HenHaven is a GENIUS! Zane Thanks You, Lynn! LOOK!

[opihiman911]

What about attaching the sling to a pulley and use a thinner dowel or cable so the pulley can roll back and forth? Adjust the sling cable so his legs are half bent and he can walk or hop if he wants to, yet still be able to rest his legs and hang in the sling if he wants to.
We had a young dog that got paralysed in both his back legs. We made him a sling like that connected to a light weight cable and pulley with a 50 yard cable run that he could run the whole length of the yard. He loved it and put miles a day on the run and lived many more happy years. We also made a chariot for his back legs so he could go wherever he wanted, but he like his sling and pulley better because he could run faster and play with the other dogs.
I'm sorry I haven't followed your posts about Zane and don't know what injuries he has. Last I heard you were treating him for depression from loss of his big brother. I'm sorry to hear he is going through a rough patch in life.
Good luck and bless you for caring for him so well.

Aloha,
Cory

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you for your suggestions, Cory. Actually, it was Zane's father, Hawkeye, who passed away suddenly from a drug reaction. They were good friends and were going to be co-leaders of this flock, were getting along well, roosting together, then all that ended suddenly.
Where we had the pole the sling was attached to, Zane could touch his feet if he would allow them to drop down. We can put it to any height by changing which part of the chickenwire it goes through. If he'll just get interested in the girls or maybe the chicks in the pen next to him, maybe he'll start putting weight on his feet/legs without realizing it. Not sure if we could rig the pulley, but maybe we have one here somewhere. Heck, we have everything else around here someplace.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Is Zane still liking his sling?

 

[speckledhen]

Not sure if he really likes it, but it sure is doing the job of keeping his leg unfolded. He can do everything he needs to do while in it. I take him out at night and he's outside in the sling during the day watching the activity.

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

That's a brilliant idea. It would be just like physical therapy. It's certainly worth a shot! I hope this works for him.

 

[Cetawin]

YAY ZANE!

And that Yellow looks so good on him.

Now let the healing begin...

 

[crtrlovr]

Glad your boy is feeling better, and I HAD to LOL @ the first pic of the chicken on the ground looking up at Zane: it has the funniest expression on its face, and I can hear it saying/thinking: "LOOK! IT'S SUPERCHICKEN!!!" That is too cute! hope this brings Zane back to 100% in short order!

 

[EweSheep]

So cute! reminds me of when hubby and I got a johnny up and down thingy for Katie that we hung it from the ceiling. I know Katie loved bouncing on it but hubby got other ideas about "shooting her to the moon" with that sling

 

[Buster]

What a great idea. I hope he improves for you. I adore the three roosters I have here .(well, except for Mack, the crazy one- I just tolerate him because he is too pretty for stew.) I would be very upset if one of them was having troubles. Best of luck to you Cyn.

 

[sweetshoplady]

That's neat! I hope that works for him! I know this sounds crazy, but with that you could do hydrotherapy with him. He could move his legs in the water (build up his muscles, get strength, etc) so it would be easier for him to do on land, to support his weight.

HenHaven, that was very ingenious of you!

Here's hoping for a 100% recovery for that handsome roo!