Parakeet spinal cord injury

Question
Our new parakeet got past me out of his cage today and our dog injured him.  He can't move his right claw (he's not gripping), and his leg is kinda tucked under him.  He really doesn't wan't to stand at all right now. He's sleepy and sitting quietly in his little nest since it happened.  I took him to the vet, who saw him about 3 hrs. after the incident.  He told me that he has a spinal injury, and that he may or may not ever regain use of his right claws.  He can't tell the severity of the damage.  He said nothing appeared to be fractured, and therefore didn't reccommend an X-ray.  He said that if the injury doesn't heal allowing him use of his right claw, that he will adapt and could still live a good life.  I just wanted to know if you have had any experience with a bird injury such as this, and if you can give us any insight to his recovery process.  The way he is acting right now makes me worry that he might be in very bad pain.  He ate alot this morning, but he really is not interested in any food right now or water.  I am worried.  Thanks for any input.

Answer
Hi, Tina.  Thanks for posting.  I'm sorry to hear about your keet.  How old is this bird and was he handfed (is he tame)?

I have to agree with your bird vet.  His survival also depends on his will to live, his age, and overall health.  This is a traumatic injury for this bird, he's very stressed out, and since this just happened today, give your keet time to heal.  He may even be suffering from shock, which can be worse than the injury itself.  He may not want to do anything for a while.  Eating is good, but put his water dish close to him so he can drink without moving.  This is where it's helpful to have them on a water bottle...these can be placed anywhere.  

I've seen many different types of injuries with birds.  One thing I've learned from most of them is that birds (animals in general) are very adaptable.  They do what they have to do to survive.  You may have to make cage adjustments for this bird to make life easier for him though.  You'll need to wait and see how much mobility he has/doesn't have once he's healed.  Until then, it's up to you to keep him hydrated and fed if he can't do this on his own.  Together you'll figure things out when he gets better.  If this bird is in pain, he'll likely cry out (parrots are babies when it comes to pain) and/or you may see pain in his facial/body expressions.  If you think he might be in pain, don't hesitate to contact the vet again.  Tell him what's going on and he can help keep the bird comfortable.

I know you don't want to hear this, but if your keet's quality of life in the end isn't good, you might want to consider putting him to sleep.  However, I'd recommend waiting to see how things turn out once he's healed, as long as he isn't in pain.

I had a parakeet one time, Chirp, who was flying through the house one day and flew right in front of one of my amazons, who was sitting on top of his cage.  The amazon grabbed the keet from the air, biting the keet all the way through his thigh.  The keet couldn't use that side for a couple of months.  The keet lived in a food dish filled with cotton and tissue to keep him comfortable.  Another keet fed him beak-to-beak...the other keet knew Chirp was injured, and I ensured he had sufficient water.  After a couple of weeks, Chirp's entire leg turned black and fell off.  Chirp learned how to get around with only his wings and he hopped around on one leg (don't forget they also use their beak as an apendage).  He lived for several years after and died as an old bird.

Keep your keet warm, quiet, comfortable, fed, and hydrated through his recovery period so he can heal.  I hope all goes well with your keet.  Let me know if you would.  Thanks.

Chrys