Five-month old Australorp suddenly lame. Update: Now another pullet going lame!

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I've been following this thread, and while I have nothing medical to add, I do want to say how much I have learned. Thank you to everyone who is adding their experiences and expertise. Thank you, azygous, for starting it and keeping us all updated, and mostly for caring so much for May. Thank you, May, for hanging in there and being a good patient. :hugs

This is why I LOVE BYC! What a wonderful community.
 
@everybirdie the info u provided is definitely very relevant! And im obviously not the only one who is becoming aware that something very special seems to be happening within this thread. I read the article link you provided, as well as an additional link within the article. With passing years and its inherent wisdom, i have learned to be grateful for all the things i dont need to know. No doubt u feel similiar re your dogs ordeal. I.e. you wish you never never heard of/been confronted with her disease. I fully concur i never judge nor criticize anyone who decides to euthanize a paralyzed or very ill animal. (And that includes azygous!) And sometimes people sadly arent in a position to try and save their pet, no matter how much they may want to try. And yet, yes, the fact that most animals are euthanized under such conditions contributes to the lack of knowledge and understanding re potential recoveries.
Ive only fought such an extreme battle to help a pet keep living once. A beloved elderly dog, my true "dog of a lifetime", that had a terminal illness unrelated to this thread. But at the time, i was financially, emotionally, and physically willing to help him stay alive. As long as his bright life force kept shining, & he kept wearing his ear-to-ear grin, i undertook the intensive required daily care. After 7 months, his once vibrant life force seemed to leave him almost overnight. Some people might have thought i was keeping him alive for Me during those 7 months, because i didnt want to let him go. Nope, i did it for Him. And when he let me know it was time for him to move on, i took him to the vet for the final last time and helped him do that too. @azygous, your continued pics and updates have made it clear that despite May's current condition, she is still very much enjoying her life. She is a very lucky chicken that You are currently in a position to help her do so. Meanwhile, this thread continues on. How it will end, we still dont know!
 
May has been having trouble supporting herself well enough to keep her balance when she's on the ground and trying to eat. She seems to have a decent appetite, but she gives up when she can't comfortably access her food bowl. So I spent some time watching how she escapes the chicken chair. It seemed the problem was the leg holes were too far apart and she needed a bumper at the front to keep her from sliding forward. I've looked at pictures of chicken chairs and none of the designs would work for May.

The biggest problem was her wings. She was flailing and that alone would move her forward and out of the chair. So, the solution finally presented itself - a simple band of cloth around her wing shoulders. It worked. She finally seemed comfortable and secure and remained in the chair and was in a perfect position to eat and drink.

The entire family is now able to eat together.
81FC2483-ED56-4907-86B3-FDB9EE0E7F3F.jpeg
41CDB825-649D-4C90-BD1B-8D4EFA93B985.jpeg
 
Allsfairinloveandbugs said:
@everybirdie the info u provided is definitely very relevant! And im obviously not the only one who is becoming aware that something very special seems to be happening within this thread. I read the article link you provided, as well as an additional link within the article. With passing years and its inherent wisdom, i have learned to be grateful for all the things i dont need to know. No doubt u feel similiar re your dogs ordeal. I.e. you wish you never never heard of/been confronted with her disease. I fully concur i never judge nor criticize anyone who decides to euthanize a paralyzed or very ill animal. (And that includes azygous!) And sometimes people sadly arent in a position to try and save their pet, no matter how much they may want to try. And yet, yes, the fact that most animals are euthanized under such conditions contributes to the lack of knowledge and understanding re potential recoveries.
Ive only fought such an extreme battle to help a pet keep living once. A beloved elderly dog, my true "dog of a lifetime", that had a terminal illness unrelated to this thread. But at the time, i was financially, emotionally, and physically willing to help him stay alive. As long as his bright life force kept shining, & he kept wearing his ear-to-ear grin, i undertook the intensive required daily care. After 7 months, his once vibrant life force seemed to leave him almost overnight. Some people might have thought i was keeping him alive for Me during those 7 months, because i didnt want to let him go. Nope, i did it for Him. And when he let me know it was time for him to move on, i took him to the vet for the final last time and helped him do that too. @azygous, your continued pics and updates have made it clear that despite May's current condition, she is still very much enjoying her life. She is a very lucky chicken that You are currently in a position to help her do so. Meanwhile, this thread continues on. How it will end, we still dont know!
Click to expand...
So beautifully put!
 
azygous said:
May has been having trouble supporting herself well enough to keep her balance when she's on the ground and trying to eat. She seems to have a decent appetite, but she gives up when she can't comfortably access her food bowl. So I spent some time watching how she escapes the chicken chair. It seemed the problem was the leg holes were too far apart and she needed a bumper at the front to keep her from sliding forward. I've looked at pictures of chicken chairs and none of the designs would work for May.

The biggest problem was her wings. She was flailing and that alone would move her forward and out of the chair. So, the solution finally presented itself - a simple band of cloth around her wing shoulders. It worked. She finally seemed comfortable and secure and remained in the chair and was in a perfect position to eat and drink.

The entire family is now able to eat together. View attachment 2480139View attachment 2480153
Click to expand...
Persistence and observation paid off with a design that works!

I just thought of something I'm not sure you've mentioned: are you doing stretches and range-of-motion (like bicycling her legs and uncurling/re-curling her toes) and remembering to scratch her cheeks for her from time to time? (Vets will give you all kinds of cool therapy exercises but forget to remind you your dog can't enjoy a morning ear scratch on her own anymore.)

Not sure if it's as applicable to chickens as dogs, but before our dog regained the ability to roll over, we had to be vigilant about changing her position for circulation. When May's not being fancy in her May Dray, her flapping and wriggling might be good because it gets the blood moving and keeps her using different muscles.

I searched "chicken physical therapy" and "chicken range of motion exercises"...there don't seem to be a lot of resources online, but maybe somewhere on BYC? This video was hopeful, though.
 

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