I'm receiving a special delivery today,

Tamara, this is just an amazing story and I am so happy that you found Charis to help with your problem and that Elli has a wonderful home now. What an amazing pijji - I have never seen a colouration such as this either. Very beautiful!

A big to you for what you have gone through with this little angel. Bless you!

Robin-- how well does Queenie walk? Beautiful bird by the way.
I wonder if this other little one will be able to walk better as time goes on. As far as her not flying much, maybe she just needs to practice more. Lots of time out of the cage. Charis, the other night she followed you to another room. Maybe she just needs an incentive to fly. Following you, gave her that. Scooter couldn't fly at 2 months old, or stand. We got her to fly and stand, and even walk a bit. Now she follows us into the kitchen if we leave the room, and leave the curtain open. She just likes being with us. That is her incentive. She comes out of her cage by herself, and when she wants to go back inside, she does. She's just so cute, and doing lots more than we thought she would. I bet yours will fly well too, and even learn to stand and walk better. Unless that foot is hurting her. That would make it different.

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This is what Ellie's foot looked like when I first got him. Poor little thing. Under the black area were rivers of junk. I soaked it and soaked it and soaked it trying to get the black to come off. Some progress was made and the vet gave him top of the line, high powered antibiotics to attack the problem.

I started out with a peroxide mixture 50/50 with water, then also used Epsom salts. The infection just could not be resolved without surgery. He still may have infection and I wonder if that is why he is being so "fissy" too. Following the soak, a triple antibiotic ointment was put on the area to try to keep infection down. His area was cleaned continually so that he wouldn't walk into stuff and compromise the area further. Poor little Ellie. It was a tough go at it. Sorry for such a large picture of something not pretty at all.

=]

Thanks for posting the photos and explanation, Tamera.
Bless his heart.

Thank you Cindy for trouble shooting the issue with uploading photos! Now I pray I remember it--I have copied it onto a page to remember Thanks again

Thank you for the picture. It's not too big at all. I can see form the picture that all his toes were straight so the toe curling is perhaps a result of the surgery.

El had a good day. He took a little snooze with the dog and myself this afternoon.
This evening, 2 lovely young ladies dropped by that were quite taken by him and he with them. He follwed them around, always close and didn't peck once.
All the chickens are sleeping in the kitchen because of the heat and he is quite fascintated with Bossy, the big white hen with feathered feet. It was really cute the way he cocked his head and looked at her. Kind of like...there sure are funny looking pigeons here in Oregon.

tamarasommers wrote:

Thank you Cindy for trouble shooting the issue with uploading photos! Now I pray I remember it--I have copied it onto a page to remember Thanks again

Oh my goodness!! You did post the picture didn't you?
I'm so glad the instructions helped and weren't too confusing.

I went back to look at the photos, and unfortunately there was the curing of the toes before. I believe it has just progressed. The photos are on the same day the other was taken. I don't know why there is the discrepancy, but there it is. I try to get all the photos sent on your email. I only got the feet photos sent.

I so glad you all had a good day today! I noticed on "Jackie's Mom" that there is a picture with a pigeon on top of a dog =] thought of your little one. You are being such a good mom to Ellie and I am so thankful for all you are doing.

Wow. Thanks for posting the pictures Tamera. Poor little thing.

Poor little El That foot looks so sore. It's amazing that she has as much use of that foot as she does


Louise

NiteOwl wrote:

Robin-- how well does Queenie walk?

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Queenie has no problem walking and I only notice his turned in leg when he stands or perches.

tamarasommers thanks for posting the photos, that was a terrible infection!

When we found Queenie his foot was clean, no sores at all. After we got him home, dried off, warmed up & standing is when I noticed his foot.

Charis I have no doubt that El will fly when he gets ready.

El is flying some now. He just doesn't get very far off the ground and when he does fly, he sounds like a chopper and I almost expect to here the words...in coming wounded.

Matilda wrote:

El is flying some now. He just doesn't get very far off the ground and when he does fly, he sounds like a chopper and I almost expect to here the words...in coming wounded.

Matilda wrote:

El is flying some now. He just doesn't get very far off the ground and when he does fly, he sounds like a chopper and I almost expect to here the words...in coming wounded.

But despite all the funny things - is there any possibility to correct his toes? I suppose the sores are coming from the wrong position while walking as if a human would walk on his heel all the time?

Yeah!!!! I am so glad he is flying. When I had him here, he would, in place, flap his wings rapidly. It was always soooo beautiful with the white feathers under his wings.

Nearby, where pigeons hang out, I noticed there are some that have the same beautiful white feathers under their wings and when they fly above, they almost look like white doves.



The vet was hoping Ellie would regain some use of his digits, and I prayed for that. After such a horrible infection taking a long time to resolve, the nerves, no doubt have been impaired. It seemed as if the outside digit, would have the greatest likely hood to resolve itself in time. The two inside digits always were lame and didn't seem to have any response. The swelling was high into the ankle area; however, in humans, even cut nerves regenerate, but do so at a very slow rate.

I am hoping all the infection is out so he'll have the best chance possible.

To have Ellie giving a second look to your chicken--just hope he doesn't try to get on top of the chicken to hang out =] :eek:

You are doing such a great job with Ellie. Thank you soooo much Charis Tam

Charis, congratulations (by proxy) on Ellie's first flight! Even if he seems like a helicopter! (Very funny comment, about 'incoming wounded', by the way!)

Tamara, thanks for posting the picture. (The first of many, I hope, now you've mastered the art!) That's one evil-looking infection! I wonder if he'd had a string injury and someone removed the string before you found him, looking at those discolourations and indentations at the base of some of the toes. A serious string injury will nearly always require a course of antibiotics, or the deep cuts will infect, especially around the ankle and in the pad. Just a thought...

I don't believe Ellie had string tied up on her foot to where someone could have taken it off. There could have been string in her nesting area that got tangled in her foot, but there are some thoughts as to why I do not think this was the case.

It did not appear to me that she had an injury causing compression on her digits. In the photos, her foot was about three times the size of the other with infection.

The foot, around the ankle was massive and the toes, with their normal "ringed" areas were sooo swollen. Maybe the swelling went into the digits between the rings on the toes and that is why it appears as if they had been wrapped in string.

What it appeared to me as was swelling from infection. The black area on the bottom was the key to identifying the infection. She had many rounds of antibiotics trying to clear the condition, but it required surgery to resolve the problem and get the infection out. When I looked up "Bumble Foot" on the internet, the description of the foot was described in much of the literature. Her foot was soooo bad and "hot with infection.

In this community, I do not believe there are even locations where people feed pigeons. The ones closest to me are on the roof of a gas station and on an old sign of a building that has been vacant for many years. There are many cats around my place, that it truly is a miracle Ellie made it to my yard--even though one of my cats was in hot pursuit!

Poor little guy. So much to go through. =[ Thanks for your thoughts Theresa, I only hope Ellie continues to improve.

All the pigeons enjoy helping prepare breakfast and El is no exception. He seemed to find the berries especially fascinating.

I can't say I blame him! Everything looks so yummy!!!!

El looks so cute on that picture!
I wonder what he'd do if he could get to the berries -- scatter them and play with them, most likely!

Toss them, I'm sure. he was doing that with things on my desk a few minutes ago. Everything was tossed to the floor.

Loved the picture! He's a very cute little guy, isn't he? That picture was making me hungry. LOL.

That is such a fun photo of Ellie! He would often rearrange things in the restroom and flip the bird seed far and near. How nice it is to see him in your home enjoying you in all you're doing. He enjoyed being a part of everything! The tough part was trying to take a bath without Ellie flying into the tub! Such good memories. Give him a kiss for me!
He looks sooo good! And how can I say thanks?! Tam