Help!!! Splitted beak

My collaborator in Paris rescued a pigeon with a splitted beak, in the lenght :eek:
Picture follows...
Anybody knows what to do?
Myriam

Myriam...pictue will help.

While geared toward parrots...here is some basic information from Avian Web.

Will a cracked beak heal itself?

The following is a collection of recommendations and inputs, bird owners, breeders and some vets ... Please discuss applicability to your own pet's health problem. The Avianweb will not accept liability for anyone's failure to consult with a vet. Please refer to disclaimer.

A cracked beak is like a broken tooth and as bone and nerve endings are connected to the beak, such injuries are painful.
The beak has an abundant blood supply, so any beak injury is likely to cause excessive bleeding. With a puncture, fracture or amputated beak you will need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding. You need to contact an emergency clinic or your avian vet as soon as possible -- but do not wait longer than 24 hours!
A cracked beak won't grow together, but will grow out over time.
Amputated or torn off beaks, as well as fractured beaks, will not grow back, but can be repaired.
Actions to be taken:

Course of action depends on the type of bird and degrees of severity of the injury. A vet visit is recommended.
Depending on the severity, a vet may glue and bandage a broken / cracked beak. The bird will be sore for a couple of days
One web visitor recommended: "If it's small and doesn't seem to bother your bird and doesn't bleed, leave it alone and it will simply grow out like a chipped fingernail.
One suggestion was to superglue a broken beak, however, most glues are toxic. This is not recommended.
Make sure you have some cuttlebones or calcium / mineral blocks for your bird to rub on. So it can naturally trim its beak.
The risks of a cracked beak may involve possible infection or the bird's disability to eat properly. If cracked a little higher or deeper, your pet may be gushing drops of blood from the beak tip. In many ways this is another case of high blood pressure making the bleeding worse. But a deeply split beak may cause a bird to bleed to death. It is not the pain, but the unstoppable bleeding that you must concern yourself with. The end of the beak can be "corked" or plugged using a mass of softened soap. Scrape this from the underside of a bar of soap from the bathroom. This technique can also be used as first aid for a bleeding nail. This is considered an emergency and your pet should immediately be taken to a vet.
More resources on this topic below ...


Immediate Care

If the beak is torn off or the outer layers are damaged, the underlying tissues may begin to dry out. The wound can be rinsed with sterile saline (preservative-free contact lens solution is perfect for situations such as this) to flush out any debris and to help keep the tissue moist until your bird can be evaluated by your veterinarian. Do not be aggressive with flushing, and do not remove the beak if it is partially attached.

Your vet may your bird's beak or wire it together, and covering the injury with a beak composite cast until il regrows. At the hospital, the bird may need to be fed with a feeding tube and, while the beak grows back, your bird will need soft or moistened food.



Long Term Care:

With a minor beak injury, supportive care, appropriate antimicrobials and pain medication and time to heal may be all that is necessary until the defect grows out. With larger injuries, light cured composites or dental acrylic can be used to patch the area until the beak grows back.

A fracture to the beak can be repaired, if the blood supply is still good. Some beak injuries result in permanent, disfiguring damage, requiring the bird to eat soft foods for the rest of its life, but other injuries may heal quite well allowing the bird to return to normal beak functioning.



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Beak Injuries or Loss:
Many birds will suffer beak injuries during the course of their lives. The upper and lower beaks are vulnerable to trauma and will often fracture as a result. Such injuries are orthopedic in nature. Beaks will not grow back nor repair themselves. (Photo to the right -- a "human-made" beak mutilation to control behavioral problems. A deplorable practice)

One case I have followed of a Bald Eagle whose upper beak was torn off was resolved by a dentist, who made a dental impression of a healthy beak, reproduced the beak with the same materials used for our teeth -- and he successfully attached the beak -- allowing the Bald Eagle to function normally. I have also heard of beaks being repaired / rebuild with acrylics ... the same material used for artifical nails.

Holistic First Aid Recommendation: Do not place back with the cage mate. Give homeopathic Arnica for shock and bleeding. (Ref.: Holistic Birds)
Minor beak injuries may heal well after they have been cleaned. Large or deep beak wounds can be cleaned and patched with acrylic. The patch not only protects the wound from infection but also adds stability. BIrds with severe beak injury may require supportive care with fluids and tube feeding, and the administration of antibiotics and antifungals.

The horny beak or bill (rhamphotheca) is a hard, tough, keratinised epidermal structure in birds of prey, as well as seed and grass eaters. In waterfowl such as ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae) the beak is much thinner and softer The rhamphotheca is a modified horny layer consisting of layers of flattened keratin-filled cells, separated from the bones of the upper and lower jaws by a thin, fibrous dermis. The beak's strength is dependent on the particular arrangement conferred by a layer of keratin on a firm bed of bone.

The beak will heal by a process of granulation and epithelialisation, much as with any other epidermal tissue. However, there are practical problems in that the beak will be regularly immersed under water and into food bowls. The objective of any wound management plan should be to keep the wound clean and moist to facilitate the spread of granulation tissue over the exposed bone and protect the bone from dessication. The use of a waterproof dressing is indicated. Products such as the protective paste (Orabase) are resistant to water and can be used to pack the wound cavity. Hydrocolloid dressings can then be applied over the wound to provide further protection. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are indicated until a healthy bed of granulation tissue is established. The rhamphotheca has a good blood supply and will heal well. This can be relied upon when performing surgery on the upper beak.

(Ref.: http://www.worldwidewounds.com/)

She did not explain well.
From what I can see, a part of the right side of the upper beak is gone.
Here is a pic:



I found this website by googling, thanks Charis.
I first of all told her not to leave any hard food with the pigeon, I am afraid bleeding will restart.
He must be a starved pet, he wears rings, but not from a fancier. He is not a racer.
Myriam

When I had a similar thing happen with my Sammy, I took him to emergency vet clinic to have them stop the bleeding. The only way they could do that, was to give him a tranqualizer to calm him down. Without the tranqualizer, he continued to shake his head and started the beak to bleed again. He lost a lot of blood.
The bird will also need pain medication for a few days.
The other thing I had them do for him, was to give him fluids under the skin. Many vets don't know how to do that on a bird. The fluids are given where the thigh connects to the body and just under the skin.
It took my bird about 5 weeks until her could eat on his own and so I had to tube feed him.
Hope this helps.

Thanks Charis, there are no avian vets in Paris... they all want to euthanise due to their unknowledge.
Except one... but he did not answer on the phone when it happend this evening.
In the meanwhile the bleeding stopped.
If the bird can drink on his own, is it necessary to give the fluids by injection?
How did you give the pain medication, if you could not touh his beak? or use a seringue??????

I gave Samy metacame by syringe. Try looking for a vet that treats exotics...they may be able to help. They can't euthanise him unless the care giver agrees.
I can't tell from the picute exactly how extensive the brek is. Sammy's beak did regrow but I always neeed to trim it now as it over grows.
The care giver will need to touch the beak to feed the bird unless the bird will eat defrosted peas on his own and maybe some small pieces of cooked carrots.. They would be softer and contain some liquid.

Thank you for your help, Charis!
I told her to defrost peas and corn and make it a little liquid, like bird formula, and gently feed with a seringue, IF POSSIBLE

The bird will need to be fed, even if that means opening from the lower beak. Fluids under the skin will buy a bit of time if it can be arranged.

Poot little guy. That must be painful.
Sending my best wishes that he does well, Myriam.

Please keep us posted.

Tomorrow she will buy metacam, what would be the dose??? I once used metacam, but years ago, I dont remember...

Matilda wrote:

When I had a similar thing happen with my Sammy, I took him to emergency vet clinic to have them stop the bleeding. The only way they could do that, was to give him a tranqualizer to calm him down. Without the tranqualizer, he continued to shake his head and started the beak to bleed again. He lost a lot of blood.
The bird will also need pain medication for a few days.
The other thing I had them do for him, was to give him fluids under the skin. Many vets don't know how to do that on a bird. The fluids are given where the thigh connects to the body and just under the skin.
It took my bird about 5 weeks until her could eat on his own and so I had to tube feed him.
Hope this helps.

Charis was the beak split down the center of the top beak? did the beak grow back together?

I've seen parrots that had their top beak bitten off by their mate but their beaks never grew back they ended up with just a nub for a top beak.

Good luck with the poor pijjie, I'm glad your friend found it. :Yes:

EgypSwiftLady wrote:

Matilda wrote:

When I had a similar thing happen with my Sammy, I took him to emergency vet clinic to have them stop the bleeding. The only way they could do that, was to give him a tranqualizer to calm him down. Without the tranqualizer, he continued to shake his head and started the beak to bleed again. He lost a lot of blood.
The bird will also need pain medication for a few days.
The other thing I had them do for him, was to give him fluids under the skin. Many vets don't know how to do that on a bird. The fluids are given where the thigh connects to the body and just under the skin.
It took my bird about 5 weeks until her could eat on his own and so I had to tube feed him.
Hope this helps.

Charis was the beak split down the center of the top beak? did the beak grow back together?

I've seen parrots that had their top beak bitten off by their mate but their beaks never grew back they ended up with just a nub for a top beak.

Robin...part of the upper beak was gone and it was cracked but probably not as badly as the one Myriam has shown us.

Lapalomatriste wrote:

Tomorrow she will buy metacam, what would be the dose??? I once used metacam, but years ago, I dont remember...

Myriam...it all depends on the strenght of the metacam. Once she gets it, let us know and I can tell you how much I would use.
I'm wondering if a vet can make the beak more secure with some kind of glue.

I appoligize in advance for not reading all the threads but I wanted to get this up ASAP...

You can boil a tea bag in hot water.. the Tanic acid in the tea bag will help the blood to coagulate... it also will reduce the inflamation. Use a cotton ball to apply it ...((We use this in all of the dental offices I have worked in for teeth extractions))

I would use Arnica pellets for the trama as well.

AZJourney wrote:

I appoligize in advance for not reading all the threads but I wanted to get this up ASAP...

You can boil a tea bag in hot water.. the Tanic acid in the tea bag will help the blood to coagulate... it also will reduce the inflamation. Use a cotton ball to apply it ...((We use this in all of the dental offices I have worked in for teeth extractions))

I would use Arnica pellets for the trama as well.

Caleb's oral surgen just told us the same thing today...the part about the tea bag. He said to use black tea and it was ok to put the tea bag directly on the gum. Do you think ia soaked cotton ball would be better?

Matilda wrote:

AZJourney wrote:

I appoligize in advance for not reading all the threads but I wanted to get this up ASAP...

You can boil a tea bag in hot water.. the Tanic acid in the tea bag will help the blood to coagulate... it also will reduce the inflamation. Use a cotton ball to apply it ...((We use this in all of the dental offices I have worked in for teeth extractions))

I would use Arnica pellets for the trama as well.

Caleb's oral surgen just told us the same thing today...the part about the tea bag. He said to use black tea and it was ok to put the tea bag directly on the gum. Do you think ia soaked cotton ball would be better?

black tea has more tannins in it.. but in a pinch any tea will do. Tried and true remedy!

AZJourney wrote:

Matilda wrote:

AZJourney wrote:

I appoligize in advance for not reading all the threads but I wanted to get this up ASAP...

You can boil a tea bag in hot water.. the Tanic acid in the tea bag will help the blood to coagulate... it also will reduce the inflamation. Use a cotton ball to apply it ...((We use this in all of the dental offices I have worked in for teeth extractions))

I would use Arnica pellets for the trama as well.

Caleb's oral surgen just told us the same thing today...the part about the tea bag. He said to use black tea and it was ok to put the tea bag directly on the gum. Do you think ia soaked cotton ball would be better?

black tea has more tannins in it.. but in a pinch any tea will do. Tried and true remedy!

...

I've heard that about the tea bag, Jenn, but sure appreciate you posting it.

Myriam - the photo looks really painful. I wish all the best for your friend's rescued pijjie. Sending

AZJourney wrote:

I appoligize in advance for not reading all the threads but I wanted to get this up ASAP...

You can boil a tea bag in hot water.. the Tanic acid in the tea bag will help the blood to coagulate... it also will reduce the inflamation. Use a cotton ball to apply it ...((We use this in all of the dental offices I have worked in for teeth extractions))

I would use Arnica pellets for the trama as well.

Thanks so for posting this Jenn.

I'm going to add it to my medical file. :Yes:

Matilda wrote:

Myriam...it all depends on the strenght of the metacam. Once she gets it, let us know and I can tell you how much I would use.
I'm wondering if a vet can make the beak more secure with some kind of glue.

Could a Super Glue be used on the beak? I've read where some rehabbers have used it becuase it dries so quickly.

I think there is a special kind for medical uses.

Ingrid just told me the little guy did not make it, she found him lifeless this morning...
Thank you everybody for your comment and advice.
I feel bad I could not be there to help.
Myriam