KattKatt
Hatching
- Jun 13, 2016
- 4
- 0
- 9
I'M IN PANIC MODE! PLEASE HELP!
I take in disabled animals to try & rehabilitate & help them!
About three weeks ago I was blessed with a little chicken we named Limp. When I got her she was about 3 weeks old. She had a "BROKEN LEG"(we thought). Her knee joint was swollen and was sticking out to the side, her other leg/foot worked perfectly & she was able to hop on it(get to her food and water, be a "normal chicken").
We took her to our beloved vet who did not know much about chickens but did his research & tried his best to help us. He put a little Popsicle stick cast on. She hobbled around perfectly with the cast with assistants from her good leg. We waited about 3 days with the cast on 24/7 & then went back to the vet. He took the cast off & the leg seemed better! He put a new cast on, showed me how to change it.... I changed the cast every 3 days for about 2 weeks! She started to not even use her casted up foot like before, she just stuck the leg behind her, her toes on her bad leg started to curl. Every time I took the cast off it just wasn't looking any better. I took the cast off completely because it was making her distressed rather than helping at all. After a few days, her good leg started to lay in front of her(not using it at all). A couple days later her toes on her good leg started to become stiff & curled.
I considered having the vet take the bad leg off thinking that maybe it was just keeping her from using the good leg but after speaking with our vet, he said there was not much we could to because it seems like her legs have nerve damage.
We have been giving her B12 and other vitamins through her water! She can not make her way to her food & water but when placed in front of her, she eats/drinks. She is in the complete splits but uses her "good leg" a little bit.....LITTLE BIT! The big problem is, she is living her life in a playpen with me having to give her water & food! If she went out side, I worry about Hawks, other chickens being mean to her, and well, she would just roll around if I left her. She is a happy little chick but I am struggling with the heartbreaking decision of letting her go to heaven so she doesn't have to suffer any more or continue how I have been doing! I sadly think she may have Marek's(still doing research so I could be completely wrong!)
Please please please!! If anyone has any idea what could be wrong or any suggestions on how to help her, I will try anything!!
I take in disabled animals to try & rehabilitate & help them!
About three weeks ago I was blessed with a little chicken we named Limp. When I got her she was about 3 weeks old. She had a "BROKEN LEG"(we thought). Her knee joint was swollen and was sticking out to the side, her other leg/foot worked perfectly & she was able to hop on it(get to her food and water, be a "normal chicken").
We took her to our beloved vet who did not know much about chickens but did his research & tried his best to help us. He put a little Popsicle stick cast on. She hobbled around perfectly with the cast with assistants from her good leg. We waited about 3 days with the cast on 24/7 & then went back to the vet. He took the cast off & the leg seemed better! He put a new cast on, showed me how to change it.... I changed the cast every 3 days for about 2 weeks! She started to not even use her casted up foot like before, she just stuck the leg behind her, her toes on her bad leg started to curl. Every time I took the cast off it just wasn't looking any better. I took the cast off completely because it was making her distressed rather than helping at all. After a few days, her good leg started to lay in front of her(not using it at all). A couple days later her toes on her good leg started to become stiff & curled.
I considered having the vet take the bad leg off thinking that maybe it was just keeping her from using the good leg but after speaking with our vet, he said there was not much we could to because it seems like her legs have nerve damage.
We have been giving her B12 and other vitamins through her water! She can not make her way to her food & water but when placed in front of her, she eats/drinks. She is in the complete splits but uses her "good leg" a little bit.....LITTLE BIT! The big problem is, she is living her life in a playpen with me having to give her water & food! If she went out side, I worry about Hawks, other chickens being mean to her, and well, she would just roll around if I left her. She is a happy little chick but I am struggling with the heartbreaking decision of letting her go to heaven so she doesn't have to suffer any more or continue how I have been doing! I sadly think she may have Marek's(still doing research so I could be completely wrong!)
Please please please!! If anyone has any idea what could be wrong or any suggestions on how to help her, I will try anything!!
