Limping & Lump on Leg - Cyst, Tumor or Something Else?

[UrbanFarmOC]

Betty, my Salmon Faverolles started limping about 5-6 weeks ago. Today, I found a distinct lump on her inner thigh.

A brief history: When she started limping, my first thought was bumblefoot. She had a small black dot on a scale on the bottom of her foot, but it wasn't a classic bumblefoot scab. However, it was a little red, and the rest of her ankle and foot looked fine, so I treated it like bumblefoot and soaked her in epsom salts and tea tree oil for almost a week. The redness disappeared, but she kept limping, so I thought maybe it was an early but persistent infection, so I gave her a 5-day course of injected penicillin. She was miserable in isolation, so I let her back to free-ranging with the flock after the penicillin.

When she continued to limp (she would not put any pressure on her bum left leg), I then suspected maybe she had a sprain or fracture. So I let her be and waited. Today, when I picked her up to examine her, I discovered a lump on her inner thigh (I feel so bad for not discovering it sooner). It's about the size of a gumball. It moves and slides a little and feels a little hard to the touch. It doesn't seem to hurt her when I squeeze the lump laterally, but I know that doesn't necessarily means it actually doesn't hurt her.

I've been trying to search for similar issues, but of the few that sound like Betty's lump, I can't really find any cases with good photos to which I can compare. So, I turn to you sage BYCers for help.

What do you think it is? Is it a cyst? If so, what should I do? Should I attempt to excise and extract it? Or do you think it's a tumor? What do I do if it is a tumor? Or is it something else? Betty and I thank you in advance!

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Here are the photos, It was a little difficult to get it from all views with all her fluff.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Also, by "limping," she's literally not putting weight on it and just hopping with her good leg. When she tries to move faster, she touches the bad leg down briefly to do a hobble-hop.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Bump. Anyone?

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

So I've been monitoring this for a week now. Doesn't look like there's any changes to size or the way it feels. The hen is still limping and still hasn't gained any weight back due to her leg. I keep her away from the rest of the flock occasionally to make sure she gets food.

I hope someone can respond soon. I think I'm going to attempt to lance and also try to remove whatever the thing is this weekend. Any advice or tips would be helpful and appreciated

 

[mirandaleecon]

Hello! I'm sorry no one has responded to you yet! I'm not sure I can be terribly helpful either because I have not experienced this myself but If I were you, I would do just what you are planning. I would attempt to lance it to see what is in there. Since you have experience with bumblefoot, I assume you know all the surgical precautions, sterility, iodine and whatnot. If not, let me know and I can run down what I do specifically. I would be super careful where you cut though, just in a couple of those pictures I can see some small blood vessels that could bleed a lot.

As far as how to go about the procedure, I would make just a small incision at first and see if you can push anything out, like a pimple. If nothing happens, make the incision a bit bigger (not deeper though) and see if you can manipulate the skin around the mass. You may have to use the scalpel to separate the skin from the mass, just take your time with it!

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Hello! I'm sorry no one has responded to you yet! I'm not sure I can be terribly helpful either because I have not experienced this myself but If I were you, I would do just what you are planning. I would attempt to lance it to see what is in there. Since you have experience with bumblefoot, I assume you know all the surgical precautions, sterility, iodine and whatnot. If not, let me know and I can run down what I do specifically.  I would be super careful where you cut though, just in a couple of those pictures I can see some small blood vessels that could bleed a lot.

As far as how to go about the procedure, I would make just a small incision at first and see if you can push anything out, like a pimple. If nothing happens, make the incision a bit bigger (not deeper though) and see if you can manipulate the skin around the mass. You may have to use the scalpel to separate the skin from the mass, just take your time with it!

Good luck and let me know how it goes!

Thanks so much for replying! Initially posted late at night on a weekend, so I think that have accounted for the lack of responses too.

I recently ordered a scalpel with a #15 blade. That will suffice, right? I have been holding off because I am afraid of cutting blood vessels and causing more undue stress to my poor Betty.

What if the mass has a "root" and is adhering to some tissue? I'm not confident I will be able to tell the difference between mass and flesh, especially if there is some bleeding that obstructs my view. Eek.

 

[mirandaleecon]

No problem!
So I just did some searching on here to see if there had been any other similar cases and I came across a thread about peafowl getting cysts and one of the way they are treated is through Tylan injections. Not sure if you are familiar with Tylan, but it's an antibiotic that is commonly used to treat respiratory infections. I used it on one of my Peas when they were just chicks. You can get it at tractor supply or your local feed store would probably have it. Might be worth a try before doing any surgery...

If you do go ahead with surgery; #15 should be fine although I won't claim to be an expert in scalpels. I think if you can find a mass, you will be able to tell it apart from any other tissues and if there is a root, I would cut it. Just keep lots of gauze/cotton balls on hand to clean up any blood. If there is a bit, usually holding pressure for 10 seconds is enough to stop the bleeding temporarily and give you some visibility.

I just want to make sure you are aware of the risks involved in doing this yourself. There is always a possibility that the stress alone could kill her or she could bleed out. You just have to weigh the risks against not doing the surgery. She sounds like she is in pain and would be a candidate for culling without the surgery which is the only reason I'm suggesting it...

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

No problem!
So I just did some searching on here to see if there had been any other similar cases and I came across a thread about peafowl getting cysts and one of the way they are treated is through Tylan injections. Not sure if you are familiar with Tylan, but it's an antibiotic that is commonly used to treat respiratory infections. I used it on one of my Peas when they were just chicks. You can get it at tractor supply or your local feed store would probably have it. Might be worth a try before doing any surgery...

If you do go ahead with surgery;  #15 should be fine although I won't claim to be an expert in scalpels. I think if you can find a mass, you will be able to tell it apart from any other tissues and if there is a root, I would cut it. Just keep lots of gauze/cotton balls on hand to clean up any blood. If there is a bit, usually holding pressure for 10 seconds is enough to stop the bleeding temporarily and give you some visibility.

I just want to make sure you are aware of the risks involved in doing this yourself. There is always a possibility that the stress alone could kill her or she could bleed out. You just have to weigh the risks against not doing the surgery. She sounds like she is in pain and would be a candidate for culling without the surgery which is the only reason I'm suggesting it...

Thanks for the thoughtful response. I do have Tylan. I did give her a 5-day course of penicillin. I didn't come across the Tylan and peafowl thread. Will go look now. I guess it couldn't hurt.

I have been weighing the risks, hence my delay doing it without careful thought and research. I've been trying to get her weight up so that perhaps she can endure the stress better. I've also started giving her some vitamins orally via syringe. I think I'll give her a few more days of TLC and food to fatten her up before I attempt to cut.

 

[ker0412]

Bump. Anyone?

Hello. I know this is an old post but what was the outcome of that growth on your bird? I have a hen with a similar growth on her leg. She limps. Any help would be appreciated.