13 yr. old black pet swan cannot walk. (See original post March 1, 2011 below). She has been kept indoors at night with her mate-who is always close by and very protective-and carried to and from a small isolation pond during the day. We shared your post with the Vet during a return visit. The X-rays did not show anything abnormal. The blood work however showed white count was 30000 (understand normal is 4K to 10K). Vet said “It appears she has a severe infection or inflammatory response. All organ function is OK but could be isolated to left kidney area”. She was on 250MG Cipro twice a day for 12 days but is still unable to put her full weight on her left leg and has shown only slight improvement over the past several weeks (I did note slight improvement before the Cipro and expected more from the antibiotics). She is in slightly better spirits, and seems to have a little more energy. She is not leaning as much to her good side and is now able to sleep without pillow support. She is now moving the leg slightly in the water, and can stand and balance on her good leg to “do her feathers” and flap her wings. She can also limp for a few steps. She will return to the Vet next week. THANK YOU for sharing your expertise.

original post March 1, 2011
13 yr. old black pet swan cannot walk. She started limping a week ago so we brought her to a Vet two days after she couldn’t walk or stand. She can move her left leg, but seems weak overall and isn’t able to straighten the leg and lock her knee in place in order to stand. When she is in the water she keeps the leg extended at her side or tucked in but does not use it to swim. When we take her out of the water, she leans way over on her good side after sitting for a while (no leaning in the water). When the Vet turned her over she kicked with both legs so he doesn’t think anything is dislocated. He gave her a pain killer and vitamin shot. She has been mating but not laid any eggs and is not egg bound. She had a vaccination for West Nile a few years ago. We are ready to return to the Vet for x-rays because she doesn’t seem to be improving. Any thoughts?

Not really sure what is going on here. X-rays may help pinpoint the problem.

Besides, dislocations and breaks, there may be a soft-tissue injury such as a
strain or sprain. If she is failing, you need to keep her at the vet's or
inside away from the pond or lake for critical/recuperative care (i.e.
supplemental feeding,antibiotics, IV's, rest, pain management, etc.) so that
she does not have to use the leg. Keep her immobolized if possible in an area
so that she does not have to get up and down to eat. Use straw bedding in a
small indoor pen for example with a small pan of food submerged in water
nearby.

She could have been easily hurt during the mating process.

Check also the foot, knee, ankle and leg for any visible injuries such as:

1. Puncture or fang marks (snake or spider bite, nail, BB, etc.)

2. Holes in the feet or bumblefoot.

3. If she has a major case of bumblefoot (the veterinarian should know what
this is), she may have to be placed on an antibiotic and a pain killer along
with having the site cleaned daily. Ensure that nothing is in the "callous" of
the feet where bumblefoot appears. Splinters, glass or other foreign materials
make cause her not to place the foot onto the ground.

4. Check the upper leg to ensure that she has no visible injuries to the top
of the leg covered by feathers to ensure that she has no penetrable injuries,
i.e., bb's, splinters, etc.

5. Finally, check to see if she might have a low range of movement due to
arthritis. Earlier injuries/trauma at an earlier age can begin to show in
older swans and again, pain management or an alternative to having her on a
large pond or lake may have to be considered. Good luck and please let us know
what the x-rays showed. The Regal Swan