Peaches is our one year old hen. She recently recovered from a bad infestation of capillary worms, but she did seem to make a full recovery. The rooster that she ran with recently died from what I am very sure was Mycoplasma Synoviae. He was severely lame, with swollen joints, heat in his legs, and respiratory issues, that turned into severe airsaculitis, and he had diarrhea. He became worse despite our treating him with Denagard and Baytril. He died about two weeks ago and spent his last week in the house with us. Peaches developed a slight limp about three weeks ago. There was nothing to see, and she seemed otherwise ok, so we didn't pay much attention to it. About a week ago, she became weak and a little lethargic, so we hospitalized her. About three days after being in the hospital pen, her leg ballooned into this hideous swelling you see below, with the blackened skin. She has never had any respiratory symptoms, and her droppings are normal. She was ill but was still eating. I started her on Denagard treatment strength, and also Baytril, 1/4 of a 22.7mg tablet twice a day. This is the fourth day of both antibiotics, and she seems to be improving a little. The swelling seems to be reducing slightly, the black area seems to be fading, she was very bright this evening at dinner and ate all her food, and she can now walk and even run a little on her sore foot. From what I have read, MS can manifest itself in many ways, like most chicken ailments. Others in the flock were sneezing around the same time Peaches and her rooster got sick, but they recovered uneventfully after being on Denagard, which they are still on and will be for another week. The picture that you see here is from two days ago. I will take another picture and post it as soon as I can, to show the difference if there is any. so here are my questions.
Could this swelling and blackened skin be from MS.? Could restriction of circulation of a severely swollen joint cause the skin to be affected in this way?
Someone suggested Bumblefoot, but I don't see how it could be, on top of the foot as it is, and it doesn't seem like there is actually a buildup of fluid underneath.
Should I try soaking the foot? Originally she was in a lot of pain, but the pain seems to be diminishing. Normally for an injury I would soak the foot in warm water and Epsom salts, but I am not sure in this case.
Should I try Cephalexin too, or would the combination of the three antibiotics cancel out each other?
Unfortunately, at this time I don't have a couple hundred extra $$ to throw at an avian vet in the hopes they might solve this for us....
My husband got cellulitis when he was in Vietnam, and the skin of his leg turned black, similar to what she has. Years later, the skin on part of his leg still looks like that, but it really doesn't bother him. So I just wonder if this is some kind of cellulitis too...
Could this swelling and blackened skin be from MS.? Could restriction of circulation of a severely swollen joint cause the skin to be affected in this way?
Someone suggested Bumblefoot, but I don't see how it could be, on top of the foot as it is, and it doesn't seem like there is actually a buildup of fluid underneath.
Should I try soaking the foot? Originally she was in a lot of pain, but the pain seems to be diminishing. Normally for an injury I would soak the foot in warm water and Epsom salts, but I am not sure in this case.
Should I try Cephalexin too, or would the combination of the three antibiotics cancel out each other?
Unfortunately, at this time I don't have a couple hundred extra $$ to throw at an avian vet in the hopes they might solve this for us....
My husband got cellulitis when he was in Vietnam, and the skin of his leg turned black, similar to what she has. Years later, the skin on part of his leg still looks like that, but it really doesn't bother him. So I just wonder if this is some kind of cellulitis too...
. Oh and I sent you a PM as well. 
