URGENT! Set slipped tendon in chick and now leg badly swollen

[kweithwei]

Hello BYC!

I have a week+ old black copper marans chick whose slipped tendon was reset at about 5 days of age, and who was placed in a sling with a loose splint made of part of a silicone straw, but whose leg is now badly swollen. There is no sign of infection and there is circulation without the foot feeling hot, although she did have some abrasion from scooting around on her hock prior to the tendon re-set, which was treated with antibacterial ointment. After 3 days in her splint, the entire leg below the joint is swollen, though the joint is most swollen and looks knobby, to the point where her splint does not fit, and I am letting it air out. I am concerned I did something wrong or that this reflects a much more serious problem. Can anyone help or offer advice? The only DVM near where I live who sees chickens cannot see her for a month. All help appreciated!

 

[sourland]

Sorry for the problem. Is it possible that the splint was too tight and impeded circulation?

 

[kweithwei]

Hi there! I suspect the joint swelled after placement of the splint, and this may have caused some loss of circulation. However, the toes did not become purple (as they did when I tried vet wrap and it proved to be too tight). So I don't think it's the entire issue. She has been suspended in her sling for about 4 days now, with swelling that had persisted past 2 days. Do you have any further insights? Is it reasonable to expect that the swelling will go down? And is there anything else I can do to help the situation? Thank you so much for your help!

 

[kweithwei]

Sorry for the problem. Is it possible that the splint was too tight and impeded circulation?

I will add that we had to splint her leg straight, as the tendon immediately moved out of position if we tried to splint it in a bent position. We suspected there was simply no hock groove on her leg yet, and that's why it could not stay in place.

Here's a picture of our setup.

 

[kweithwei]

Here's a pic of the swelling now. Please note the goop is the antibacterial ointment. She is moving her toes on her bad leg a little and sometimes she raises the knee a little in the right non-slipped-tendon way, but she mostly holds it back in this straight position. It is heartbreaking to hear her little peeps every time I walk by her isolated brooder. Is it true that one baby aspirin in 1 quart of water is appropriate for pain relief in baby chicks? The last thing I want now is to overdose her.

 

[MarDar]

I will add that we had to splint her leg straight, as the tendon immediately moved out of position if we tried to splint it in a bent position. We suspected there was simply no hock groove on her leg yet, and that's why it could not stay in place. View attachment 2994938Here's a picture of our setup.

I don't know anything about chicken orthopedics, but I just have to say that chick in a sling is one of the cutest pictures I've ever seen. I hope she is feeling better

 

[ChickNanny13]

No expert here but being suspended in mid air like that may be an issue. I would think that it's feet should be touching the ground, not putting pressure on the leg but the sling just supporting the weight. Blood would flow down, suspended that way perhaps the blood is "collecting" at the injury site? Cute sling & good idea

Did you research the issue? This is an excellent site to research ....
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Here's a pic of the swelling now. Please note the goop is the antibacterial ointment. She is moving her toes on her bad leg a little and sometimes she raises the knee a little in the right non-slipped-tendon way, but she mostly holds it back in this straight position. It is heartbreaking to hear her little peeps every time I walk by her isolated brooder. Is it true that one baby aspirin in 1 quart of water is appropriate for pain relief in baby chicks? The last thing I want now is to overdose her.

How is your lil baby doin now?!

 

[kweithwei]

Well folks, I am overjoyed to report that my baby is doing much better. We ended up going to the vet, and it turns out we have a rotated femur situation. This is a birth defect, and would require surgery, but the nearest surgical center that will take a chicken is UC Davis, and that is many hours away. (Chicken are hardly exotic animals, in my humble opinion!)

I was advised to take him out of the sling and splint immediately, and let him do his thing. We were given teeny tiny syringes of gel meloxicam (like, a dose of 0.06 of a millligram lol) to help him over the hump. But I was advised not to do this for more about 10 days, as it can be toxic to fragile kidneys if taken long term. So I've been raising him on soft bedding, spoiling him with good food and constant attention. He is nowhere near as big as his siblings, but he is happy and healthy and comes RUNNING whenever I'm near the pen--who says moms love all their children equally? (I swear the others get jealous, but they don't beat him up as he was reintroduced very carefully to the flock.) He is now pecking at the keyboard as I write this, and he can run, jump, and roost very well. His leg still turns backwards when he's tired, and he has a very unique gait, but he doesn't stumble and stands tall.

Moral of the story: a backwards leg is not a death sentence. Be patient, seek a veterinarian, and when all else fails, give them some love and a shot at life. This is my flooffy boy now. Thank you all for the care and support! Much love!

Oh, and for anyone who wants to watch him and his siblings, I have a Twitch livestream at

. You can watch my floofs basically 24/7!

 

[fin-dachickmasta]

Thats cool what you made.