Rooster swollen "knee" joint can't walk

[Mowglimommychick]

I have a young lavender orpington Roo, probably about 8 months old. One day he started limping and by the next day he really couldn't walk on one leg at all. I've had him in a cage with food and water so he could rest for the last 3 or 4 days, and given him some baby aspirin to help with inflammation but he just does not seem to be improving at all. The joint feels warm and is swollen when compared with the other one. It's his right leg. The brown you see in the picture is just dirt because he's been laying on it so much, it did not have any injury or cuts or infected looking spots when this all started. What should I do?

 

[Eggcessive]

It would be good to see how he stands normally, in case he has a leg bone deformity such as varus or valgus defomity, in which the hock tendon can become ruptured. If the bad leg appears knock-kneed or bowed out, one of those might be a problem. Sometimes the tendon ruptures. More common is a sprain which can cause pain and swelling. Joint infection might be another possibility, but usually that appears in both legs in the hocks and ankles.

Resting his leg in a large dog crate with food and water would be a good idea. Try some aspirin, and 1/4 tablet daily of vitamin B complex may be helpful. You can give one 81 mg low dose aspirin orally twice a day, or 325mg in each 8 ounces of his water.

Valgus deformity right leg

Varus deformity left leg

 

[Mowglimommychick]

It would be good to see how he stands normally, in case he has a leg bone deformity such as varus or valgus defomity, in which the hock tendon can become ruptured. If the bad leg appears knock-kneed or bowed out, one of those might be a problem. Sometimes the tendon ruptures. More common is a sprain which can cause pain and swelling. Joint infection might be another possibility, but usually that appears in both legs in the hocks and ankles.

Resting his leg in a large dog crate with food and water would be a good idea. Try some aspirin, and 1/4 tablet daily of vitamin B complex may be helpful. You can give one 81 mg low dose aspirin orally twice a day, or 325mg in each 8 ounces of his water.

View attachment 1751978
Valgus deformity right leg

View attachment 1751983
Varus deformity left leg[/QUOTE

Thanks for taking the time to post those example pictures. I don't recall noticing anything unusual in his stance before this. I'll keep at the aspirin and add b vitamin to it. Any idea at recovery time if this regimen will help? I guess I mean how long should I stick with it before looking at end of life - which I hate for a beautiful and otherwise healthy bird? He just can't stand up at all now except for a brief hop forward on the good leg.

 

[Eggcessive]

This liitle guy was born in 2014, and at last I read was living in a small area with another chicken. He was thought to have a slipped tendon, but probably was a varus deformity. A lot depends on if he has a deformity or an injury that gets better. After a certain period of treatment, I think that you could make a better decision.

Photo of Cleopatra by ciqala of BYC.

 

[Mowglimommychick]

This liitle guy was born in 2014, and at last I read was living in a small area with another chicken. He was thought to have a slipped tendon, but probably was a varus deformity. A lot depends on if he has a deformity or an injury that gets better. After a certain period of treatment, I think that you could make a better decision.
View attachment 1752331
Photo of Cleopatra by ciqala of BYC.

Ok, thanks. I have some anti inflammatory gel I got as a precription for an arthritic spot on my foot. It's Diclofenac. He's in pretty bad shape, so I don't think I have a lot to lose here, and that does specifically target the spot rather than treats systemically, but do you think it would be okay for him or would I be killing him using a teeny tiny bit?

 

[Ms Clucky]

Wrap it with that co-flex that they use for horses. One of my roosters had a swollen ankle and we put that on him and the swelling went down. He walked normal too after that. He was very smart, so he didn't peck at it. I would use a mild darker color like green or blue. In my experience, chickens go crazy when they see bright colors. Especially yellow or pink.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am not sure that your diclofenac would be appropriate for a chicken after reading some of the possible side affects. Aspirin might be more safe. It can be given orally 81 mg twice a day, or you can add 325mg to every 8 ounces of water. Vet wrap or coflex bandage can be cut into 1 inch strips which can be used in splinting. There are some splinting pictures in post 1 of this thread that may be helpful:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/peachick-with-slipped-tendon.1092979/
Also, the vet wrap may be used just as a reinforcement to his leg for support. Be sure to check that it is not too tight to cut off circulation, and remove it and replace it often.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I've had him in a cage with food and water so he could rest for the last 3 or 4 days, and given him some baby aspirin to help with inflammation but he just does not seem to be improving at all. The joint feels warm and is swollen when compared with the other one.

Can you gently scrub and clean out the debris in that ?

I would put him on clean dry bedding. If he's laying down a lot, some soft towels or puppy pads may help.
Have you added any new birds to your flock in the last 30 days?