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Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat

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Help! Baby Chick Born Missing a Leg!
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Member Since:
2 December 2016
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17 January 2017 - 9:46 pm
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Those two are a d o r a b l e!!! Look at how happy, affectionate- they know a good mommy when they find one!!!- and strong they are! Love Geronimo cuddling and Una with her striking selfie! They have both grown up so quickly in such a short time that- yes, I KNOW this sounds stupid- it is hard to believe their baby peeps time is almost gone except for the fact that they will always be YOUR babies! Love the extra time in the onion patch:) And, if you had not persisited and insisted, UNAEAGLE may not have been here to celebrate her one month hatchiversary! Kudos all around!!! Best wishes, hugs, and PyrPaws all around!

Michigan


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18 January 2017 - 6:46 am
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Happy One month hatchiversary to Unapawd and Mo. I love the nickname;)

Look how far Una has come! clap

So glad you are their human!

They are adorable! I think they always will be tiny or not.

Holly & Purrkinsheart

Member Since:
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18 January 2017 - 9:56 am
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They look so much bigger!   I watch the geese around here all the time, and always marvel at how quickly the babies go from fuzzy little balls to smaller versions of their parents.

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

Member Since:
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22 January 2017 - 4:57 pm
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They DO grow fast. This week almost all their head feathers came in, though Una's still got a some down on the back of her head.

This week was also big in that they moved outside, as in, completely outside. They are too big for even the biggest box inside unless I did FREQUENT cleanings (like, every hour) and between work and school, I'm not home often enough to do that or to let them out for exercise enough.

So I spent Friday on the back porch, making a new pen out of PVC pipe and cage wire. Friday was cold and rainy and lemme tell ya...that was a labor of love! But it's finished now, and tonight will be their first night in the PVC pen (covered with a waterproof tarp, just in case). They are LOVING the space.

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Una has turned into a CUDDLE MONSTER. It's a good thing they can now forage outside without me because whenever I go out there, she immediately wants to sit on my lap and do nothing else. aw-shucks Mo has been an explorer this week, he has a scabbed-over scratch on his beak to prove he's been getting into things!

Here's Una taking a nap in my hand while Mo pokes around. Una still likes to rest her body in my hand while standing up. She looks all cozy here, you'd never guess my hand was freezing! Feathers must be nice.

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I am a little bit concerned about her standing, mostly because of her toes. She doesn't seem to be in pain or anything, it's just the position that makes me nervous. She turns her foot inward and it makes her toes pretty wonky, especially the middle one:

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I can't think of any way to correct it (chickens are very fussy about footwear) and again, it doesn't seem to hurt. So I'm just keeping an eye on her. 

Also of interest: it occurred to me that Geronimo might be leucistic. Leucism is a recessive trait a little like albinism, but pigment still forms, it just doesn't go into the feathers and sometimes the skin. Eyes are normal. It can affect all or part of the plumage, and we have traces of it in his cousins -a rooster with some white tail feathers, for instance. It's the only explanation for the white plumage I can think of. Mo doesn't seem to care much. (See his scratch?)

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Michigan


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22 January 2017 - 6:31 pm
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Have you ever shopped at Crazy K Farm store or heard of it?

We got our kitties holsters from them ,I remembered they have chicken gear too;) 

They have whats called a bird bootie.

Our patented anti-bacterial Birdy Bootie protective shoe is designed to provide superior coverage and cushioning for birds with injured feet or bumblefoot (a staph infection on the foot pad or toe.)

http://crazykfa.....n-the-usa/

I have no idea if this would help Una but thought I would pass it on . 

Good job on the enclosure ! Another interesting update!

Great pictures they are too cute together!

Hugs

Holly & Purrkinsheart

Virginia







Member Since:
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22 January 2017 - 7:46 pm
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SOOOOOO CUTE!!! 'Looooove these two! Cannot believe how quickly they grow from week to week! 🙂

And very interesting. about Geronimo's "ancestory".

Could it be possible that Una's foot is adapting as it needs to to compensate for having just o e leg? Wonky toe placement may be for better balance'

I'm so happy they love their outdoor dogs and have each other for company. You are an excellent Architect and builder!!

Thanks for the great update and interesting info on Mo's distinct "look" and why.

You are your crew are such a delightful addition to kur family!clap

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!

Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!



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23 January 2017 - 7:42 pm
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I thought you might enjoy a story about a therapy rooster in a wheelchair :

http://www.cbc......-1.3949064

It's another heart-warming story.

Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona

Virginia







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22 February 2013
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23 January 2017 - 8:48 pm
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Oh Kerren! What a heartwarming story!! Louise is quite a guy!! I'm sorry he has this "issue", but it saved him from being killed...Talk about a "silver lining"!

Maybe you can share your journey with Ona and Mo with them. You can be a good resource of information for them and maybe they can offer you some insight too.

Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!

Michigan


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24 January 2017 - 6:02 am
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24 January 2017 - 7:35 am
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Oh my gosh, that's so cool! Thanks for sharing Holly, I didn't even realize there was such a thing as Tripawd (or Unapawd) Tuesday!

Also, the bootie idea is so cute. They don't make them baby chick size, but it's definitely something to keep in mind for when she's bigger and has more weight to put stress on that foot. (And bumblefoot, which we've dealt with, is a problem I don't even want to think about her having with her only foot -after all, she doesn't have a spare!)

Her wonky toe probably IS for better balance, it's as though she's using it to grip the ground better. I'm just concerned because I don't want her to start having joint problems. The good thing is, all the reports I've been able to find of one-legged chickens (which is mostly birds that lost their legs as adults, but still) seem to say that bantams do better. Makes sense -littler body, less weight on the joints. Una is a bantam mix. If she was a big fluffy breed I'd be much more worried.

Kerren, the news story about the rooster is so awesome!! If you go on the rescue's website, I saw that they have more cute pictures and a video of him. Chickens really do have therapeutic power and I've actually thought about making visits to schools or something with Una one day. The way she loves snuggles, she probably would enjoy it.

On The Road


Member Since:
24 September 2009
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24 January 2017 - 9:58 am
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Love the rooster story, thanks Kerren!

And I'm hoppy you like the Tripawd Tuesday feature. Una and you are both such inspirations. I agree, she would make a great therapy chicken 🙂

Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet

Livermore, CA




Member Since:
18 October 2009
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24 January 2017 - 11:31 pm
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OK- I'm picturing Una in a Therapy Chicken vest big-grin

You are probably going to have to get out the needle and thread, I'm guessing they don't make chicken sized vests.

Karen

Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.

1999 to 2010

 

              Maggie's Story                  Amputation and Chemo

Michigan


Member Since:
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25 January 2017 - 7:32 am
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krun15 said
OK- I'm picturing Una in a Therapy Chicken vest big-grin

You are probably going to have to get out the needle and thread, I'm guessing they don't make chicken sized vests.

Karen  

If you want to make Una a therapy chicken, there is a holster , leash ,diaper made for chickens!. 😉 Like the bootie , they are made for adult birds. The way these two grow it wont be long!

The same place Crazy K Farms that makes the little booties , actually makes a harness and leash for chickens laughing

You would probably be interested in a lot of the info on there site. They have a newsletter, blog and Facebook page.

I bet you could reach out to them too;) They might have ideas for you and Una! 

They are a  a non-profit animal rescue and sanctuary. They are  like all of us , they have the love of animals! 

http://crazykfa.....r-harness/

http://crazykfa.....ter-leash/

https://www.fac.....razyKFarm/

Holly & Purrkinsheart

Member Since:
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2 February 2017 - 6:10 pm
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Oh my goodness, the diaper idea is hilarious! And very practical, especially for volunteering. I've heard of chickens being potty-trained, but it's very difficult and I'm not sure they could generalize it from home to apply to all buildings.

We had some fun happenings this week! Most exciting (in their opinion), today I introduced them to the golden treat itself: mealworms. (If chickens ever invented religions, you can bet there would be several cults that worshiped mealworms.) Okay, they've had mealworms before, but today I went Oprah-crazy with giving them out and we also started training with them versus just a free candy type thing.

I'm really excited about the potential here because, once they reliably come on cue, I can use this for helping Una with mobility, like learning to do straighter lines and right turns, which she has a hard time with. 

They quickly figured out that they have to come to me for the treats. Chickens have amazing powers of concentration when it suits them.

I didn't get pictures, but it turns out chickens will even lie on their backs for mealworms. Mo will just as happily eat them hanging upside down from his ankles. (I hold them like that for wing-trimming and feet inspecting.) I didn't do that with Una though, so as not to put too much stress on her leg.

Here is Una looking like a setting hen after I told her to "look grown-up."

And Mo, enjoying a relaxing neck massage. He's maybe a little too trusting with a human's hand around his neck! But he's safe here, so no worries.

I showed this picture of Una to someone. They didn't believe she was missing a leg. "But she's standing like normal!" laughing If you look close, you can see her wonky toe. It's a little knobby at the joint, but no discoloration or pain, so I think it's just growing that way. 

They look less like chicks and more like mini-chickens. And (this'll sound weird) they don't smell like babies anymore. Feathers smell good IMO -as long as they're clean -but baby fuzz is the best. (I'm not a crazy chicken lady...way-confused)

Member Since:
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2 February 2017 - 6:19 pm
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I just love these updates!  I feel like I am learning so much about our feathered friends.

Otis - 106 pound lab/Dane mix, lost his right front leg to osteosarcoma on Febuary 9, 2016.  Four rounds of carboplatin completed in April, 2016.  Lung mets August 25, 2016.  Said goodbye too soon on September 4, 2016.   Lost his adopted sister, Tess, suddenly on October 9, 2016. likely due to hemangiosarcoma.  

Wherever they are, they are together.

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