Help!!!!! Buff Orpington fractured leg

[pennyJo1960]

Have to agree castport does not seem broken maybe awful tender bruised badly yes, broken
not so. really need x-ray

 

[hayley3]

I had a chicken that fell into a hay feeder...no idea how long she had been there but her leg was limp and lifeless. She couldn't even move herself in the grass, I had to do it, to keep her out of her own poo. One day she was able to move around on the grass and approx two months after the actual incident she walked again.

 

[Ginmary]

They have it splinted and wrapped they gave me syringes with pain killer to give thru her nostril. She’s sitting quietly. She was eating and drinking and even laid an egg in the basket we were carrying her in.
they are expecting me to take her back there to put her down tomorrow.
I don’t think I can do that. I want to give her a chance. I wish I thought to ask them for antibiotics. I saw that suggestion after we had left the hospital. I also wish that I had them do an X-ray. It was so much to take in. They had nothing but bad news and my daughter was sobbing.

after looking up chicken anatomy, I think it is the hock joint where the break Is.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry!
The leg is splinted, she's eating, and has pain meds. This is all good. If the splint isn't causing any issues, maybe give her some time and see how she does.
A radiograph would be good too!
Her foot needs to be alive, with a blood supply, and hopefully undamaged nerves. Is there another vet you could consult?
Time and splinting can heal many fractures 'well enough' for her to manage. There's no way we can tell online!
All the best,
Mary

 

[Eggcessive]

This splinting manual has a lot of info about bone fractures and injuries, and how some are treated or splinted. It might be some good reading to learn about the probability of her recovering from the injury:
https://theiwrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Duerr_Splinting_Manual_2010.pdf

I am not a vet, but I was just thinking that it could possibly be a ruptured tendon in the hock joint. I don’t know if there is a way to repair that in a chicken. Sorry that you are dealing with this.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Ok, I'll be the odd one out here... it looks like it could be broken above the joint, in the lower tibia, which may be why it appears to be dangling like that. **ducks incoming rotten tomatoes**
If there is a fracture in the joint itself, those can be hard to fix and perhaps that might be why the estimation was so high. Or if the vet suspected it was a spiral fracture, those are also more complicated than a clean break as it could need a plate. That said, chickens are amazingly resilient and can come back from more than people think they can.

I know when you are in the midst of dealing with a hurt animal it's very overwhelming. I think taking some time to digest everything is good and I would suggest before deciding anything put in a call to the vet you saw. Ask her to explain things to you again, what type of fracture it is, where exactly it is, long term care and prognosis, and go over the options. Often after the chaos of the ordeal passes it's easier to absorb and you can make better choices.
*hugs of comfort*

 

[Ginmary]

Thanks to all. I will see how she does And update

 

[casportpony]

I am a little shocked that a vet would suggest a $3000 amputation without getting an x-ray first, that just doesn't seem right to me.

Which bone do you think is broken?

Ok, I'll be the odd one out here... it looks like it could be broken above the joint, in the lower tibia, which may be why it appears to be dangling like that. **ducks incoming rotten tomatoes**

You might be right, it could be broken there, and if I remember correctly, that is a common fracture spot, which, in many cases, can be splinted.



@Ginmary, don't give up yet. Talk to your vet and try to get a better understanding of what bone they think is broken and why they didn't want to do an xray.

Was this vet an avian vet? If not, may I suggest that you get a second opinion from an avian vet?

 

[Ginmary]

It cost me about $400 for the visit, splinting and pain meds. They would have done the X-ray if I said to go ahead with the operation it was part of the $3,000 estimate work up. They were pessimistic because she has no feeling/ pain reaction in the foot. They said if the break repaired but the nerves had been damaged the leg below would be dead weight so it would then need to be amputated. There is another vet that deals with livestock and poultry. Maybe I can take her for another opinion on Monday. the leg is splinted pretty well. I do regret not getting them to do the X-ray.

 

[SnapdragonQ]

Hmm, if the leg has a spiral fracture they often do soft tissue damage and that might be a cause for possible nerve damage. However if it is not broken it's hard to know the cause of the nerve damage or if it may get better on it's own. Perhaps medication could be an option if it's not broken.
And yes, a limb that has lost nerve or function can become a source of re-injury and is at risk for infections. It's common to remove them so her saying that makes sense now.