Broken rooster toe

[hatchichickens]

One of my roosters broke his toe earlier this week. As you can see it’s not looking very good. Do I need to take him to the vet?

 

[DaviJones]

I think it'd be a good idea. Looks like some blood poisoning and a reasonable amount of swelling as well. But I'm still a chicken newbie so I'll call in @casportpony She probably has some solutions to keep him comfortable and good advice.

 

[casportpony]

A vet is always a good idea, but maybe the dark color is just bruising?

 

[hatchichickens]

Thank you. I am going to see if I can get him into the vet tomorrow morning.

 

[casportpony]

Thank you. I am going to see if I can get him into the vet tomorrow morning.

Is it a vet you have seen before? If so, email them the picture and ask what they think.

 

[hatchichickens]

So the vet said the toe needs to be amputated and that the foot was infected and needed to be debrided. Surgery is scheduled for next week but I am a bit skeptical. I started him on Trimethoprim Sulfate and Meloxicam and am soaking his foot in Clorhexidine.

In my [questionable] opinion, the toe is not completely dead. He seems to be able to curl it, but has difficulty straightening it back out. The toenail was black when I took him in, but after 1 dose of medication (that night) the nail was reddish pink the next morning. There were some cracks in the skin where the toe meets the foot but they have now scabbed over and the swelling has gone down in his foot (noticeably but not completely). Am I mislead in having a tiny glimmer of hope that I might be able to save the toe? Or at least have a less serious surgery (She wants to anesthetize him for debridement of the foot).

He is acting normally- walking around, flying up on things, jumping back down, eating, drinking, pooping, trying to mate with his friend when I brought her inside to hang out with him. CROWING, how could I forget to mention that.. or in his case, honking (his name is Honkers due to the hilarious/horrendous sound he makes).

I know that non-mammals are able to heal differently than mammals, but not to what extent. Also that chickens are VERY tough.
The vet in my area is a small animal/avian/exotics vet and I am concerned that they are slightly(?) taking advantage of the fact that I even brought a rooster in.
While it is a serious injury, I am hesitant to spend $500 on surgery and would like to see what can be done with medications and vigilant care. I don't want to be foolish and wait too long and risk making things worse with bone infection etc..

At this point, I am willing to do the surgery but clearly would rather pursue a less extreme(/reactionary) course of treatment. Any thoughts?

 

[DaviJones]

So the vet said the toe needs to be amputated and that the foot was infected and needed to be debrided. Surgery is scheduled for next week but I am a bit skeptical. I started him on Trimethoprim Sulfate and Meloxicam and am soaking his foot in Clorhexidine.

In my [questionable] opinion, the toe is not completely dead. He seems to be able to curl it, but has difficulty straightening it back out. The toenail was black when I took him in, but after 1 dose of medication (that night) the nail was reddish pink the next morning. There were some cracks in the skin where the toe meets the foot but they have now scabbed over and the swelling has gone down in his foot (noticeably but not completely). Am I mislead in having a tiny glimmer of hope that I might be able to save the toe? Or at least have a less serious surgery (She wants to anesthetize him for debridement of the foot).

He is acting normally- walking around, flying up on things, jumping back down, eating, drinking, pooping, trying to mate with his friend when I brought her inside to hang out with him. CROWING, how could I forget to mention that.. or in his case, honking (his name is Honkers due to the hilarious/horrendous sound he makes).
Oh I'm so sorry! I honestly don't know. If anyone does though it'd be casportpony
I know that non-mammals are able to heal differently than mammals, but not to what extent. Also that chickens are VERY tough.
The vet in my area is a small animal/avian/exotics vet and I am concerned that they are slightly(?) taking advantage of the fact that I even brought a rooster in.
While it is a serious injury, I am hesitant to spend $500 on surgery and would like to see what can be done with medications and vigilant care. I don't want to be foolish and wait too long and risk making things worse with bone infection etc..

At this point, I am willing to do the surgery but clearly would rather pursue a less extreme(/reactionary) course of treatment. Any thoughts?