Physical therapy-
Jul 18, 2019 20:26:18 GMT -5
via mobile
marseydoats, treatlisa, and 6 more like this
Post by raerae on Jul 18, 2019 20:26:18 GMT -5
You guys gotta see this...
So this chick could not push out of the shell. Had zipped 90% for 2 days and just stopped. I helped him out, keeping him damp, breaking the rest of the way and keeping him moving until the yolk was absorbed and he pushed the final bit by himself.
It broke my heart to see him hatched twisted up. His right leg turned backwards so that his foot cupped his bum, his left leg refused to straighten and was twisted outwards, he couldn't even put the leg down from behind his ears.
Prognosis isn't good in these cases, and generally, rehabilitation isn't recommended.
Knowing there was precious little time to do anything before his yolk reserves run out and his legs are just stuck like that, I taped his feet together for the first day, putting them both under him in a normal position.
By that night I had a chick chair built and was able to put a little pressure on the left leg, the right seemed to straighten a lot on its own.
The next morning I used vet wrap as padding (I'd been slowly increasing the pressure on the leg to build up more flexibility) and taped a small paperclip as a splint. I left that for 24 hours, checking occasionally for flexion and circulation.
This morning I removed it, he can flex it normally, though the foot is still facing out. Like the leg is twisted counter clockwise at the hock.
I tested his ability and desire to move, he can sit up! But trying to stand just face plants him.
At this point the others are twice his size, and true to their nature, determined to cannibalize the weakling.
So he got his own room, and a shorter chair that let his feet stretch forward, not straight down. And the paperclip now hobbled his feet to correct the splay that was the biggest current issue.
But he had had a taste of freedom and was no longer content to sit.
He tipped himself over.
So now it's my great pleasure to introduce you all to the Chickie Jump-Up!
It's vetwrap, so springy. He can sit or stand. He can practice stepping and jumping, he can reach the food and water (which has a drop of honey in it) and sleep with no worries.
However, the others food tray was too close and one smart Alec jumped right in. That's been fixed.
So this chick could not push out of the shell. Had zipped 90% for 2 days and just stopped. I helped him out, keeping him damp, breaking the rest of the way and keeping him moving until the yolk was absorbed and he pushed the final bit by himself.
It broke my heart to see him hatched twisted up. His right leg turned backwards so that his foot cupped his bum, his left leg refused to straighten and was twisted outwards, he couldn't even put the leg down from behind his ears.
Prognosis isn't good in these cases, and generally, rehabilitation isn't recommended.
Knowing there was precious little time to do anything before his yolk reserves run out and his legs are just stuck like that, I taped his feet together for the first day, putting them both under him in a normal position.
By that night I had a chick chair built and was able to put a little pressure on the left leg, the right seemed to straighten a lot on its own.
The next morning I used vet wrap as padding (I'd been slowly increasing the pressure on the leg to build up more flexibility) and taped a small paperclip as a splint. I left that for 24 hours, checking occasionally for flexion and circulation.
This morning I removed it, he can flex it normally, though the foot is still facing out. Like the leg is twisted counter clockwise at the hock.
I tested his ability and desire to move, he can sit up! But trying to stand just face plants him.
At this point the others are twice his size, and true to their nature, determined to cannibalize the weakling.
So he got his own room, and a shorter chair that let his feet stretch forward, not straight down. And the paperclip now hobbled his feet to correct the splay that was the biggest current issue.
But he had had a taste of freedom and was no longer content to sit.
He tipped himself over.
So now it's my great pleasure to introduce you all to the Chickie Jump-Up!
It's vetwrap, so springy. He can sit or stand. He can practice stepping and jumping, he can reach the food and water (which has a drop of honey in it) and sleep with no worries.
However, the others food tray was too close and one smart Alec jumped right in. That's been fixed.