roo walking on his elbows - please help!

[fallenweeble]

here's the sitch.
one of the two roos i'm fostering (i posted pics a few days ago) had the icky scaly legs so we put petroleum jelly on them. the first day was fine but now he won't use his feet. instead he is "crawling" around on his elbows! i'm nervous and thinking i may take him in first thing tomorrow morning to see my avian vet.
any thoughts/ideas?
thank you!

 

[rooster-red]

Sorry, I can't offer anything helpful, but I think getting him checked by a vet is a very good idea.

 

[65browneyes]

Hmmmmmmm........his little feet and legs must be really tender. My Tootsie never got that bad, but she did hang out in the hen house for the majority of the time when her legs were at their worst. I know some people have used Camphophenique (sp?) and swear by it. I used Vaseline, and treated nearly daily if need be. She's doing great now, scales are pretty much gone. Hopefully, those more knowledgable will be along soon to offer 'real' advice.

Good luck to you and the roo.




edited for spelling..........

 

[jimnjay]

Check the bottoms of his feet too. Bumble foot can get very bad and cause them to stay off their fee. You will see a distinct dark spot surrounded by feet inflamation.

 

[greyfields]

I would check for bumble foot, too. It's very painful for them and they won't want to use their feet at all.

If you are able to give shots, 2 days of penecillin isn't a bad idea.

 

[fallenweeble]

thank you to all who posted! i can't tell you how much i appreciate your time and help!
because this is my "first time" dealing with foot issues i am taking "julius" to my vet today at 3:30 to make sure that i get the right medication (especially since i'm not experienced enough to recognize the ailment) and maybe also some pain meds because it looks like it HURTS (poor lil roo!).
i will post the outcome when we get back.
ya'll, as usual, rock.

 

[jjthink]

Sending good wishes for the poor fellow... though he will likely do well with your good care. If you are able to post pics of his legs, it would be interesting to see and learn from. But he comes first - only if you have time...
JJ

 

[65browneyes]

What's the latest? Was your vet able to enlighten you (meaning US) at all?

And pics would be very interesting, yes.

 

[fallenweeble]

well . . .
after three and a half hours at the vet i still don't have a definitive answer!
the vet does not think it's bumble foot but beyond that she is stumped.
she believes it could be a neurological issue but the source is mysterious. we did do an x-ray to see if there was any metal in the crop (signs of heavy-metal poisoning) but that did not show anything unusual.
we are going to do a run of albon and also deworm with panacur. julius got an injection of vitamins to try to give him a "boost" because he seems so skinny and just basically "down." i'm hoping the dewormer will get his digestive system back up and running so he can get some of those groceries to "stick."
in regards to the mites she could not find them under the microscope but i am going to keep treating their legs with an over the counter petroleum based product just in case. (i had already started treating the legs so maybe all the mites had died already?)

the good news is that julius does seem slightly better today. maybe i'm imagining it but i think he was attempting to put some weight on his feet although he is still "crawling" for the most part.

i will keep posting updates. thanks to everyone for helping and caring!

 

[jjthink]

Oh, I really hope he gets better - poor little guy. Thank you for caring so much about him

JJ