Stifle Disarticulation as a Pelvic Limb Amputation Technique in a Cockatiel ( Nymphicus hollandicus ) and a Northern Cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis ).

Abstract

This clinical report describes the use of stifle disarticulation in 2 avian patients as an alternative to transfemoral limb amputation. A northern cardinal ( Cardinalis cardinalis ) was presented for soft tissue swelling and a traumatic fracture of the third digit of the left limb, with secondary bacterial infection and necrosis. A 25-year-old cockatiel ( Nymphicus hollandicus ) was diagnosed with distal extremity necrosis after a nonunion of a closed tibiotarsal fracture. In both cases amputation was recommended due to the poor prognosis for healing and because both birds were poor surgical candidates for traditional methods of amputation due to patient size or age. Therefore, stifle disarticulation surgery for amputation of the pelvic limb was performed successfully in both cases and recovery was unremarkable. The outcomes of these 2 cases suggest that stifle disarticulation may be used as an alternative to transfemoral amputation in birds where prolonged surgery, anesthesia, or patient size precludes traditional amputation techniques.