Ellie - dislocated middle toe - vet says surgery

[rodriguezpoultry]

Why can't you just relocate the toe into the socket? Sure, she will flap a bit but as long as the toe is back in the original position, you can tape the toe to the other toe and it will be fine.

I had a hen with a similar dislocation, only her dislocation was at the hip.

 

[jjthink]

the dislocation seems to be at the first joint about 1/4 -1/5 of theway from the top of the toe - i gather from thevet that it just slides around. hopefully he'll tape it in such a way that it's in as natural a position as possible. unfortunately i haven't been able to examine her closely myself as i only have one working hand right now and with her wriggly self i need 7!
jj

 

[For-The-Love-Of-Chickens]

I can't imagine that a dislocated chicken toe is much different from a dislocated finger! Put it back into place and splint it until the ligaments and tendons have time to heal and tighten up. Hopefully you can find someone to help you! And I am wishing you a speedy recovery from your injuries!!

P.S. You type really well with one hand!!

 

[jjthink]

cat, how on earth didyou keep thebandaged foot dry thatwholetime?(vet said not to let itgetwet) ellie'sjust been splinted/bandaged for 3 days - it hasn't rained tho it will probably beginnning tonight, yet shedigs and finds damp earth...it's goingto be a longggggggg few weeks!i justdamaged my fractured hand - fearing more damage now but praying not enough to now require surgery- when i slipped trying to quickly getheraway from the one wet spot she managed to find. darn keyboard space key issticking - sorry! brand new dell last summer - keyboard didn't last 3 months - theywon't cover it even tho under warranty so i bought a cheapo one at staples - too cheap me thinks.
jj

 

[cat]

You poor thing, as we say in Ireland, you are really going through the wars!

I was fortunate with Harry that the weather was good and it wasn't that muddy - almost unheard of in the emerald isle!

I did try scotch taping a plastic sanwich bag over the whole foot - that was a laugh but it didn't last more than a day.

Next I tried a balloon, the rubber was harder to peck away and she looked very fetching with a purple foot!- that lasted almost a week.

After that I kind of gave up and hoped for the best. There was that much tape on her the foot stayed dry and was fine when it finaly came off (the tape not the foot!).

I think your chicken is very lucky to have such a caring owner who is willing to try so hard to do right by her. The very best of luck.

 

[Lunachick]

Quote:
I agree! Good luck with your sweet hen Judy.

And give BJ a snorgle for me.

 

[jjthink]

thank you cat and ginny

cat, glad you had decent weather while harry was bandaged! it rained pretty hard last night - waited till noon today to let them out in the run - the grass dried by then, but not the ground - yet they were going totally bonkers cooped up. hopefully ground is not wet enough to go all theway through the bandage,.forecast is for rain every day the next several days so i figure it's their last chance for fresh air andsun till next weekend, which will makethis onevery longggggggggggggggg week indeed this is only day 5......
AND i just discovered that little ratties are here for the first time ever. they're not in the coop but they're in the building the coop is in (the coop is a building inside a building) - hate that they'll have to be cooped up in the main building during daytime as it is (coop too small to keep them in there all day), but now also with rats - totally rotten timing. i am working on getting the ratties out of there but it's going to take some time. they are not huge - the youngsters are the size of mice but the parents are the size of - maybe - gerbils....i really need to clean the main building out, getting rid ofall straw, but one handedit may take some time...
hope you're all having a nice holiday

 

[fourfeathers]

Do you have any pictures? Am having a hard time picturing it. I have one that has two toes that are permanently fixed in a straight position and he does fine, it is more the middle joints that are fixed though. When he roosts they stick straight out. Would a chick shoe work, either with credit card at the base or pipecleaner like DCT advises. If you can post a pic.....
I would NOT do surgery, the risk of infection seems too great and I really think it could heal with splinting IMO. fourfeathers/Kat (another "Kat")

 

[jjthink]

hi other kat! i'm afraid i didn't get pics before shewas all wrapped up (so right now one can't see a thing other than bandages) but essentially her middle and largest toe dislocated such that it was kind of flopping around - AND IT HURT. she was holding herfoot up and it got worse in the first several days (when i brought her in after the dog attack for him to examine her hedid not pick up on the dislocation - in time it became very apparent so i brought her back...). the vet wanted to do surgery but i opted for splinting and taping, fearing i wouldn;t be able to give her the proper aftercare (if infection happened, especially...)with just one hand)- the dislocated toe and the toe on either side of it are all wrapped up together - justthe toenails are exposed. he said he splinted on both sides. i should have watched it being done but they told me to stay in thewaiting room - i am an idiot to have allowed that - must have been not thinking clearly with my own fractures providing mind altering pain. unfortunately, with only one working arm/hand right now i can't even check her really and am just hoping everything is staying in place. sorry for my bad keyboard - space bar sticks even though it's practically new.
jj

 

[realmofthewoodsranch]

You know something that would probably make holding her easier is to have her wrapped in a towel... You might need to practice a few hundred times with only one hand, but all I do is take a full sized towel and throw it over the chicken. They tend not to move when they can't see. Then pick the whole package up and start to pull the towel underneath her her body so she has something to stand on... BUT you have to wrap fast, cause as soon as she's got something to stand on, she'll squish out of the towel like the fixings on a hard taco do when you try to take a bite.

Edited for spelling.