Lost toenail ? Injury question.

[alinas2010]

Be sure to check farther up her leg and around her hip area for any bruises, swelling or anything out of place, also.

 

[bmaw]

Sorry for the late response, this notification got lost in my long list. How is she doing today? Her toe does not look infected, in my opinion. But you are the one there with her in person who can see more obvious changes, so if you feel like an antibiotic would help her, try it. What kind do you have? Be sure you’re giving probiotics with it.

I would definitely do the soaks, also, as well as a triple antibiotic ointment once or twice a day.

Do you feel anything out of place or any strange lumps on that toe or foot in comparison to the other? I wonder if she injured more than just the nail…

You are so kind...Yesterday she was still isolating, so I gave her BioMycin yesterday afternoon. She tanked around dinner time didn't even want her favorite snack but did go to roost. This AM I cleaned it again (no change in color) and sprayed a bandaid on. There is no evidence of exposure? Her toe is still darker than the others but it wasn't warmer anymore. she ate well, drank, good poops, stood more on the foot, even scratched in the dirt then petered out by 12. I'm dumbfounded. I don't feel anything different in this toe than the others. Could it be bruised, thus darker?

 

[bmaw]

Be sure to check farther up her leg and around her hip area for any bruises, swelling or anything out of place, also.

thank you! I'm not sure I thought to do that, other than looking for a red streak.

 

[alinas2010]

I’m so sorry to hear she didn’t do well yesterday. I hope that things are turning around today as you noted.

Here is a link about Biomycin use, which I believe is oxytetracycline, for chickens. The link includes dosage and egg withdrawal times incase you need it:

https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/oxytetracycline

I hope she is on the up and up. And hopefully that antibiotic is helping whatever is going on. Is she having any egg laying issues or crop issues? Anything else that could be causing her to isolate? I’m sure you’ve definitely checked more than once now, but no other visible injuries or bruising? Nothing hiding under her wings or belly? No mites/lice? Sometimes if something else is going on an additional injury or infection could exasperate their condition.

Try giving her some poultry electrolytes and scrambled eggs to perk her up more if needed. Consider feeding separately from the flock if you think she is being kept from food and drink at all.

I can’t tell if there is swelling on that toe in that latest picture, but do you see any swelling in person?

It’s very possible the toe is bruised and we just can’t see it. Are her feet pads dark, also or could you maybe see a color difference there?

 

[bmaw]

I’m so sorry to hear she didn’t do well yesterday. I hope that things are turning around today as you noted.

Here is a link about Biomycin use, which I believe is oxytetracycline, for chickens. The link includes dosage and egg withdrawal times incase you need it:

https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/oxytetracycline

I hope she is on the up and up. And hopefully that antibiotic is helping whatever is going on. Is she having any egg laying issues or crop issues? Anything else that could be causing her to isolate? I’m sure you’ve definitely checked more than once now, but no other visible injuries or bruising? Nothing hiding under her wings or belly? No mites/lice? Sometimes if something else is going on an additional injury or infection could exasperate their condition.

Try giving her some poultry electrolytes and scrambled eggs to perk her up more if needed. Consider feeding separately from the flock if you think she is being kept from food and drink at all.

I can’t tell if there is swelling on that toe in that latest picture, but do you see any swelling in person?

It’s very possible the toe is bruised and we just can’t see it. Are her feet pads dark, also or could you maybe see a color difference there?

hi. i appreciate your interest!

i do not see any size or color difference in her shanks which are a blue gray, but yes that toe is darker. would that be bruised? if you scroll to pics of day 1 you can see her toes were the same color, lighter. the photo i sent earlier today, there may be a bit of a shadow but in person, it is definitely darker, maybe a wee bit larger, hardly noticeable.

i gave her vitamins today, she did better at dinmer time than yesterday-about like she was mid last week, eating with the others, standing on both legs some, not sitting as much.

the flock has recently been treated for mites (not visible), and coccidia, under an assumption. she temporarily improved after both-dusting on monday. she was dewormed about 3-4 weeks ago so i dont think its that. she hasnt laid since the day after this accident, but doesnt act egg bound. her crop is full PM (with some help last couple days) and empty AM, good poops, drinking, foraging….still sits more and hesitant to stand on her foot or curl her toe.

she may have a hairline fracture? or deep bruise? hopefully its not a clot?

 

[alinas2010]

Of course I know sometimes it’s just hard to deal with these types of things without someone to bounce them off of. That’s how I am anyways lol how is she today?

She’s a little bit of a mystery. I wouldn’t expect her to still have so much pain from losing a nail, so it really does make me think something more is going on. Whether it’s a fracture, sprain, or something else, it’s tough to say. Whatever it is, it may just take time to resolve. I hope giving supportive care and ensuring she’s eating and drinking will help aid the healing and eventually she’ll be back to normal.

I do see the discoloration you’re talking about. At first I did think it was the ointment causing her scales to look darker, but perhaps it is bruising? If it’s something like a clot, my thought is that with blocked blood flow, the toe would eventually auto amputate. If that shoes to be the case, it would look very grisly at first, but the process is usually self limiting. I can’t really see that being wha will happen to her, but it does seem odd that she doesn’t have any other injuries besides the lost toenail and she’s favoring it like she is.

Can she bend that toe still? Like it isn’t limp and she can wrap it around your finger?

I was just thinking, you don’t have snakes there right now do you?

 

[bmaw]

Of course I know sometimes it’s just hard to deal with these types of things without someone to bounce them off of. That’s how I am anyways lol how is she today?

She’s a little bit of a mystery. I wouldn’t expect her to still have so much pain from losing a nail, so it really does make me think something more is going on. Whether it’s a fracture, sprain, or something else, it’s tough to say. Whatever it is, it may just take time to resolve. I hope giving supportive care and ensuring she’s eating and drinking will help aid the healing and eventually she’ll be back to normal.

I do see the discoloration you’re talking about. At first I did think it was the ointment causing her scales to look darker, but perhaps it is bruising? If it’s something like a clot, my thought is that with blocked blood flow, the toe would eventually auto amputate. If that shoes to be the case, it would look very grisly at first, but the process is usually self limiting. I can’t really see that being wha will happen to her, but it does seem odd that she doesn’t have any other injuries besides the lost toenail and she’s favoring it like she is.

Can she bend that toe still? Like it isn’t limp and she can wrap it around your finger?

I was just thinking, you don’t have snakes there right now do you?

hi, she's about the same. I agree she must have a hairline fracture or something more than the toe that's causing discomfort. she can bend her toe around the roost but I can see it is uncomfortable, still tucking her leg, but standing on it more, appetite still less-I am supplementing her at night to fill her crop. hasn't laid in 10 days, so I know she's compensating.

I stopped meloxicam after 9 days, didn't seem to make a difference. I'd given her the bio mycin at 1pm on Tuesday. Wednesday AM that foot was barely warmer than the other and she chose to scratch in the dirt, sat less...I'm not sure if the antibiotic even had time to produce those effects, and undecided if I should give dose 2 today because of that. thanks again.

 

[alinas2010]

hi, she's about the same. I agree she must have a hairline fracture or something more than the toe that's causing discomfort. she can bend her toe around the roost but I can see it is uncomfortable, still tucking her leg, but standing on it more, appetite still less-I am supplementing her at night to fill her crop. hasn't laid in 10 days, so I know she's compensating.

I stopped meloxicam after 9 days, didn't seem to make a difference. I'd given her the bio mycin at 1pm on Tuesday. Wednesday AM that foot was barely warmer than the other and she chose to scratch in the dirt, sat less...I'm not sure if the antibiotic even had time to produce those effects, and undecided if I should give dose 2 today because of that. thanks again.

I suppose a break from laying is doing her good.I hope in a week or so she starts to recover fully and use her foot again. Keep us updated!

On the antibiotic, that is up to you. If you don’t see signs of infection, no need to give it. However if you suspect she did/does have an infection, finish the course in order to prevent an antibiotic resistant bacteria from forming.