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The Finster Log
Ow!
Posted on: 02/20/08, 20:03:16
Harley still gets Night Time Scritches on the towel rack in the bathroom (click to pop up a photo), but particularly when Bruce is home, he also gets Loves On The Bed. I can give Harley Loves, too, but not so much at bed time, and not so much when Bruce is home. (His feathers are very soft, and smell very good.)
Try to ignore the small spit ball in front of Harley's beak. (I cropped out the really big ones, and the partially-chomped dehydrated Just Pea. Talk about crumbs in bed!)
Last night, as Harley ran across the bed to get into the proper Position For Loves, we realized that he was limping. Later, he let me place him directly on his Sleepy Perch, instead of climbing around the cage on his own. And this morning, it was clear that he was favoring his right leg. Oh, he still climbed down from his perch on the stove to 1) steal tasty seeds from the Finsters' food dish, 2) steal corn from the Finsters' other food dish, 3) eat drink some bok choy, 4) throw some knives around, and 5) drive me crazy. But despite his activity, he was still putting as little weight on his right leg as he could.
So we put him in his travel cage, stuffed it into a duffel bag complete with an extra towel for insulation and a heating pad warmed up a bit (it was 12 degrees F outside at the time), and took him to the vet. She poked and prodded him for awhile, and decided it probably wasn't a bone break. So she sent us home with three days' worth of Metacam®, an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory) intended for veterinary use. If he doesn't seem better when the meds are done, we may have to bring him back to get an X-ray, which is a big deal for a bird since they'd have to anesthetize him. Fingers crossed.
So for the rest of the day, Harley got extra cheese, snacks held by hand, rides everywhere, drinks on demand, and quite a bit of extra attention. As if that were possible. And while he's still favoring that right leg, by mid-afternoon he was comfortable enough with his owie to stretch it out, and he's done that at least twice since then. Phew!
We can't figure out what caused the injury, but we're keeping an eye out. It probably happened while he was hunting for snacks. He probably wouldn't strain himself for anything less.
Try to ignore the small spit ball in front of Harley's beak. (I cropped out the really big ones, and the partially-chomped dehydrated Just Pea. Talk about crumbs in bed!)
Last night, as Harley ran across the bed to get into the proper Position For Loves, we realized that he was limping. Later, he let me place him directly on his Sleepy Perch, instead of climbing around the cage on his own. And this morning, it was clear that he was favoring his right leg. Oh, he still climbed down from his perch on the stove to 1) steal tasty seeds from the Finsters' food dish, 2) steal corn from the Finsters' other food dish, 3) eat drink some bok choy, 4) throw some knives around, and 5) drive me crazy. But despite his activity, he was still putting as little weight on his right leg as he could.
So we put him in his travel cage, stuffed it into a duffel bag complete with an extra towel for insulation and a heating pad warmed up a bit (it was 12 degrees F outside at the time), and took him to the vet. She poked and prodded him for awhile, and decided it probably wasn't a bone break. So she sent us home with three days' worth of Metacam®, an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory) intended for veterinary use. If he doesn't seem better when the meds are done, we may have to bring him back to get an X-ray, which is a big deal for a bird since they'd have to anesthetize him. Fingers crossed.
So for the rest of the day, Harley got extra cheese, snacks held by hand, rides everywhere, drinks on demand, and quite a bit of extra attention. As if that were possible. And while he's still favoring that right leg, by mid-afternoon he was comfortable enough with his owie to stretch it out, and he's done that at least twice since then. Phew!
We can't figure out what caused the injury, but we're keeping an eye out. It probably happened while he was hunting for snacks. He probably wouldn't strain himself for anything less.
Comments
02/21/08, 11:37:04
I love the smell of parrot. Rembrandt smells like white corn chips; Mango smells like the sort of body powder your grandma used to wear. Occasionally I sniff them so extravagantly that I wind up with powder around my nostrils, making me look as if I've been snorting coke!
02/21/08, 21:09:50
You crack me up!
I'm not sure that Harley's scent reminds me of anything in particular; perhaps some other scent will remind me of Harley one day. Bruce just says "perfume." He is very sweet!
I'm not sure that Harley's scent reminds me of anything in particular; perhaps some other scent will remind me of Harley one day. Bruce just says "perfume." He is very sweet!
02/25/08, 10:06:29
Hi Pamela, sorry to hear about Harleys foot/leg. The only other time I remember that happening was when he fell from his perch (not sure why but I heard him) and his foot went thru the cage grate, catching his band. My vet wanted to remove the band to prevent future possible injury but I was afraid of putting him under to do this. I hope the little man heals well and it just makes me smile the way you two spoil him. What a lucky lucky fid.
02/25/08, 12:22:18
Occasionally I wonder if Harley is happy enough - but then I realize how much we spoil him, and figure he's probably doing okay!
We think his leg is much better, but I have a follow-up visit with the vet later this week, just in case. I figure if he does need an x-ray, I'll see what they think about removing that band and installing an identity microchip - all at the same time. That might be the way to do it.
We think his leg is much better, but I have a follow-up visit with the vet later this week, just in case. I figure if he does need an x-ray, I'll see what they think about removing that band and installing an identity microchip - all at the same time. That might be the way to do it.