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Pheasant with a poorly foot

Posted by sillymoo1983 
Pheasant with a poorly foot
May 12, 2009 10:12AM
Hi

About a year and a half ago we found a pheasant in our garden with a broken/injured leg. He could still get about so I fed him when he came and he made it through the winter. He's been coming back almost daily ever since for food. The leg healed nicely, although he always has a bit of a limp. We call him Mr Phez smiling smiley

Over the last few days though, I noticed he had a cut on his toe (on the injured leg). I saw him yesterday and it looks very swollen, as if there is an abscess there. Before the cut he was very happy and healthy. How likely is he to survive this without treatment? He is still eating but seems very reluctant to put weight on the leg. The thing is, he isn't exactly tame. He is a wild animal and lives in fields. He comes to me for food if he sees me in the garden but will soon run/hop away if I make a move towards him. Do I put him through the stress of catching him next time he comes and ringing the RSPCA or let nature take its course and see what happens? He's in good body condition, nice and plump and seems bright and alert. Would catching him myself and putting saltwater on it help or just cause him more harm? We have a shed he could go in until it heals but would it stress him out to be confined?

Any advice you can offer I would be very greatful. I'd really like to help him because he's managed to survive 2 shooting seasons and a dodgy leg without too much trauma.

Thanks very much

Leanne
Re: Pheasant with a poorly foot
May 24, 2009 12:11PM
Apologies for the delay in replying.
Pheasants do suffer high stress levels in captivity & it is therefore better not to catch him if at all possible. Wild animals often suffer minor injuries which, if left alone, will heal by themselves without intervention.
The advice that we would give to someone in this situation would be to monitor the pheasant for the next week or so & if the injury doesn't appear to be getting worse & the leg doesn't start to swell, then we would do nothing. We would only advise catching the pheasant if its condition deteriorates, in which case it would have to be caught & looked at by either your local wildlife rescue centre or your vet for assessment.
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