Dislocated hock joint

[Hoffmac1]

Hi everyone, I have a 1 1/2 year old female Pekin duck. She has been favoring her left leg and a recent vet visit with x rays showed a dislocated hock joint as well as some arthritis in the area. Because it is believed that her hock has been dislocated for some time now they are unable to fix it like they would a freshly dislocated joint. The vet recommended giving her Advil three times a day and look into getting her a brace. The vet did mention that she could do surgery to place a pin that would hold the joint back together however she referred back to giving her pain meds and buying a brace. I’m looking for advice and ideas on what would be the best treatment for her. I have been giving her pain meds and am waiting for the brace to come in however it bothers me knowing that the issue will never be fixed, do I opt for a second opinion, consider surgery, or try to manage symptoms with supportive care? Has anyone ever had a similar situation? She is eating normally and does not appear to be intensely uncomfortable. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get her leg feeling better. Thank you in advance!

 

[Jenbirdee]

Hi everyone, I have a 1 1/2 year old female Pekin duck. She has been favoring her left leg and a recent vet visit with x rays showed a dislocated hock joint as well as some arthritis in the area. Because it is believed that her hock has been dislocated for some time now they are unable to fix it like they would a freshly dislocated joint. The vet recommended giving her Advil three times a day and look into getting her a brace. The vet did mention that she could do surgery to place a pin that would hold the joint back together however she referred back to giving her pain meds and buying a brace. I’m looking for advice and ideas on what would be the best treatment for her. I have been giving her pain meds and am waiting for the brace to come in however it bothers me knowing that the issue will never be fixed, do I opt for a second opinion, consider surgery, or try to manage symptoms with supportive care? Has anyone ever had a similar situation? She is eating normally and does not appear to be intensely uncomfortable. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get her leg feeling better. Thank you in advance!

i wish i could help
i can tag a few ppl @Miss Lydia
@SilverBirds @New duck mommy 2021
i do know that birds bones are very light hollow and fragile and that surgery is always a risk . I had a runner duck with a broken hip. Her bones were split apart in three places we didn’t do the surgery just pain medicine and I had to tube feed her for a while, but she did heal after six weeks and she was walking and running like the others for about a year, she had another accident and the same leg got hurt this time. She passed away after a few days.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am sorry to hear about your Pekin she is very blessed to have you care so much. Since it sounds like you have the brace on its way maybe wait and give it a try along with pain meds and if you don’t see improvement opt for 2nd opinion. Or if you have another vet in mind do the second opinion just to see what options they recommend. she’s still young so hopefully there is something that will help. Meantime try and keep her from getting over weight since that would put more pressure on her hips and legs.

 

[Hoffmac1]

i wish i could help
i can tag a few ppl @Miss Lydia
@SilverBirds @New duck mommy 2021
i do know that birds bones are very light hollow and fragile and that surgery is always a risk . I had a runner duck with a broken hip. Her bones were split apart in three places we didn’t do the surgery just pain medicine and I had to tube feed her for a while, but she did heal after six weeks and she was walking and running like the others for about a year, she had another accident and the same leg got hurt this time. She passed away after a few days.

Thank you for your reply, I also read that surgery for birds can be risky. I would hate to put her in any unnecessary risk. So sorry to hear about your duck, that is amazing that you were able to take such good care of her!

 

[Hoffmac1]

I am sorry to hear about your Pekin she is very blessed to have you care so much. Since it sounds like you have the brace on its way maybe wait and give it a try along with pain meds and if you don’t see improvement opt for 2nd opinion. Or if you have another vet in mind do the second opinion just to see what options they recommend. she’s still young so hopefully there is something that will help. Meantime try and keep her from getting over weight since that would put more pressure on her hips and legs.

Thank you so much for your response! The brace arrived today and I put It on her for the first time, she did have trouble walking with the brace but I think she may just have to get used to the feeling of it, it does seem that she stands up straighter with the brace on. I’m hoping daily pain meds and wearing the brace will be helpful for her, I will give it some time and if no improvement I will seek a second opinion like you suggested…thank you again!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you so much for your response! The brace arrived today and I put It on her for the first time, she did have trouble walking with the brace but I think she may just have to get used to the feeling of it, it does seem that she stands up straighter with the brace on. I’m hoping daily pain meds and wearing the brace will be helpful for her, I will give it some time and if no improvement I will seek a second opinion like you suggested…thank you again!

How is she doing now that it has been a couple days.

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Hi everyone, I have a 1 1/2 year old female Pekin duck. She has been favoring her left leg and a recent vet visit with x rays showed a dislocated hock joint as well as some arthritis in the area. Because it is believed that her hock has been dislocated for some time now they are unable to fix it like they would a freshly dislocated joint. The vet recommended giving her Advil three times a day and look into getting her a brace. The vet did mention that she could do surgery to place a pin that would hold the joint back together however she referred back to giving her pain meds and buying a brace. I’m looking for advice and ideas on what would be the best treatment for her. I have been giving her pain meds and am waiting for the brace to come in however it bothers me knowing that the issue will never be fixed, do I opt for a second opinion, consider surgery, or try to manage symptoms with supportive care? Has anyone ever had a similar situation? She is eating normally and does not appear to be intensely uncomfortable. I am willing to do whatever it takes to get her leg feeling better. Thank you in advance!

man, dislocated hips suck.
I would keep the brace and see if it helps. it's possible that the bird will heal on her own.