your own medication by learning different ways to help a bird with a broken leg. It can also be a protective step and immediate help to your hurting bird before the veterinary care appointment.

The Importance of Helping a Bird’s Broken Leg

Despite its small size, the skeletal system of a bird cannot be considered weak and soft. It was designed by God so that it can help in the flying, soaring, and landing of the bird. If you think that the wings are the most essential part of this animal, think again. The legs play a similarly important role in the overall flying activity of the bird. It is durable enough to support during the take-off and carry the weight during the landing while allowing the bird to allow balance when in the perch.

The bird also uses its legs similar to that of the way we use our hands. The pair of tiny legs will be used in creating their nests and searching for their food. I am talking about lifting and assembling all the materials needed to create their own home. With all of these usage and function, the importance of the legs to the bird cannot be underestimated as it plays an essential role in their day-to-day life.

With all of the reasons stated above, it is just normal for the bird owner to show concern for the bird’s welfare. Once you see a bird showing signs of a broken leg, the best thing is to provide the animal with immediate veterinary care. But, if it will take some time for the care to come, doing your own first aid in helping the bird will be assisting in preventing further damage and stabilizing the transport to the veterinarian.

Helping a Bird’s Broken Leg By Making a Splint

Putting an emergency splint is the best action you can do upon seeing your bird with a fractured or broken leg. The bones of the birds usually heal fast when being splinted properly. But before doing the splinting, you will need to wash the bird’s legs first with cold water and disinfectant. For the step-by-step guide on how to make a splint, please check the list below:

Step 1:

Before starting anything, it is essential for you to remember that in everything that you will do in this process, make sure to be very careful every time. The bird can be nervous and restless during the treatment, but you need to do it properly and slowly to prevent any further damage from injury. So, the first thing that you will need to do is look for someone to assist you in putting the splint into the bird. For sire, it will be challenging to do it on your own, and having some kings of help will come in handy.

Step 2:

The next step is to get a betadine solution to be applied to the affected area. The purpose of making this application is to prevent a possible infection to the bird’s legs, which should happen if the leg is left being untreated.

Step 3:

After applying the betadine solution, the next step is the splint materials that will be used. The splint can be in the form of a portion of a drinking straw which is split in half. Other materials that can be used as a splint include cardboard, a stick, and other materials.

Step 4:

The next step is the most crucial one as you try to align the bones of the birds while trying to regain to its original position. It can be a difficult task and can worsen the injury if not correctly done. If you think that you are not confident enough to do it, my suggestion is to skip this step and bring the bird to the nearest veterinary care facility. Or else, you will just get more damage to the bird’s injury.

Step 5:

After placing the bird’s leg into the correct position, you will need to make the adjustment of the splint. Make sure that the length of the splint should be similar to the exact size of the legs. Then, you need to wrap it around with a bandage that can hook onto itself and not the bird’s skin. The wrapping should just be enough and not tight that will prevent the blood’s circulation or be too loose. You need to keep it stable by keeping it adjusted if you need to.

Step 6:

After putting the splint into the bird’s legs, the next step is to put the bird in a safe place. Transfer it to an area where the animal cannot reinjure himself. Removing the sticks from the cage can be done to make the bird more comfortable.

After that, the next best thing is to bring the bird to the nearest veterinary clinic. This action is the most important thing to do since they have the capability to carry out the treatment of the said injury. They also have the proper medicines and painkillers that can help in treating the bird’s injury.

Conclusion

Learning how to help a bird with a broken leg is an excellent ability to have, primarily if the situation arises. If you are taking care of a few birds in your backyard, there is a big chance that you will encounter a similar injury to your bird. And knowing how to apply first aid will be a big help before bringing the bird to the veterinarian.

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