Help! Broken leg!

[Silly Indie]

I desperately need help! Sweet little Flappy Bird broke her leg today, we suspect she was run over by a car or something because I don’t think a rooster could injure a hen this bad. It’s not a compound fracture thank goodness but it’s up high and kinda hard to splint. We got a splint on her but it’s not super supportive but I think it will work until we can get her into the vet (which probably won’t be until early next week). I need help figuring out a way to stabilize the leg so the healing process can start. So far she’s in a popsicle stick and ace wrap splint but her leg is still a little floppy. Another thing, is there anything I can give her for pain, she’s very uncomfortable and I can only imagine how bad it hurts and I would like to mitigate that so she’s a little less painful. Any help is welcomed I just don’t want to lose my sweet little girl, she was a member of the first batch of chicks we got almost 7 years ago and is a great little companion.

A picture of Flap taken just a few days ago

 

[Silly Indie]

Update! She’s doing a little better this morning, still painful (obviously) but otherwise seems to just be doing a lot of resting. She tried to stand but couldn’t keep her balance so I helped her out before I let her lay down again. We’ll try to call the vet today and pick up some aspirin for her but I could still use ideas on how to splint the leg so it’s at least stable.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Poor girl!
I hope the vet is able to help you with this.

You can give her 1/2 of an 81mg (Low Dose) aspirin twice a day for up to 3 days for pain.

This splinting manual may be useful

https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

 

[Silly Indie]

Got some aspirin in her a couple hours ago and she already seems more comfortable, she was actually able to fall asleep. Last night I checked on her periodically and she never seemed to be able to sleep. We’ll keep giving her the aspirin for a few days until we can hopefully get her into the vet for a professional opinion and I’ll fix her splint so it better suits her needs. Fingers crossed we can get her up and going again.

 

[Silly Indie]

She’s doing much better, her appetite is back, she’s drinking, pooping etc. She keeps trying to stand with her broken leg tucked up against her chest but she can’t keep her balance for more than a second or two. I’m going to re-examine her after chores and get a better splint fitted to her so hopefully that will help. The vets really busy so it’s going to be longer than I thought to get her looked at. She’s on her third day of aspirin, what should I do for pain after today? Should I give her a couple day’s break from it and start again or use something else?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she's eating/drinking.

Not sure where her injury is or even if a sling is a good idea, but I'll throw it out there anyway. Since she wants to keep the leg tucked, but stand, a sling may offer some support for short monitored periods of time.

I would try giving a break from the aspirin for a couple of days. If she's showing a lot of pain without the aspirin, I would just continue with it until the vet can see her. Is it possible for the vet to give you a script for Meloxicam since they are so busy?

 

[Silly Indie]

Her tibiotarsus is the bone that is broken. I followed the instructions in the manual posted and got a much more secure splint on her and she was able to stand (with a little bit of assistance) shortly after. I have family members that work in the medical field who were able to help me understand what I felt in her leg and be able to align the bones as best as possible. I’ll ask the vet about the meloxicam. Thank you so much @Wyorp Rock, you’ve been so helpful!

 

[Silly Indie]

She’s making slow but steady improvements. It’s been over a week since her accident, she still is not weight bearing but I understand how much it hurts so I’m going to make a sling out of an old pair of underwear for her to stand upright a little so she’s not laying down all the time. She’s been able to stand a little but not for long. She has been off her aspirin and doesn’t seem to be too uncomfortable. She talks to all the time with her sweet little noises and enjoys all the attention she’s been getting. Hopefully she continues to make those little improvements and get back to her flock.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad to hear she's making some improvement.
A sling is a good idea.
Thank you for the update.

 

[Silly Indie]

Been awhile since I’ve updated this thread about Flap. She’s doing well! It’s been almost a month and she’s chomping at the bit to start using her leg so this weekend, if I have time, I’ll undo her bandaging again and see how it’s healing. Depending on how it is she might get to start actually walking soon!