budgie leg amputation

Question
Chrys,  Thankfully, I was able to get to the vet Fri. afternoon.  The vet didn't hold out much hope because my budgie was only 22 grams and he said that below 24 is usually (but not always) on the downhill slide.  It seems that when Azule was put on the first antibiotic, it probably stayed the infection/leg injury to the point that we couldn't see it.  The antibiotic made him feel better and after the antibiotic left his system, all havoc broke lose.  Infection set in his foot and it was swollen on Thurs. and appeared to erupt on late Thurs or Fri early.  It smelled bad, which was another bad point as far as the vet.  He said budgies infections usually don't smell.  Anyway, he gave Azule a shot of an antibiotic, tube fed him one time to kick start him (he went down during the hour ride to the vet-cooling down, lethargic) and sent home Cefelexyn every 8 hours(not sure of the spelling) and when he gets stronger to soak his foot in a betadine soak, about 3 times a day.  Something is working so far.  He was stronger that night and I started soaking the injured foot on Sat.  First thing though, when I picked him up to give his rx, his badly infected toe (shorter one that points front) had fallen off (as we suspected it would).  So now, it is hospital cage, rx and foot soaks, heat lamp, good food & water and all the millet he will eat (per the vet).  He needs to plump up.  But all in all, he seems to be doing great.  He seems to be almost his old self, hopping around the bottom of his cage, perching on my finger now.  Thank you so very much for all your help.  I believe that Peter Azule has passed the critical point and is on the way to budgie health.  Thanks again for your expertise.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Chrys,  It's me again.  I am also going to call the avian  vet when they open in a couple hours (hopefully, since it is the day after Thanksgiving they will be open).  I checked in on my budgies this morning, Keeta and Peter Azule and since the cat incident a couple weeks ago, I noticed that Peter Azule was favoring one leg.  I inspected it and it seemed okay, still warm hopefully indicating blood flow and he used it to perch and didn't seem too bothered with it.  Since he had been on antibiotic for the cat accident, he recuperated well and seemed fine, except for favoring one leg.  Reading up on this, I found that if no obvious break of skin or bones and the bird doesn't seem in pain, it could be just a bad sprain and to let it be and it should heal itself.  That is what I have been doing while keeping a watch.  Well, yesterday (a holiday of course) I noticed his foot swollen but he still used it some (and appears well otherwise).  This morning, I checked in and the swelling is bad.  I picked him up and took a closer look and it is swollen, bruised looking and appears to have maybe be infected or something that has ruptured.  One of the toes also is hanging, as if broken or maybe about to fall off.  Again, he was under an avian vet care and took his antibiotic and appeared well, even bonding with my female.  My question, I guess, is do birds do well in multi-bird setting even with missing toes or an ampitutated leg? or will he have to live by himself (which would be very lonely)?  I am going to call the avian vet as soon as they open (in about 2 hours) but fear they won't be open (day after holiday).  Specialty vets around here are hard to find and this one is an hour away and I might not be able to take off work today.  If the vet isn't open till Monday, any suggestions...try soaking the foot or anything?
-----Answer-----
Hi, Donna.  This poor little bird!

Were you able to see the vet yesterday?

Birds with disabilities usually get along well with other birds if the other birds don't pick on them.  Sometimes you'll find a bird who just won't let the disabled one alone and this is really natural as, in the wild, any birds that might attrack a predator to the flock are usually abandoned or killed.  Watch this little guy with other birds to see if they pick on s/he.  If they do, you will likely need to separate them.  If when separated, you can place their cages next to one another so the bird will not get lonely.  Some birds even prefer being in a cage by themselves or you might find that the female might like to live with him in a separate cage (if you have more than 2 birds in your home).  

Definitely clean the leg/foot off to see what you can see.  You may have to hold the bird and run it's leg under warm water in order to see what you can see.  There may be an infection which will require antibiotics.  If you see an injury or anything, you could wrap it in vet wrap, which is a bandage type used on horses or other and it sticks to itself (not like a human bandaid which has a sticky substance on it).  Problem with wrapping something you haven't had diagnosed yet could result in more damage/injury if swelling increases and the wrap is too tight, etc., or making the injury worse when you remove any wrap/tape.  Just be careful here and use good judgment.

Keep me informed.

Chrys

Answer
Hi again, Donna.  

I'm not sure how much I helped, but I'm so glad to hear Azule is getting better.  He'll do just fine with his disability, so don't worry about that.  Feeding the spray millet is great, as it is more nutritious than seed.  At this point, you should feed him whatever you can get him to eat...even seed...in order to put some weight on him.  He needs calories right now in order to heal.  When the meds are gone, be sure to take him back in to see the vet for a follow-up.  This is very important in case he needs another round.  

Chrys