Serious leg injury from dog attack, treatment advice needed

[k_scho]

Our neighbor's dog managed to get one of our hens (Lulu, she's about a year old). Luckily our neighbor was there to intervene and saved Lulu. Aside from a bunch of feathers being ripped out and some ugly bruising, we could see that she had lost complete use of her right leg. Her left leg appeared to be okay, and both wings are okay. We took her to the vet that afternoon, and the vet couldn't find any broken bones or fractures in her right leg. My husband and I decided not to pay for the x-rays quite yet ($$$, ugh).

We've finished the rounds of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine, and I've given her some electrolytes and extra protein. She is eating, drinking, and pooping normally (no eggs, but I figured that's normal after trauma). Right now she is sitting on some soft bath towels in a cardboard box. We also made a sling for her to sit in, with holes for her legs to poke through and sort of hang down as she rests.

Here are the deets:
1.) Her right leg isn't broken, but it's completely limp and almost cool to the touch. The toes don't curl, grasp, or react to anything. She has zero ability to brace herself on that leg and literally falls to one side if she tries to move. Is it okay to let her sit on her legs, as long as her injured leg is positioned naturally underneath her body? Or should she always be in a sling and have the injured leg dangling?

2.) She doesn't show if she's hurting or in pain (she is the quietest chicken ever), so we don't know if moving her injured leg around actually hurts her. Could there be a chance that she feels nothing in that leg? Is there a way to know if this is a muscle/tendon injury or even a nerve injury, and how likely is it that she can recover, at least a little, from a severe tendon injury?

3.) Would the vet be able to tell if something is dislocated higher up in her leg, like her hip, without an x-ray?

Any advice you can give that might help us help Lulu would be so appreciated!!! We want to make her comfortable and *hopefully* help her heal, even if it takes a while. We're worried there's major permanent damage.

Thank you! -- Kate

 

[Brenda D]

We had an accident with one of ours as well and we thought her leg was broke. I was advised to separate her from the others so they would not harm her so we put her in a dog carrier for about 6 weeks and I taped a tongue depressed to the leg for stability because I wasn't sure if it was broken. I changed the tape regularly as it gets very dirty. As time went by she started putting weight on it. She is now doing well although she has a slight limp.

 

[coach723]

Sprains and strains can sometimes take quite a while to improve. If she is comfortable laying on the towels then I would do that, and use the sling for periods during the day to allow her to eat and drink more comfortably. An xray might tell the tale, or might not. Some vets are very knowledgeable about birds, some are not. I'm attaching a splinting manual that explains how to examine for various fractures and how to splint them, which may be helpful for you. If she's eating and drinking and pooing normally and seems relatively comfortable, then I personally would give her supportive care and give her some time.

 

[k_scho]

We had an accident with one of ours as well and we thought her leg was broke. I was advised to separate her from the others so they would not harm her so we put her in a dog carrier for about 6 weeks and I taped a tongue depressed to the leg for stability because I wasn't sure if it was broken. I changed the tape regularly as it gets very dirty. As time went by she started putting weight on it. She is now doing well although she has a slight limp.

That's so good to hear that your chicken healed after taking some time to rest! We have a large dog crate we can put Lulu in, so I think we'll do that as well. We have three other chickens who stay outside in our backyard, so we'll be sure to keep them separated. Thanks for replying

 

[k_scho]

Sprains and strains can sometimes take quite a while to improve. If she is comfortable laying on the towels then I would do that, and use the sling for periods during the day to allow her to eat and drink more comfortably. An xray might tell the tale, or might not. Some vets are very knowledgeable about birds, some are not. I'm attaching a splinting manual that explains how to examine for various fractures and how to splint them, which may be helpful for you. If she's eating and drinking and pooing normally and seems relatively comfortable, then I personally would give her supportive care and give her some time.

I've downloaded the attachment -- thank you!! This is a great resource to have on hand. Lulu does seem comfortable on the towels and in the sling (she'll fall asleep periodically, so I assume she is at least comfy enough to snooze??) We'll give her the time she needs...even if she has to limp around, I hope she's able to heal up well enough to enjoy the backyard again. For now, it's lots of attention and pampering inside.