dislocated knee? limping and "dangles"

[springvalley123]

My 22 week old pullet either got attacked or hurt herself Mon 3/15. She limps, and I notice the leg dangles from the knee or even higher up. She wants to rejoin the flock, eats, and drinks.
She did the egg song 3/16 and squatted 3/20 when I picked her up to treat her legs for possible scaly mites.
She gets metacam (1/2 the poultry dose).
I had her in a crate for two full days then about 8 sq ft, now about 20 sq ft and the only roost is a small garbage can.
Any thoughts to diagnosis? I'm not comfortable doing anything I might hurt her such as experimenting with popping a joint back into a socket. Avian vet isn't an option as I can't leave the house long enough without paying for home care services while I'm out. This is an egg layer. I will be humane, including putting her down if it appears to be a pain or quality of life issue i.e., not able to fully rejoin her flock. Any suggestions?


https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/527023955

ETA: she escaped her confinement this morning and was roosting on an approx 2.5-3 ft broad 2x4 with the others, putting a small amount of weight on the bad leg. I decided not to catch her because I felt she'd just hurt herself trying to hop down.

 

[springvalley123]

@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Eggcessive]

She may need to be placed in a dog crate with an optional small log for a roost, along with food and water to force ner to rest the leg. Splinting padding, something stiff, and vet wrap or tape could be done including the joints above and below. Check circulation to make sure splinting is not too tight. I would even try a regular vet that you use for other animals, so that you could get an xray and help with proper splinting.

 

[azygous]

Your closeup photo is fine, but it lacks context showing where everything is in relation to the rest of the body, therefore, it's not giving as much information as you think.

Sometimes what appears to be an injury is just that. Aspirin, 81 grain chewable can help with pain. See how that affects her use of the limb. If there's swelling, that further indicates injury. A break may be felt and splinting can help.

On the other hand, sometimes what appears to be a leg injury is something far more serious. If it's accompanied by respiratory symptoms, and the foot seems to be swelling, it can be Mycoplasma synoviae, and that is treated with Tylosin.

Then there is an even more serious crippling disease that involves demyelination of the nerves in the leg, resulting in paralysis. I have some pullets I'm currently treating for this disorder. I call it "May's Syndrome" as this isn't a classic avian disorder that I can find any studies on. I have, however, documented symptoms and treatment that has proved successful here in this thread.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...update-now-another-pullet-going-lame.1432738/

 

[springvalley123]

Thank you all! I managed to recapture her and prevent her escaping the hospital. The proximal end of the tarsometatarsus (the area just below the hock) is warm. i.e. if you were processing, about 1/2 inch below where you'd cut the foot off. the knee (the next joint above the ankle) felt solid. I poked gently along the femur and tibia/fibula and didn't feel any movement or any agitation from the bird. The ankle moves (i moved it that is) seemingly normally, but is warm below it, in the area of the tarsometatarsus that I'd guess is part of the joint--I'd guess where the tendons and ligaments attach. I'll look into the vets, I didn't think of that. That's only 1.5 hours round trip plus exam time, so I could probably take Hubby with.

 

[springvalley123]

RE the local vets, none within reasonable driving distance to look at/manipulate leg/xray. For now, back to confinement and continuing the metacam. At least there is now a roost for her flock-mates right next to her hospital so it should be less stressful for all of them. Any further guidance is welcome!

 

[springvalley123]

UPDATE: I had her out for a few minutes yesterday. she's limping but noticeably improved. terrified of the one remaining andalusian. I had her out again this morning, and noticeable improvement from yesterday! But back to the hospital for her to prevent re-injuring the injury. She does readily move right back with her sisters though, and I've seen all the birds gathered round her hospital area relaxing, and seen them in the roost I made next to the hospital. I think that setup greatly helps her quality of life during this time. She's still on the metacam at half the poultry dose, mainly because I don't know if the full poultry dose is intended for prolonged use like this.

 

[springvalley123]

Another update: No more noticeable improvement, sometimes it's worse, sometimes we just have the same level of limping as my last post. The joint is still just as warm to the touch as initially. Now it's just a balancing act of quality of life vs how long to wait before either giving up or seeing any further recovery. I can see she can't be integrated in with the remaining andalusian though.