- Feb 7, 2020
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I've gotten slipped tendon in my ducks a few times over the past couple years, and I've always spent a bunch of money on trying to splint it and do meds.
No matter what I've tried it just never works. They end up dying from stress or complications from it.
Well, I think I've finally found a way to fix it. I had a young mandarin duck slip her tendon, and I caught it the same day. She was not using the leg at all and it was definitely hurting her. I knew she would die anyway so I decided to try something different. I got the tendon in place, and ran a pin through it to connect it and hold it in place. I always thought if I could just tack it in place and get it to hold for a day or two it might work.
Well, it did. I stretched the leg straight back slowly, rocked then tendon into place, got a small pin/needle (I sterilized it), and ran it through the tendon on an angle, then just pushed it through as hard as I could until it came out the other side. It went through bone I know, not sure what else. It of course bled a little but not much. I made sure the tendon was staying in place, then I snipped off the end of the pin, sprayed the whole hock with a saline/disinfectant, dried it gently, and after it stopped bleeding, put a dot of super glue on the ends to keep the pin from falling out. I gave him a dose of meloxicam and baytril then, meloxicam for pain/swelling and baytril to prevent infection. I planned to continue those two meds twice a day for a few days and I did.
Here are a couple pics
After gluing
I wrapped some duct tape around it after the glue dried to try to keep her and her friends from picking at it and the pin. The tape didn't stay on well so I ended up taking it off after this.
This is her that evening walking and using the leg already. The left leg is the one with the slipped tendon.
I kept giving the meloxicam and the baytril, the leg never swelled badly or anything. A week later, he was using it totally normally. I decided to remove the pin since he was growing quickly and I didn't want it to start interfering. It just slid right out very easily. I went slow. There was no bleeding.
The tendon no longer was slipping at all even with the pin out. Pics after it was removed.
She is 100% normal now and almost fully feathered. No issues since.
I'm so happy to have finally found a possible treatment and wanted to share it to try to help others. Feel free to ask questions if I missed anything, and let me know if you try it and how it works!
No matter what I've tried it just never works. They end up dying from stress or complications from it.
Well, I think I've finally found a way to fix it. I had a young mandarin duck slip her tendon, and I caught it the same day. She was not using the leg at all and it was definitely hurting her. I knew she would die anyway so I decided to try something different. I got the tendon in place, and ran a pin through it to connect it and hold it in place. I always thought if I could just tack it in place and get it to hold for a day or two it might work.
Well, it did. I stretched the leg straight back slowly, rocked then tendon into place, got a small pin/needle (I sterilized it), and ran it through the tendon on an angle, then just pushed it through as hard as I could until it came out the other side. It went through bone I know, not sure what else. It of course bled a little but not much. I made sure the tendon was staying in place, then I snipped off the end of the pin, sprayed the whole hock with a saline/disinfectant, dried it gently, and after it stopped bleeding, put a dot of super glue on the ends to keep the pin from falling out. I gave him a dose of meloxicam and baytril then, meloxicam for pain/swelling and baytril to prevent infection. I planned to continue those two meds twice a day for a few days and I did.
Here are a couple pics
I wrapped some duct tape around it after the glue dried to try to keep her and her friends from picking at it and the pin. The tape didn't stay on well so I ended up taking it off after this.
This is her that evening walking and using the leg already. The left leg is the one with the slipped tendon.
I kept giving the meloxicam and the baytril, the leg never swelled badly or anything. A week later, he was using it totally normally. I decided to remove the pin since he was growing quickly and I didn't want it to start interfering. It just slid right out very easily. I went slow. There was no bleeding.
The tendon no longer was slipping at all even with the pin out. Pics after it was removed.
She is 100% normal now and almost fully feathered. No issues since.
I'm so happy to have finally found a possible treatment and wanted to share it to try to help others. Feel free to ask questions if I missed anything, and let me know if you try it and how it works!
