Lump on back of leg please help!

[ashlierami]

I have a female quail that has been limping for a few days. Upon inspection she has a lump on her leg. She eats,drink, mates, and it laying eggs daily. What could this be? I understand this isn't where quail postings go but I never get much response or help when I do post on the quail thread. I thought maybe this is something someone has dealt with on a chicken or something and can help. I've included a picture. Excuse her poopy feet she ran right into it as I caught her.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't know quail, but that joint looks infected. See how the entire thigh is redder than the other one? Compare her leg/feed color to one of your other birds. I'm wondering about her left leg as well. I don't see signs of scaly leg mites, but if you were dealing with that, you would need to follow the epsom salt wash with a nice covering of oil to the entire length of her legs.

 

[TwoCrows]

I know how it is, we worry about our babies.

It looks like infection to me, but why. Synovial fluid may be leaking out of the tendon sheaves in the hock, common with MS. Quail aren't all that susceptible to MS however. More of a chicken thing, MS

You might try some Doxycycline on her. Its great for deep tissue infections and does well with MS just incase it is MS. You can get it at Twin Cites Poultry.

www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1120

Use RO water or distilled with this medication.

Try this for 1 week. Its either going to work or not.

If you have any Baytril, (Twin Cities also sells it) this might work well too.

This is what I would try first.

 

[TwoCrows]

My chickens had MS. With medications, the survival rate is good. My birds had it in the foot joint and the fluid leaked into the pad of the foot. I did bumblefoot surgeries daily to drain the fluids along with Doxy and Baytril combined. The entire process of meds and surgeries took 3 months to heal. I didn't lose any of them.

You would have to get blood work done to be sure its MS. This could still be something else. MS is contagious and they can carry the mycoplasma the rest of their days.

But I do think antibiotics is where to start with this.

I hope she is going to be ok!!

 

[ashlierami]

My chickens had MS. With medications, the survival rate is good. My birds had it in the foot joint and the fluid leaked into the pad of the foot. I did bumblefoot surgeries daily to drain the fluids along with Doxy and Baytril combined. The entire process of meds and surgeries took 3 months to heal. I didn't lose any of them.

You would have to get blood work done to be sure its MS. This could still be something else. MS is contagious and they can carry the mycoplasma the rest of their days.

But I do think antibiotics is where to start with this.

I hope she is going to be ok!!

I made an appointment with a vet. Around here antibiotics are no longer sold in farm supply stores. Tomorrow I take her at 445 to see the vet. I checked the website where the antibiotic is sold. I figured it might be better if I get her seen by a vet in case it isn't Ms I won't b wasting my money. Also I wouldn't have to wait for the medication to be shipped to me. I hope she will be okay and that she can be treated. She hasn't lost any weight and still eats great so that's positive signs to me. Thank you for all your help and advice I really appreciate it

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I was wondering if Ms affects the birds neurologically? If so what are signs of that? I have my elderly quail that I posted about a few days ago. He acts as if he's bumped his head yet I see nothing to indicate that. He shakes his head and walks backwards fast or has balance issues. It's not always but it does happen several times a day. He will be 6 in April and I thought maybe it's just his age. Could he to have Ms and I just never knew it?

I'm glad you are taking your girl to the vet

MS is usually not associated with neurological symptoms.

What you describe in your male - the walking backwards, shaking the head and having balance issues - if he were a chicken, I would think Wry Neck. Head injury can cause similar symptoms, so can vitamin E deficiency. I do not know how much vitamin E you should give to a quail, so would suggest you discuss that with your vet or use the proper dosage of a poultry vitamin like Poultry Nutri-Drench that contains E.

You may also want to look in his ears, just in case he has ear infection or ear mites.

I'm sure the others will chime in I have soooo much to learn, so if you don't mind, please let us know what the vet says about both your little birds.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Wyorp, Looks like a blister to me.

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh gosh, I'm sorry about your quail!

I am not sure what this is. Does the bird sleep on wire? Her hock may be becoming very irritated from laying on it. If you think this is the case, you might get her on bedding.

Also, if she had a poke or cut and it got infected, it would blister and get irritated by wire floors.

Do not try and drain this, no doubt antibiotics are needed. Penicillin of some sort.

I am going to move this over to our quail section. Someone over there must have seen this before.

Good luck with her!

 

[ashlierami]

Oh gosh, I'm sorry about your quail!

I am not sure what this is. Does the bird sleep on wire? Her hock may be becoming very irritated from laying on it. If you think this is the case, you might get her on bedding.

Also, if she had a poke or cut and it got infected, it would blister and get irritated by wire floors.

Do not try and drain this, no doubt antibiotics are needed. Penicillin of some sort.

I am going to move this over to our quail section. Someone over there must have seen this before.

Good luck with her!

No she has bedding that I change out and maybe she got a cut or something from me taking her outside. I have an outside cage I take them out to when the weather is nice but it also is bedding. I never noticed any bleeding from a cut or scrape and she is heavy so she's not one to fly up. If she does fly up she doesn't get an inch off the ground. She lays daily and doesn't seem to have any other issues. What medication would I need to get for her? I no longer ask the employees at farm supply stores due to lack of knowledge even tho they say they are there to help. I have been wrongly advised many times so I do not ask them. I always rely on byc. Thank you for the well wishes I also desperate to help her she is my baby.

 

[TwoCrows]

@Wyorp Rock is right, MS has no neurological issues. What has most likely happened is the bird flushed up into the ceiling of the cage and boinked his head. He has either damaged his spinal cord or has a concusion. This is so common with quail and I urge people to use fake or real foliage in their pens and aviaries for cover. Quail prefer to hang out and linger all day as they would in the wild under brush. When danger approaches, they dive for cover. Without cover they flush up and hit their heads.

As for your little guy, separate him out for a couple of days. Use a heat lamp on him to keep him warm. Use soft towels or bedding and you may need to help him eat. Hand feed him and if he can't drink, dip his beak in the water several times a day. Many times these brain issues have them off poultry feed, so warmed chopped hard boiled eggs is the perfect emergency food to sustain and keep him healing. Eggs have all the vitamins, minerals and building blocks of life in them. This type of injury can take several days to a week to recover from. The thing that usually kills them is dehydration and starving to death so make sure to intervene and help him eat and drink.

And wow, 6 yrs old is old for a quail, you must be giving him a lot of love!! I recently lost a male Bobwhite of 7 years, 5 months and 11 days, died of old age. Hatched him myself, he sure lived a long time. Gosh I miss that bird!

Keep us posted on his progress!