URGENT! Chicken can't walk, lost use of leg and foot is paralysed, please help...

[honeythechicken]

UPDATE 2

I figured I should update everyone about the situation with my hen. So I decided to go ahead and do the surgery. We took her in on Friday and they did the surgery the next morning. Today she's been discharged, the surgery was a success but the road to recovery is still long. I was told as birds bones heal very quickly, the fracture was quite old when they operated (it had just been a week since it occurred so I was shocked this is considered an old fracture!). So there is a slight misalignment of 10 degrees at the site of the fracture due to the tissue hardening around there and they couldn't get in completely without risking excessive bleeding. This might not be a problem and the bone might mend in place anyway or it might be a slight deformity in her leg. There's also a risk of her developing osteoarthritis in the joint where the fracture was near as she gets older due to the slight misalignment. She has to take a lot of medications and I'm nervous about forcing it down her throat but the nurse told me it has to be done and is the most effective way. Her appetite isn't great so I've been given formula to tube feed her as well. That's everything as of now. Her general health is good, she's very alert and highly anxious after being in hospital for a few days but hopefully we can get her settled in back home now

 

[honeythechicken]

On the way home from the exotics veterinary hospital!

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

View attachment 3497444
On the way home from the exotic veterinary hospital!

Thank you for the update, and also the picture of your beautiful patient. One note on "forcing a lot of medications down her throat." Chickens can swallow whole amazingly large items. A human calcium citrate tablet is often given to hens experiencing egg-laying issues. The tablet seems much too large for a chicken to swallow, yet they do it with ease. Did you receive instructions on how to give her the medications?

Also, did you receive instructions on how to tube-feed her? (Or do you already know how?) Please keep updating her progress.

 

[honeythechicken]

Thank you for the update, and also the picture of your beautiful patient. One note on "forcing a lot of medications down her throat." Chickens can swallow whole amazingly large items. A human calcium citrate tablet is often given to hens experiencing egg-laying issues. The tablet seems much too large for a chicken to swallow, yet they do it with ease. Did you receive instructions on how to give her the medications?

Also, did you receive instructions on how to tube-feed her? (Or do you already know how?) Please keep updating her progress.

Thank you for taking an interest in my hen Yes, I've been given instructions on what to do but it is something that's going to be quite distressing for her. I need to put three tablets down her throat by prying her beak open and poking my finger down there, then keeping her head up to make sure they go down. Then tube feeding similarly I have to mix the formula with water, put it in the tube with another liquid painkiller medication, then pry her beak open and put the tube half way down until there is resistance and I've reached her crop. I have to administer the treatment right now actually since it's been 12 hours since the vet did it this morning and I am very nervous because I don't want her to get traumatised by this. I know if I was a chicken I definitely would haha

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

You've spent a lot of money to get your hen's broken leg/hip repaired, so I want to make sure you fully understand how to tube feed and medicate. (I am hoping your vet showed you how to do so.) The first article below shows where to insert the feeding tube (same place as the syringe), and the second article has a video by a vet showing how to give a chicken a pill. I may have an irrational fear of aspirating a chicken, but i dont shove pills very far into their mouths, just insert a pill on the top of their tongue and let their swallow reflex do the rest.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/article
s/%E2%9C%AE-how-to-give-pills-to-chickens-and-ducks-videos-%E2%9C%AE.73456/

I mainly want to make sure you know that the opening in the center of her mouth is her airway passage; and that the opening to her crop is on the far right side of her beak. Also, if you measure the approximate distance between her beak and crop beforehand, then mark the length on the tube, that will give you a good idea how far the tube needs to be inserted. I hope that either you already knew that or the vet explained it to you. I'm in no way trying to interfere with your vet's instructions, just giving you some additional info that should ease your anxiety in feeling comfortable while medicating and tube-feeding your hen.