Week 2 - Hitting the Panic Button

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Week 6.5
SURGERY

3 1/2 months

Surgery PIX
( another baby's tale)

Behind the Scenes

Special Thanks

Monday - April 22, 2002  - 7:00 A.M.
The next morning I packed up Emily into the brooder and hauled her 50 miles to Dr. Kathy. The staff  was waiting for us so we rushed a squirming squealing Emily onto the pre-warmed exam table.  I am not sure if she was squealing in pain, frustration of not being able to stand up or just being restrained, but she was definitely NOT happy. 
Dr. Kathy examined her, shook her head and looked at me and said she was going to call the BIG GUNS  in to confer on Emily's case.

I told her to be sure and call our "Dr. Darling" first. (Dr. Darrell Kraft of Woodinville, WA )  Dr. Kraft was out of the office until Tuesday, so we called WSU and left messages for the avian vets Drs. Stauber and Finch.

While waiting for call backs Dr. Kathy reexamined Emily.  We were presuming we had a slipped flexor tendon but to be on the safe side Dr. Polley said a radiograph should be done to rule out a break or fracture.  Dr. Kathy set her x-ray machine on the lowest setting but it needed to go lower . All we got was a nice picture of Emily's chest but the little bones in the legs didn't have enough calcium in them yet too be seen in the x-ray.

Dr. Polly called another local vet (Dr. Mark Sheldon) and asked him for use of his machine
and we rushed Emily there and had 2 x-ray views taken.  This time we got her little legs and GOOD NEWS ! NO BREAKS !

Dr. Mark also made some calls and got Dr. Skip Nelson in on Emily's case.  Dr. Nelson said we should attempt to make her a double hobble and try to set the legs .  Any thing at this point was worth a try.  It was now 4 p.m. So Dr. Mark and I taped her up and I called Dr. Kathy to see if we had any call backs.  Dr. Kathy said we were still waiting but to go home and relax and lets see what we can find out on Tuesday.  So I headed home with a screaming Emily in her tiny bright pink vet wrap hobbles.

She screamed all the way home, and she screamed all evening and she screamed into the wee hours of the morning. She screamed until she was clammy.  The was pitching around so hard in her cup and I was afraid she might aspirate every time I fed her. I just couldn't stand hearing her fuss any longer so I cut her loose from her hot pink bonds.
You could almost see her sigh in relief.

I did feel that her struggling and her pushing on that leg was not helping matters so I devised a sling with the help of a fellow breeder Shelley Stone of Thermaland Aviary, to nestle her in until we could come up with a better plan.
I used a peat cup with the bottom cut out and a soft sock with 2 holes for her legs and a small slit near the tail so she wouldn't be sitting in her own mess and stretched  it across the peat cup. 
We both drifted off into a fitful but much needed sleep. I kept close watch on her feet for warmth and gently massaged the tiny stiff foot to keep it supple.  I felt she needed some time to move the other leg also so I let her lay propped up in her bowl in her bowl every other feeding.