Slipped tendon help!

[desy05]

Hello all, I am a bit desperate, It’s Monday and I am at the vet where I took my 1 month old peachick for a slipped tendon.it happened on friday.
They said they don’t have a good prognosis and pretty much told me to put it down. I saw several good outcome stories in this forum. I’m gonna go home and steak it and sling it like yall say. How long would it need to be immobilized and please tell me the tendon is going to reattach itself. I’m devastated right now…

 

[KsKingBee]

Is it a slipped tendon or a blown hock? Did the tendon slip off the knee to the side or is the whole leg turned outward? Please post a pic. Repairing a slipped tendon at four weeks is almost impossible but can be done. The blown hock where the tendon had detached from the hip is not fixable.

 

[desy05]

Definitely slipped tendon! I’ll post pictures after work in a couple of hours, just got home from the vet 1 hour and a half away. I have another appointment with another vet next tuesday, but I am not very hopeful and it’s so far away in time! I’ll immobilize it best I can and keep my everything crossed that it fixes itself. Please any advice is welcome!

 

[desy05]

Here’s some pics. I have to say that it’s way more swollen than before I took it to the vet

 

[desy05]

Is it a slipped tendon or a blown hock? Did the tendon slip off the knee to the side or is the whole leg turned outward? Please post a pic. Repairing a slipped tendon at four weeks is almost impossible but can be done. The blown hock where the tendon had

It’s definitely slipped tendon. I think i was able to bandage it and hold it in place, at least I hope. I can make a sling like I saw someone doing, or I can tape him to the box like the youtube video I saw. I am so torn about what to do

 

[KsKingBee]

I won't give you any false hope, nor will I encourage you to waste money on vets. There are things you can do to TRY to fix it, but understand that these tips work on younger chicks like less than a week old. The problem is that the groove in the bone where the tendon lies is too shallow for a swollen tendon and holding it in place while the bird is trying to use it is very difficult. If the vet did not give you a pain reliever for the bird you can use children's liquid aspirin, 0.01ml twice per day to help with both the pain and the swelling. It will make your bird very sleepy. Find some cardboard, like from a cereal box and make a tube about 2 inches long and just wide enough to almost go around the leg. Straighten the leg and tape the tendon back in place by wrapping the tape starting at the tendon and pull it to the correct position and wrap around the leg. Then apply the cardboard splint to keep the leg straight. Before and after work you will need to undo the splint and hold the knee between your thumb and forefinger to keep the tendon from slipping off and flex the leg and foot to stretch the tendon. Replace the tape if it is not holding then replace the splint. You will have to repeat this process for a number of days until the tendon stays in place on its own. There is another risk here of blowing the hock if the leg is not immobilized straight back, so you may want to immobilize the bird for the first day or two. Keep water and feed in reach while it is immobile.

 

[desy05]

I won't give you any false hope, nor will I encourage you to waste money on vets. There are things you can do to TRY to fix it, but understand that these tips work on younger chicks like less than a week old. The problem is that the groove in the bone where the tendon lies is too shallow for a swollen tendon and holding it in place while the bird is trying to use it is very difficult. If the vet did not give you a pain reliever for the bird you can use children's liquid aspirin, 0.01ml twice per day to help with both the pain and the swelling. It will make your bird very sleepy. Find some cardboard, like from a cereal box and make a tube about 2 inches long and just wide enough to almost go around the leg. Straighten the leg and tape the tendon back in place by wrapping the tape starting at the tendon and pull it to the correct position and wrap around the leg. Then apply the cardboard splint to keep the leg straight. Before and after work you will need to undo the splint and hold the knee between your thumb and forefinger to keep the tendon from slipping off and flex the leg and foot to stretch the tendon. Replace the tape if it is not holding then replace the splint. You will have to repeat this process for a number of days until the tendon stays in place on its own. There is another risk here of blowing the hock if the leg is not immobilized straight back, so you may want to immobilize the bird for the first day or two. Keep water and feed in reach while it is immobile

 

[desy05]

First of all thank you for replying!
I taped the tendon in place and the leg in a straight position and I found a rod holder made of foam, slit on the side, that I think is holding it in place. I am kind of scared to check! This morning I also made a little chair and wrapped him up to immobilize him, with the leg suspended underneat.
He’s eating and drinking on his own, but he’s not happy at all.
Saying him but I don’t know for sure obviously.
Every how often should I take the bandage off and flex? The vet gave me meloxicam/metacam 1.5 mg/ml, but I haven’t given it to him, because I didn’t trust that vet. Is it ok to administer?

 

[desy05]

I am messing up with with the posts so bad, I am sorry! Here are some pics. They all cried all night from being separate my heart aches.

 

[KsKingBee]

Give him therapy at least twice per day to keep the tendon from freezing up. The meloxicam is what I had hoped the vet sold to you, the liquid aspirin was in case you didn't have the proper drug. Use the dosage on the bottle.