Expert: Abi - 1/26/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I work on a small farm as part of a team of people.  Three days ago one of my friends brought a 6 month old Ameraucana pullet to me that had been trapped under a movable coop for 2 days unnoticed. She was cold, unable to stand, and her breathing was labored.  

I syringe-fed her home-made electrolyte solution and offered her food.  She ate and drank well and slept for hours.  It has now been several days and she is continuing to eat and drink very well, but she cannot stand without falling over.  She can move her legs and wings and she has no visible injuries (wounds, broken bones, etc.) and when I feel her legs and pelvis I cannot detect any injury with my hands.  She just cannot walk without falling or stand for long.  She also seems to fall preferentially toward the left and she is very thin.

I'm wondering if I should continue to nurse her or if this balance problem may be permanent.  I don't mind spending time taking care of her if she is going to get better, but I don't want to prolong her life if she is suffering.

ANSWER: Hello Jess,

Have you been able to isolate the problem to a single leg?? If she is falling to the left, it would be the left leg which has some damage to it- could you try putting a splint on that leg?
If it isn't damage or weakness I would think it is probably neurological and it would be in her best interests to put her to sleep.

Thanks for your question.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi!

Both Yesterday  and today she has shown some improvement!  She stands in one place for more than 25 minutes, preens, and defecates while standing.  I have also seen her perch and take two or three steps without falling over.  She still wobbles and is very unsteady and shakes sometimes when she's trying to balance.

She still breathes with an open mouth when under stress (when I pick her up or after falling over), but not as much as she did in the beginning.   

I still can't isolate the problem.  Both of her legs feel just fine and her pelvis feels ok.  Could it be a problem with her tail?  

Answer
I wonder if she's just exhausted? I don't know if it's possible to get some sort of mild muscle wastage from two days of being trapped? She's been under a lot of stress and I think this could be why she is still wobbly. It is definitely worth giving her some more time, good food and plenty of rest. This has been a very interesting question!

Thanks.