Chick Slipped Tendon? Pictures.

[DancingWthDucks]

My chick has similar symptons to yours and straight away I suspected a slipped tendon. But after doing a lot of research I've discovered I that it looks more like a riboflavin defintioncy (vitamin B2). Maybe this is the same for your little chick?

I hope she gets better soon.

 

[kekstrom]

How long has she been holding her leg up?

We discovered her leg issue on Wednesday afternoon. But it was accompanied by extreme fatigue and lethargy/listlessness. So I started her on Corid on Thursday after suspecting it could be coccidiosis. But by Thursday evening her joint looked swollen and red (the pictures of the original post show it). I kept her bandages on all day, and tonight removed them, checked her joint, and it looked mildly pink and ever so slightly swollen. I didn't dare let her walk on it, but extended her leg back again and rewrapped the joint and re-braced it to her other leg. When I put her back into her little "can" she doesn't put weight on it. She just lays there... I know she moves some because I'll find her rotated. But I am kind of happy she is restricted. She does seem perkier... I have been hand feeding her dosed with vitamins, and am continuing the Corid for a full 5-7 days.

 

[kekstrom]

Obviously you are too far away for my vet.  I used to have aviary birds - parrot, cockatiel, American and English Budgerigars, and now have chickens.  What I did before we got our chickens was to find a vet that would see poultry.  Most vets won't see poultry but if you find one that is listed as treating dogs/cats/birds/exotics they will see ducks and chickens.  My vet even sees turtles and guinea pigs and does surgeries.  He had to amputate a Leghorn wing last I heard. 

Line up a vet in advance so that when an emergency occurs which is something you can't diagnose or handle, you will know who to contact in that emergency.  I had a vet lined up for 10 years and never had to go to him with my aviary birds but one day an emergency with my ill Silkie occurred and he took me immediately to see her.  With chickens a 2-day wait for a vet can be fatal.  You need to find one that will see you the same day for an emergency.  Chicks can't wait 2 days to see a vet since they are so delicate as babies. 

If you are in a rural location it may take an hour's drive or more to see a vet that treats poultry but it will be worth it to have him/her lined up in advance.  I've had advice from well-meaning BYC friends about maladies with my birds and was alarmed at the flood of different advice and scary diagnoses.  That's when I determined a vet would be my best resource since so many chicken problems can show the same exact symptoms -- sometimes a correct diagnosis can only be made by a medical professional.  Of course, as a last resort some owners just cull their problem chicks/juveniles rather than paying the vet fees.  It's all a matter of personal choice.

I have out the word out to a couple of chicken breeders nearby to see who they use. You make some great points about having one lined up. And after this whole ordeal, when I find someone, I will be "lining" them up.

My husband and I have decided that if by this Friday, she is not improving and/or obviously suffering, then we will cull her. But if she is better and not suffering, we don't mind having a gimpy girl.

 

[kekstrom]

My chick has similar symptons to yours and straight away I suspected a slipped tendon. But after doing a lot of research I've discovered I that it looks more like a riboflavin defintioncy (vitamin B2). Maybe this is the same for your little chick?

I hope she gets better soon.

Thank you! I have read sooooome about that, but will take another look at possible deficiencies.

 

[CuckooOrpington]

We discovered her leg issue on Wednesday afternoon. But it was accompanied by extreme fatigue and lethargy/listlessness. So I started her on Corid on Thursday after suspecting it could be coccidiosis. But by Thursday evening her joint looked swollen and red (the pictures of the original post show it). I kept her bandages on all day, and tonight removed them, checked her joint, and it looked mildly pink and ever so slightly swollen. I didn't dare let her walk on it, but extended her leg back again and rewrapped the joint and re-braced it to her other leg. When I put her back into her little "can" she doesn't put weight on it. She just lays there... I know she moves some because I'll find her rotated. But I am kind of happy she is restricted. She does seem perkier... I have been hand feeding her dosed with vitamins, and am continuing the Corid for a full 5-7 days.

It will take about a week of wearing the brace for her to hold her lag back towards her body. Keep an eye on that joint. Proper diagnosis is almost impossible to do without a vet so the method of treatment is undefined. If it is a vitamin B deficiency, you can buy small capsules of liquid vitamin B from a chemist and give her small amounts everyday. If it is a slipped Achilles tendon, excising the leg is a must before the position becomes permanent.

I've narrowed it down to 4 possible health disorders:

*Slipped Achilles Tendon - some of the symptoms are swelling and redness in the hock and holding leg to up and slightly to the side, if this condition is suspected, treat immediately; chick is already running out of time if she has slipped this tendon.
*Vitamin B2 deficiency - many possible symptoms
*Vitamin D3 deficiency - causes soft bones resulting in lameness
*Broken/sprained hock - will need a brace on the hock.

As for her coccidiosis, if she does have this disease she will have blood in her poop.

I hope this helps.

 

[kekstrom]

Ugh, it's not ANY better today. I did get a hold of a vet on the phone, and he said that he hasn't treated chickens but with leg problems, if they are not able to get around on their own, they'll likely not be able to integrate into a flock and need constant help, and if it's severe and not healing then he would euthanize for me. Ugh. I don't even know if I want to spend the time and money bringing her to him knowing what he said.

If her joint is still super swollen, that means it's not healing, right? I don't mind a one legged, gimpy chicken, but if it's swollen and she is in pain and not able to put it down, then I am thinking my husband should 'take care of her'. She'll never be able to roost and scratch and get around properly....

 

[kekstrom]

RIP Goldie. We couldn't commit to what she needed for a long term leg injury, and the fact she was so swollen and in pain was not what we wanted for her. Hubs took care of it and now my little girls and I are going to pick out a pretty plant to plant above where we will bury her.

Thank you so much for all of y'all who helped me and encouraged me. It's a sad day... But we are all looking ahead to the fun we will have with our other chickies.

 

[ronott1]

RIP Goldie. We couldn't commit to what she needed for a long term leg injury, and the fact she was so swollen and in pain was not what we wanted for her. Hubs took care of it and now my little girls and I are going to pick out a pretty plant to plant above where we will bury her.

Thank you so much for all of y'all who helped me and encouraged me. It's a sad day... But we are all looking ahead to the fun we will have with our other chickies.

I am so sorry!

You gave it a good try.

When I read slipped hock, I automatically think cull. It was worth trying to see if it was something else but most of the time slipped hock is not something that can be fixed without vet surgery. Even then there is likely going to be some disability that will cause problems.

 

[kekstrom]

I am so sorry!

You gave it a good try.

When I read slipped hock, I automatically think cull. It was worth trying to see if it was something else but most of the time slipped hock is not something that can be fixed without vet surgery. Even then there is likely going to be some disability that will cause problems.

Thank you. Definitely hard to swallow- especially for my (almost) 6 year old. We used this as an opportunity to teach her about these things. Lots of sweet and sad tears.

 

[casportpony]

RIP Goldie. We couldn't commit to what she needed for a long term leg injury, and the fact she was so swollen and in pain was not what we wanted for her. Hubs took care of it and now my little girls and I are going to pick out a pretty plant to plant above where we will bury her.

Thank you so much for all of y'all who helped me and encouraged me. It's a sad day... But we are all looking ahead to the fun we will have with our other chickies.

So sorry!

Slipped tendon is fairly common in peachicks. Many of us with peafowl have tried splints, slings, etc, but the end result is usually the same, especially if the hock is swollen. Once swollen, I think it stays swollen, so the tendon will never stay put.

Here is some info I found about it:








Source:
http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/46.pdf

Again, sorry for your loss...

-Kathy