OK, so my new BS peahen that we FINALLY found, is dead lame. WE have had her three weeks, she's still in quarantine pen. She is not all that tame, but we're working on it. She hates being confined. A few days ago she flew into the side of the pen (wire fence) and fell to the ground. I did not notice any injury at the time, but I did notice that she was lying on the ground that evening, instead of roosting. Yesterday I noticed a slight limp, but she was roosting on her perch last night. Today she was dead lame, totally off her feed, left foot swollen and hot. I finally got her to eat a grape laced with Five Flower formula, (which is a natural calming agent and helps with pain, for those who don't know...) and we took her to a vet. By the time we reached the vet's office, there was a major power outage, so they were unable to do Xrays, or a whole lot of anything. The vet did examne everything possible, and could find no sign of serious injury. No swelling in the foot by the time she got there. She had heat in both legs but she attributed that to being in the carrier. The peahen would not stand up, and acted stoned, which we attributed to too much Five Flower. Meloxicam was prescribed, and we were told to administer Meloxicam all weekend, and return on Monday or Tuesday for an Xray if no improvement. The vet attributed the lack of appetite to pain, but I have noticed that she has been slowly going off her feed the past few days.
I am not so sure that this is an injury, though the vet seems to think so. I've read about others with birds lame in the left foot, and it has in at least one instance been diagnosed as gout.
For the past few months, we had a rooster also lame in the left foot. He never had any other symptoms but he (like her) had intermittent swelling in the foot, and curled toes. He always had a normal appetite though. He did recover completely for a few days after 6 weeks of rest, but then his symptoms returned. He's been re-homed with a friend, who reported today that he is slowly improving, and no longer has curled toes, but again it has been several weeks of rest.
I only mentioned him because I wonder if this could be viral arthritis or something similar that maybe our peahen contracted from him. I haven't noticed any unusual droppings. I've read on here about others with lame birds, also in the left foot or leg. Does anyone have any experience, insights, or thoughts, that we could pass on to the vet for this coming week? I have read that staph infections can settle in the leg tendon in poultry ( I haven't mentioned this to the vet as I just read it)...and should be treated with antibiotics.
We treat our flock with Denagard periodically as a preventative for MS, but the new peahen has never had any since she's been with us. I don't know if the breeder used it.
Very much hoping someone has had some experience here. We'd very much like to save this bird, of course. When she got home this evening she's returned to being more alert (the Five Flower wore off, apparently) and she can get around a bit, but is still very lame...the Meloxicam isn't doing much, and she's still lying on the ground. I'm also worried about her not eating. I have not been able to coax her to eat, and I hate to have to try and tube feed her. The vet didn't suggest tube feeding, but I suppose that's an option...I just think it might stress her out more if we try to do that.
Anyone?
I am not so sure that this is an injury, though the vet seems to think so. I've read about others with birds lame in the left foot, and it has in at least one instance been diagnosed as gout.
For the past few months, we had a rooster also lame in the left foot. He never had any other symptoms but he (like her) had intermittent swelling in the foot, and curled toes. He always had a normal appetite though. He did recover completely for a few days after 6 weeks of rest, but then his symptoms returned. He's been re-homed with a friend, who reported today that he is slowly improving, and no longer has curled toes, but again it has been several weeks of rest.
I only mentioned him because I wonder if this could be viral arthritis or something similar that maybe our peahen contracted from him. I haven't noticed any unusual droppings. I've read on here about others with lame birds, also in the left foot or leg. Does anyone have any experience, insights, or thoughts, that we could pass on to the vet for this coming week? I have read that staph infections can settle in the leg tendon in poultry ( I haven't mentioned this to the vet as I just read it)...and should be treated with antibiotics.
We treat our flock with Denagard periodically as a preventative for MS, but the new peahen has never had any since she's been with us. I don't know if the breeder used it.
Very much hoping someone has had some experience here. We'd very much like to save this bird, of course. When she got home this evening she's returned to being more alert (the Five Flower wore off, apparently) and she can get around a bit, but is still very lame...the Meloxicam isn't doing much, and she's still lying on the ground. I'm also worried about her not eating. I have not been able to coax her to eat, and I hate to have to try and tube feed her. The vet didn't suggest tube feeding, but I suppose that's an option...I just think it might stress her out more if we try to do that.
Anyone?
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.We never found her again, though we looked and looked. No feathers, no one has seen her. Nothing.
