Swollen Joint- Adult Male Quail

[CloneFly]

I have a 1yr old male coturnix quail that l lost one of his toes a few months back due to an infection. I recently noticed him laying down more and limping when walking and after a little searching, found his left elbow severely swollen. I read on a seperate thread that it could be staphylococcus, and if it is he should be treated with antibiotics. I'm trying to get ahold of some just in case, but I would truly like some second opinions. He's still acting normal and is his usual silly, perky self. Any ideas?

 

[007Sean]

Some anatomy lessons first, the joint between the humerus and the radius/ulna is the elbow....wing bones.

The joint between the femur and the fibula/tibia is the knee....leg bones.

I may be mistaken but I think I commented on that thread, that it was possibly a Staphylococcus infection. If so then it should be treated with antibiotics.

You mention he lost one of his toes a few months ago? That is probably when the staphylococcus bacterium got into his system.
Some people might tell you to soak it in Epsom salt baths....that won't help, just upset the poor bird. Antibiotics have been used so much that staphylococcus has built up a resistance to alot of antibiotics in use. It would be a good idea, if you can afford it and have an avian vet available, to do some tests(coagulase tests) and see which strain of staphylococcus your dealing with, only coagulase-positive isolates are considered pathogenic. This would determine which antibiotics to use.
HTH

 

[CloneFly]

Some anatomy lessons first, the joint between the humerus and the radius/ulna is the elbow....wing bones.

The joint between the femur and the fibula/tibia is the knee....leg bones.

I may be mistaken but I think I commented on that thread, that it was possibly a Staphylococcus infection. If so then it should be treated with antibiotics.

You mention he lost one of his toes a few months ago? That is probably when the staphylococcus bacterium got into his system.
Some people might tell you to soak it in Epsom salt baths....that won't help, just upset the poor bird. Antibiotics have been used so much that staphylococcus has built up a resistance to alot of antibiotics in use. It would be a good idea, if you can afford it and have an avian vet available, to do some tests(coagulase tests) and see which strain of staphylococcus your dealing with, only coagulase-positive isolates are considered pathogenic. This would determine which antibiotics to use.
HTH

Terribly sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately, none of our vets (including avian and farm) will see quail. I've tried finding TYLAN and other antibiotics at my local TSC, but the nearest store that has any available is in Las Vegas... I'm in SoCal

 

[CloneFly]

After watching the bump get bigger, I've decided to lance it. I'm documenting this in case it may be of any help to others in the future.
I used a small (25gauge) sterile needle to lance the swollen joint, and after literally just a prick, the bulge popped and spewed what I can only described as a pus-like substance. (I know birds don't have pus, I just don't know how else to explain it.) I squeezed as much of the stuff out as well as I could and sprayed the area with Vetricin. I had some NeoPoly-Bacitracin on hand and applied that on the wound as well. I considered using some antibiotic eye-drops on the wound, but decided to just use the ointment for now and bandaged him up. Hopefully this will help him... at any rate, it definitely seems to have given him some temporary relief. I'll update in a couple day on his condition and perhaps provide some pictures as well.

 

[Claudia88]

After watching the bump get bigger, I've decided to lance it. I'm documenting this in case it may be of any help to others in the future.
I used a small (25gauge) sterile needle to lance the swollen joint, and after literally just a prick, the bulge popped and spewed what I can only described as a pus-like substance. (I know birds don't have pus, I just don't know how else to explain it.) I squeezed as much of the stuff out as well as I could and sprayed the area with Vetricin. I had some NeoPoly-Bacitracin on hand and applied that on the wound as well. I considered using some antibiotic eye-drops on the wound, but decided to just use the ointment for now and bandaged him up. Hopefully this will help him... at any rate, it definitely seems to have given him some temporary relief. I'll update in a couple day on his condition and perhaps provide some pictures as well.

Hey! How's your boy doing? One of my girls is having the same issue... thinking of lance it as well, it's really swollen and hot to the touch. Hope he's doing better, I need hope!! She's one of my sweet Celadon layers and don't want to lose her. Thanks!

 

[CloneFly]

Hey! How's your boy doing? One of my girls is having the same issue... thinking of lance it as well, it's really swollen and hot to the touch. Hope he's doing better, I need hope!! She's one of my sweet Celadon layers and don't want to lose her. Thanks!

Hello! The lancing relieved the swelling for a bit, and the next day he was able to walk near normal. I did have to re-lance the leg a few more times, but as of today, I haven't touched his leg in over a month and he's doing well. Angry at me, but well otherwise He actually sired a few more chicks for me around Easter!

If you think she's at a point where nothing else can help, I would do the lancing. Just be sure to A) squeeze out everything- she's gonna hate it, but that's what helps B) clean the lance area well before and after C) apply pressure for a bit to stop the bleeding once done. I hope this helps and that she gets better soon!

 

[Claudia88]

If you think she's at a point where nothing else can help, I would do the lancing. Just be sure to A) squeeze out everything- she's gonna hate it, but that's what helps B) clean the lance area well before and after C) apply pressure for a bit to stop the bleeding once done. I hope this helps and that she gets better soon!

Thanks so much, so glad he's recovered!!

By any chance do you know what gauge the lancets you used were? I really appreciate the instructions and details!!!

 

[CloneFly]

Thanks so much, so glad he's recovered!!

By any chance do you know what gauge the lancets you used were? I really appreciate the instructions and details!!!

I used a sterile 25guage needle. In a pinch, a sterilized sewing needle would provide similar results

 

[Claudia88]

Thanks so much!!!

 

[CloneFly]

Thanks so much!!!

No problem! Let me know how your girlie does!!