RareAvis
In the Brooder
- Oct 18, 2016
- 62
- 8
- 28
Clearly, this is a radical step.
I am uncertain of how to proceed.
I believe or I'm considering the ethics: If a young chicken is in pain and having difficulty walking, and my vet does not want to become an expert: ie he can no longer try to diagnose him, can a rooster live a happy life with one leg?
I would not hesitate with a dog or cat: YES. They can be QUITE happy and healthy as tripods.
Two legs are different.
I had never been on a farm or met a chicken or seen live chickens before Sadie the Rooster came into my life.
Sadie is about 13-15 weeks old.
I believe she has nerve damage, the result of a canid attack.
I don't believe she will ever walk comfortably on two legs.
I am unsure if a 3D printed prosthetic might help or how much of the leg is unsound.
I do know that penguins and others have been fitted with 3D prosthetics and are quite happy and healthy.
Her left claw, now, 8 weeks after I first laid eyes on her, seems to be lagging behind developmentally, and I do NOT believe this is due to circulation loss or that is all down to atrophy.
Splints do not seem to be helping.
I think?
She can not control her leg well enough and her toes not AT ALL.
She can not use them to grasp or bend.
Her claw hangs rather limply beneath him and his toes alternately close into themselves in various permutations. One may be broken and not healing.
Her claw is not healing and she is having difficulty walking. I don't think she has ANY control over her foot.
At this point, I believe it may be in her best interests to remove the claw, but I do not know how far up an amputation of a limb she has little control of should go.
She CAN move the hip joint or whatever it is forward and backward, I believe.
I am in no-know land, trying to do the right thing, my vet honestly has no idea but is willing to perform a surgery.
HELP.
Thank you!!!
~RA
PS: I just learned that Sadie is a boy.
I am so accustomed to referring to him as a girl that I still mix up my pronouns. I am working on it.
Sadie the Rooster is his new name; he likes his name Sadie so I see no reason to change that simply to conform to some human construct or arbitrary naming convention or societal more.
Sadie seems to be otherwise perfectly healthy.
The claw HAS been SUCH a burden; I think he has been in pain.
This might be his best option for a happy, vital, pain free, functional future.
I do not know.
I live in the middle of nowhere.
I have one Vet.
I am willing to see another but hey? It is remarkably difficult to find chicken experts in ANY state: they are considered commodities, not critters to treat in that they may lead happy, healthy lives.
Sa
die is welcome to stay with me in perpetuity indoors and we do go outside; recently her pain and claw have limited our excursions.
I want to do right by him and help him and be his mommy. I LOVE HIM.
Money is not the deciding factor here: his wellbeing is.
I will go to the ends of the Earth.
Any suggestions?
THANK YOU!
I am uncertain of how to proceed.
I believe or I'm considering the ethics: If a young chicken is in pain and having difficulty walking, and my vet does not want to become an expert: ie he can no longer try to diagnose him, can a rooster live a happy life with one leg?
I would not hesitate with a dog or cat: YES. They can be QUITE happy and healthy as tripods.
Two legs are different.
I had never been on a farm or met a chicken or seen live chickens before Sadie the Rooster came into my life.
Sadie is about 13-15 weeks old.
I believe she has nerve damage, the result of a canid attack.
I don't believe she will ever walk comfortably on two legs.
I am unsure if a 3D printed prosthetic might help or how much of the leg is unsound.
I do know that penguins and others have been fitted with 3D prosthetics and are quite happy and healthy.
Her left claw, now, 8 weeks after I first laid eyes on her, seems to be lagging behind developmentally, and I do NOT believe this is due to circulation loss or that is all down to atrophy.
Splints do not seem to be helping.
I think?
She can not control her leg well enough and her toes not AT ALL.
She can not use them to grasp or bend.
Her claw hangs rather limply beneath him and his toes alternately close into themselves in various permutations. One may be broken and not healing.
Her claw is not healing and she is having difficulty walking. I don't think she has ANY control over her foot.
At this point, I believe it may be in her best interests to remove the claw, but I do not know how far up an amputation of a limb she has little control of should go.
She CAN move the hip joint or whatever it is forward and backward, I believe.
I am in no-know land, trying to do the right thing, my vet honestly has no idea but is willing to perform a surgery.
HELP.
Thank you!!!
~RA
PS: I just learned that Sadie is a boy.
I am so accustomed to referring to him as a girl that I still mix up my pronouns. I am working on it.
Sadie the Rooster is his new name; he likes his name Sadie so I see no reason to change that simply to conform to some human construct or arbitrary naming convention or societal more.
Sadie seems to be otherwise perfectly healthy.
The claw HAS been SUCH a burden; I think he has been in pain.
This might be his best option for a happy, vital, pain free, functional future.
I do not know.
I live in the middle of nowhere.
I have one Vet.
I am willing to see another but hey? It is remarkably difficult to find chicken experts in ANY state: they are considered commodities, not critters to treat in that they may lead happy, healthy lives.
Sa
die is welcome to stay with me in perpetuity indoors and we do go outside; recently her pain and claw have limited our excursions.
I want to do right by him and help him and be his mommy. I LOVE HIM.
Money is not the deciding factor here: his wellbeing is.
I will go to the ends of the Earth.
Any suggestions?
THANK YOU!
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