JAMES HARRIS, DVM
Birds' bones heal quickly
 A stupid accident occurred with our lovely bird: when I was sitting down the bird was beneath and her leg is broken. We went to a veterinarian and she put on a splint to fix it. It seems everything is going well now and we hope it will heal. But we still are unsure if the bird needs some medications. What natural food can be good for the bird now to help the healing? Are there any helping toys we can make to make it easier for it to move because it is sitting the whole day on one leg?
--Jeroen and Inge Vancraeynest-Witdouck
 The good news is your bird's fracture will heal quickly. Thanks to birds' higher metabolic rate, bones often knit fast enough to remove splints in three weeks. (By comparison, fractures in mammals need six to 12 weeks or longer.) Like mammals, birds need calcium and phosphorous to build bone tissue. In addition, birds need vitamin D3 to absorb calcium from the digestive tract. To help your bird heal, add calcium-rich foods to her diet such as broccoli, cheese, cuttlebone and shell grit. For D3, add a good bird vitamin or make sure she's exposed to at least a few hours of unfiltered sunlight a day. Be sure her perches are comfortable enough to grasp with one foot. (The toes should not quite encircle the perch.) Alternatively, you might provide her with a platform she can sit on. She might also appreciate ladders to get from one part of the cage to another.
James Harris, DVM is owner and medical director of the Mayfair Veterinary Clinic in Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia. He founded Montclair Veterinary Hospital in Oakland, Calif., and has served as medical director and chairman of the board for the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Berkeley. Dr. Harris' numerous professional honors include California and National Bustad Companion Animal DVM Awards.
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