To consider not taking my lame pet to the vets?

[THERhubarb]

Before you all tear me apart let me explain....

This is a 2 week old chick. We have 3 of them and this is the youngest. I paid around £3 each for them and they are being cared for by one of my hens.

Yesterday I noticed this little fella was limping but was still getting around. I checked its foot, couldn't find anything stuck in it so let it go back assuming it would get better by itself.

Today it cannot put any weight on the foot. I have taken it indoors and examined it and it's not any of the usual foot diseases I've so far googled. I can't feel any broken bones so could just be a sprain, but obviously I don't know for sure.

The chick is a Pekin bantam so its tiny still and difficult to treat I would imagine. I've not put it back with it's mum or the others but have brought it in as it was not coming out of the hutch for food or water, at least this way I can make sure its eating.

I've just phoned the vets and they charge £10 consultation fee plus whatever else for treatment/medication.

Now when all is said and done, it is just a chick and doesn't appear to be in constant pain, it just can't walk around as it refuses to put the bad leg down. I am tempted to just pop it back under mother hen tonight, then take it out again tomorrow and do what I'm doing today, which is to keep it in an egg box with food and water and hope that the leg gets better with plenty of rest so it can eventually join the other two and mother hen.

Would this be totally unreasonable?

This reminds me of a time when I was working on reception in the vets, somebody bought in a teeeny tiny chick that they had found on the street. It was clearly not going to survive, it was just too wee, i said, "thankyou i will take it for the vet to see, but i doubt we can do more than put it out of its misery" The woman went ballistic at me, called me heartless and callous and said we probably wouldn't even try Then about ten minutes later her friend came in and started having a go at me, wanting to know what we had done with the bird, it actually died while the vet was examining it. The woman had a problem because i didn't start snivelling and appeared to not care - err, no, but you know what, i have to deal with animals suffering day in day out and it would be bloody unprofessional of me to start snivelling over every injured bird that someone brings in!

Rhubarb, i really think you are doing the right thing - you have a good idea whether it is in pain, like you say it is eating. I can imagine that the only outcome that would come fromtaking it to the vets is them telling you to watch and wait (which is what you are doing), giving you some prophylactic uneccesary antibiotics just in case it has an infection, or having to do extensive work on it if its broken its leg, which really isn't viable and it will be put to sleep anyway.

My mum has a "pet" seagull with a gammy leg, it doesn't weight bear at all, and it looks all scrunched up and deformed, that bird has been visiting scrounging for the past 3 years or so and seems healthy enough to see off the cat to steal its food

Thanks trice, I think I might go with the consultancy and if she can tell me what's wrong with it then all well and good. If not, well I will have wasted a tenner and may end up putting chick down anyway.

Would be good to know if the leg is worth treating or not. Shame there are no local chicken keepers I can go to so they can have a look really. I mean, I know some people who keep chickens but they are like me, not really expert breeders who come across these problems every day.

Blimey, some of the posts on this thread are a bit much! Calling the OP a cruel bastard is a bit much.

Rhubarb, I don't think it's worth going to the vets for, they won't be able to do anything. Your plan seems to be a good idea - if the chick is eating/sleeping well, and not squeaking in pain, then keep doing what you're doing and see how it progresses. You can certainly tell with animals when they are ill or in pain, and you sound like you know what you're doing.

What a shame that some posters take things completely out of proportion.

TBH I can't advise re chickens - at least with the gerbil it was still able to move about easily on 3 legs.

I think I'd give it 24 hours to see how it goes but if there is a possibility it's a treatable condition I'd ask for a vets opinion. I'd imagine that vets dealing with livestock are used to making common sense decisions that reflect the cost of the treatment against the value of the animal whilst still being humane and ethical to the animal.

Poor little thing

I know what Dh would do, he is from a farming back ground x

oooh LEM now I'm wondering again! Is that all they would tell me to do?

mmm, might just give it another day and see what happens.

If you don't want to find out from the vet then I would put it to sleep asap rather than keep it alive as you can't really know. It can't really flourish with one leg can it? You have done your best but it hasn't improved.

JaneFonda, hopefully those posters will do the right thing and hide the thread. They seem to think that I'm just watching it writhing in pain. If they bothered to read what I posted they will realise that's not the case and I'm actually asking advice because whilst considering the financial side of things I do also want to make the right decision concerning its welfare.

my bet is option 2! If you are going to take it, take it today because if you leave it til the weekend you are looking at out of hours and that is £££! Disclaimer: I am an ex vets assistant so not qualified to say one way or tuther, just going on experience.

I am basing this on my cat who has all the symptoms of v painful teeth (vet today at 3.30) yet is still eating which is instintcual even though he is dropping it everywhere he is still enjoying it as he is purring!

noddy - I should have isolated it yesterday really. I only did that today so I think I need to keep it isolated (putting it back under mum at night) to see if that makes a difference.

Yesterday it was still hopping about albeit limping and if I had acted quickly I probably could have prevented it from getting worse.

oh and if its broken, its potentially fixable, but not without spending £££ and I certainly woulnd't judge you if you went for the PTS option. This is why i don't have chickens - too much hassle!

Unfortunately we vets are psychic it would help if we were. Possibilities are nudges place fracture, osteomyelitis, neurological problem to start with three. The first two I have successfully treated. There are a wealth of drugs licence to treat chickens it hour making them unfit for human consumption. There is pain relief that it is possible to use without making the chicken unfit for human consumption.

look OP you don't know what the vet will tell you, if you did then you wouldn't need the vet because you would obviously have the same knowledge as they do. no-one here knows what the vet will say because they cant see the chick either so it's all just guesswork. you have given the chick a day and it has gotten worse in that time, you need to either put it out of it's pain or get veterinary advice at the very least.

It's not suffering and you are ensuring it eats and drinks. Personally I think yanbu. Give it a few days to heal on its own and put it down if no improvement. Take it to the vet if you think at any time they could help, ie if there are other symptoms which come up.

noddy, I guess every animal is different. I usually watch for them being lethargic, going off their food and squealing to determine if they are in pain. Chickens do squeal when in pain - when their mum accidently knocks them flying they certainly squeal then! This one just cheeps for his mum (when he's not asleep) and rests the sore leg. I guess that's best for now.

Still not sure about vets. Will have to pick up kids soon.

lonecat - it's not neurological. It holds the leg up like it has hurt it, which is why I don't think it's splayed either. It could just be a sprain, I have felt all up the leg and couldn't feel any breaks but then I'm neither nurse nor vet.

I honestly don't think it needs painkillers and if that is all the vet will give it (at a cost) then I might as well just treat it here as I am doing as it seems quite happy. I will assess the situation again tomorrow.

Thanks for advice everyone, some of it was very helpful and far more informative than on the chicken forums.

Will let you know how the chick gets on. Be assured, if it gets worse or starts to squeak in pain/goes off its food then we'll sort it.

Sorry for pets in the title again, if I could edit it I would.

I've taken Bantams and Bantam chicks to the vets several times. They've always been really helpful: far more so than just providing painkillers. We've also had a few free treatments for the chicks.

I'd call around a few vets and find one with experience with Bantams if you are worried. There is things that can be done for chicks, though, and it doesn't have to be expensive. I've never paid much.

Country girl here, if your not going to treat it, it's "just" a future egg layer but it's damaged then wring its neck. A farmer would. Your way is cruel, you keep it alive unable to weight bear, so it clearly has an underlying injury.

My dog rarely yelps out or whimpers when in pain with her arthritis, but I can see from the way she holds here self if it hurts. Pray animal rarely vocally express pain as it would draw the attention of predators.

Either treat it or put it out of its suffering.

It was £3 and not a loved member of the family. Not worth a vets bill (unless it is some super rare breed that needs every bird possible). Just snap its neck and buy another one.

To all those saying the OP is cruel and inhumane if you are not vegan you are being utterly hypocritical.

(I am vegan BTW)

Just carry on doing what you are. It is fed, watered and warm.

The hens at the stables are dispatched if anything is wrong with them.

Gosh.

I am astounded that everyone on here who has a pet would rush it to the vet at the first sign of a limp.

A few weeks ago on holiday my dog developed a limp, day one slight limp, day two big limp, day three very slight limp, day four zooming around like a nutter, no vet involvement just a cautious watch and wait.

Last week, rat (who already has no use of his back legs, so no limp there) had a swollen foot, day one, slight swelling, day two more swelling, day three obviously uncomfortable, straight to vet and treated.

I will always take my pets to the vet if needed, however if I took them at the slightest sign of anything I would be there weekly if not more.

Personally I would do exactly as you are and keep an eye on it, it may well sort itself out, it may well start to look distressed (ie not eating or drinking, withdrawn and miserable) in which case you know what to do.

Of course you should take it to the vet. Poor little thing.

I think if you have bought a chick and it is ill regardless of the price take it to the vet the wee thing might be in pain,and it obviously can't walk properly, if you take on pets be it chickens dogs horses or whatever you need to take care of them properly imo, if it was an adult hen would you take it ? oh and on page one you said something about veggies I am not vegatarian I just think you need to take the chick to the vet.