Hen with spinal injury after dog attack cant walk or stand! Is this going to be permanent?!?!

Danny188

Songster
Jul 22, 2019
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Iowa
One of the hens I am nursing back to health has no feeling in her legs and cannot stand at all. I pinched the bottom of her foot no reaction, her vent and wings still work I can see her flexing her vent and she can tuck in her wings and feel them. Can chickens recover from a partial paralysis? Should I put her down? It looks like is just her legs but could it also be shock the attack happend yesterday mid day she was on the ground the hole time that I have seen her. After the attack she can half limp and pull herself with her wings to move a couple of feet but she is exhausted after. She lays on her side almost like when they dust bath. I think when she shuffles she is using a diffrent muscle to pick her legs up a bit. Can chickens recover from paralysis or is it too much work to get them to walk again?

Edit: sorry for posting 3 threads about this I just didn't know the all what was wrong with them and the other ones are too old and I wont get the responses I need
 
One of the hens I am nursing back to health has no feeling in her legs and cannot stand at all. I pinched the bottom of her foot no reaction, her vent and wings still work I can see her flexing her vent and she can tuck in her wings and feel them. Can chickens recover from a partial paralysis? Should I put her down? It looks like is just her legs but could it also be shock the attack happend yesterday mid day she was on the ground the hole time that I have seen her. After the attack she can half limp and pull herself with her wings to move a couple of feet but she is exhausted after. She lays on her side almost like when they dust bath. I think when she shuffles she is using a diffrent muscle to pick her legs up a bit. Can chickens recover from paralysis or is it too much work to get them to walk again?

Edit: sorry for posting 3 threads about this I just didn't know the all what was wrong with them and the other ones are too old and I wont get the responses I need
Sometimes an animal can get 'spinal shock' which causes a temporary paralysis which can last days/weeks or even months.
You can try yo help her by building her a sling:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/need-a-chicken-sling.1115597/
There's no guarantee that she will walk again, but you never know. :)
 

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Hi again,

depending on the severity it takes at least about 4-10 days until the damaged tissue stops swelling and the compressed nerves will be relieved from the pressure. She might have suffered some inner bleeding and it takes a while for a hematoma to be absorbed.

So hopefully her actual paralysis will not be permanent and with your good care she might recover even sooner.
 
Hi again,

depending on the severity it takes at least about 4-10 days until the damaged tissue stops swelling and the compressed nerves will be relieved from the pressure. She might have suffered some inner bleeding and it takes a while for a hematoma to be absorbed.

So hopefully her actual paralysis will not be permanent and with your good care she might recover even sooner.
:) Thanks for all the help you have given me! The others are doing ok and are starting to eat a little more, the paralized one has an almost full crop right now! The other are half to 1/4 full and we have antibiotics that are in the water. I used some corn to help "trigger" there eating but dident give them enough to dilute their diet, now they have to eat there normal feed (I bought a bag of all flock 20% protine originally for their molt but it's coming in handy now) and hard boiled eggs till they get stronger.
 
Update: I just went and pinched the lower end of her leg muscles and she squawked I did it 2 times each leg to be shure it wasn't a coincidence. Does this mean there is hope or does it mean nothing. If they are paralized I would assume she cant feel or control the muscles.
 

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