Paralyzed leg

[nelloyello11]

Several weeks ago, one of my zebra hens started flapping wildly around her cage, and then sat on the cage floor, nearly perfectly still for several minutes. She did the same thing a few minutes later, and then finally flew up to a perch, right as the lights went out. She seemed perfectly fine after that.
Fast forward to this evening. She did the same thing, flapping wildly, and then pressed herself into a corner, looking absolutely terrified of something invisible to us. Eventually, she seemed to be leaning a bit to the right, and when she tried to move, she only scrambled around the floor a bit, not really flying. She's now sitting up against the side of the cage, completely leaning on it, and seems to not be able to use her right leg at all.
I am at a total loss as to what to do for her. She seems healthy otherwise, alert and looking around. I am afraid if I put her into a hospital cage, she will injure herself even more in the confined space.
Any suggestions are very welcome...
Thanks in advance.

[lovezebs]

nelloyello11

Hi Nelissa.

Could she have partially dislocated the leg the first time, and fully dislocated it this time around?

[nelloyello11]

Lovezebs

Possibly. But she has seemed fine the last few weeks, not favoring it at all.

Do you have any suggestions for how to determine if it is dislocated? Or what I can do to help her?

[Atbird]

Could be a stroke or seizure?

[nelloyello11]

Could be a stroke or seizure?

A stroke, or maybe several, might make sense. Is there anything I can do for her?

[lovezebs]

nelloyello11

I honestly don't know ...

It's just something that popped into my mind, when I read the description of the symptoms.

Had it been broken, then she obviously wouldn't have been able to make a recovery that quickly, then relapsed.

A stroke or a seizure, I think, would present differently, not affecting only one leg. I think it would be more like thrashing around on the flight floor, or outright collapse.

Did you try to pick her up and check this leg, to see if she can grasp something like a perch or pencil with her toes? Can she strech out the leg, then bring it back in, folding it normally under her body?

I am no expert by a long shot. Just throwing ideas out, as to what I would attempt. I would still offer her some heat from a lamp, or a heat pad. Whenever my guys are under the weather, they always find it comforting. I would also make sure that she has easy access to food and water, but you already know that.

Good luck

[nelloyello11]

nelloyello11

I honestly don't know ...

It's just something that popped into my mind, when I read the description of the symptoms.

Had it been broken, then she obviously wouldn't have been able to make a recovery that quickly, then relapsed.

A stroke or a seizure, I think, would present differently, not affecting only one leg. I think it would be more like thrashing around on the flight floor, or outright collapse.

Did you try to pick her up and check this leg, to see if she can grasp something like a perch or pencil with her toes? Can she strech out the leg, then bring it back in, folding it normally under her body?

I am no expert by a long shot. Just throwing ideas out, as to what I would attempt. I would still offer her some heat from a lamp, or a heat pad. Whenever my guys are under the weather, they always find it comforting. I would also make sure that she has easy access to food and water, but you already know that.

Good luck

Well, she was thrashing about, flapping her wings pretty erratically, on the floor. And I know strokes in humans can affect one side only, so I wonder if it's the same in birds.
She's got a heat lamp near the cage. She seems to be trying to settle down on the floor now, but still seems restless and unable to sleep. Every few mins, she tries to move around, kind of scuttling around the cage floor, but doesn't get very far, still leaning heavily to the one side. Lights are already out for the evening, so I can't really look to much at her foot. I placed a shallow dish of seed on to the floor, and moved her water down low where she can reach it without a perch.

PS thank you for all of your suggestions

[lovezebs]

nelloyello11

Good luck.

[Rox]

Unless you have an avian vet nearby, the best you can do for now is offer her heat and keep an eye on her. I have had two birds with leg injuries (separate occasions) and they do tend to go completely off balance at the beginning, leaning to one side and doing that fluttering in a circle thing. I've also seen it play out with one of the regular garden sparrows that comes. Poor thing was fluttering around in circles on the grass and I also thought it was having a fit or something.

The good news is that all three, including the garden sparrow, came through it just fine. My two birds ended up loosing a toe each (at one stage I though my canary hen had ripped her entire leg off, as she was tucking it in so high up and tight) but after about 2 weeks, they were flying around and back to normal. If it is a leg or foot injury, give her a couple of days and try keep her stress levels down. As long as she is still eating and drinking, you have a good chance. Birds can adapt incredible well after having a leg injury and even adapt well with only one leg.

Good luck and keep us updated!

[nelloyello11]

Thanks Rox. She seems a tiny bit better today, more mobile, with more controlled movements, and maybe even a little more upright. That gives me hope that she might come through okay.

[erine]

nelloyello11 Good luck!

[lovezebs]

nelloyello11

How is your girl doing today?

[Rox]

nelloyello11 Hope your girl is doing better?

[nelloyello11]

Thanks for checking in! She's still alive, and seems to be adapting, though not improving much. She's eating and drinking, and active, hopping around the bottom of the cage. Sometimes I think she forgets that she can't perch, and will try to fly up, only to realize she won't be able to land, and then drops back to the floor. But hopefully staying active will help her adapt faster, and she will learn to live with her bum foot.