Young male guinea slit his toe open; Won't stop bleeding.

[Pastel the Rooster]

I hatched out 8 guinea keets late last August. Their hatch date was August 25th.
They are about laying age, but I have not seen any eggs, though I am getting eggs from their parents.
I have 4 males and four females, and I have never seen anyone fight.
They don't free range yet, but I do let 3 or 4 out for a few hours, always under super vision.
I was going out today, about an hour ago, to let them out in turns. Two males with two females, and then the other four out once I put the others back in the coop. Well, that was my plan....
I saw that one of the males was holding his foot up, and not putting any pressure on it.
Once I was able to grab him, I had my mother run inside to grab something like Vetericyn+ *spelling* and some cornstarch and flour. She also grabbed a paper towel to put pressure on the toe.
We sprayed the Vetercyin+ on his foot after we put corn starch on it. It slowed the bleeding, but it is still a little bloody.
I wrapped his toe up, but it is still bleeding, even an hour later. I don't have a picture of his foot before the bandage, but I assure you that he is putting no weight on it.
I have him in a dog crate with some towels as his bedding, and he has a blanket to keep it dark and quiet. He ate a little, but he looks quite weak.
I don't want to lose him, but if there is nothing I can do for him, I understand. I will get pictures of his toe when I unwrap his foot to check on it later. I will also grab a quick picture of him not putting any weight on it.

I don't know how much blood he exactly lost, but I was worried he was gonna die in my hands, there was so much blood.
Any suggestions will help.
Thank you,
PtR

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

@Eggcessive, @Wyorp Rock, @azygous, @Kiki, @SacredWaves? Anyone? Sorry to bother you all. Here is Russell the guinea. In the first picture, he is holding his foot up. In the second picture, he is not putting a kit if weight in it, but his foot is on the ground. Don't mind his tag, that is on his good foot, and so that I can tell them apart.

 

[CoopBoots]

Not an expert, but I think sugar water can help with shock/blood pressure issues from the blood loss. If you can get him drinking or safely get fluids into him without aspiration that might help with the weakness. Blood can look like so much, it is scary, but I'd base your assessment on his behavior (lethargy, etc.) If he's standing and not lying down that might be a sign it isn't life or death yet.

Going really far out but if it's a desperate situation and you've tried everything else, a tourniquet or similar on the toe might slow bleeding or stop it, but at the potential cost of damage/toe loss. I can't say if that's a best case outcome, but if I thought I'd lose an animal otherwise, I might be desperate enough to try (given it's just a toe vs. an entire limb.)

Someone more experienced will show up soon. Hang in there!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would put a gauze pad on the toe and wrap it again, and leave it for the day. Check circulation innthe toe to make sure it is not too tight. By tomorrow, you should be able to leave the dressing off. Flour or corn starch as well as styptic (available where razors and shaving products are sold) are good for stopping blood. Usually, pressure for about 3 minutes will clot blood, but in feet, they tend to bleed more because they are hanging down.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I would put a gauze pad on the toe and wrap it again, and leave it for the day. Check circulation innthe toe to make sure it is not too tight. By tomorrow, you should be able to leave the dressing off. Flour or corn starch as well as styptic (available where razors and shaving products are sold) are good for stopping blood. Usually, pressure for about 3 minutes will clot blood, but in feet, they tend to bleed more because they are hanging down.

We do have a gauze pad on it. I feel bad because the poor baby is in so much pain.

 

[coach723]

Pain is not always a bad thing, it makes them self limit activity and allow rest and healing. I would do as suggested, keep the wrapping on til tomorrow watching for swelling. Check tomorrow, with the bleeding stopped then you can get a better look at what happened. It also may already be less painful for him by then. For some birds, once their brain registers 'injury' it can kind of stick, and may take some time for him to realize he's OK again. Eating, drinking, standing, pooping are all good signs.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Not an expert, but I think sugar water can help with shock/blood pressure issues from the blood loss. If you can get him drinking or safely get fluids into him without aspiration that might help with the weakness. Blood can look like so much, it is scary, but I'd base your assessment on his behavior (lethargy, etc.) If he's standing and not lying down that might be a sign it isn't life or death yet.

Going really far out but if it's a desperate situation and you've tried everything else, a tourniquet or similar on the toe might slow bleeding or stop it, but at the potential cost of damage/toe loss. I can't say if that's a best case outcome, but if I thought I'd lose an animal otherwise, I might be desperate enough to try (given it's just a toe vs. an entire limb.)

Someone more experienced will show up soon. Hang in there!

Thank you! How much sugar should I put in the water? I have a special need guinea coop, so I can put him in there if he loses a toe. I have a white male guinea named Ditzy who has neurological problems, and his sister named Pie who I keep her in there for company and because she is his therapy bird. I need to expand their coop soon, but that's for a later project. I'm more than willing to chop his toe off to save him Not really.... I'd rather him pass peacefully than live in even the slightest pain. Although, I do want him alive! Thank you for the suggestions! Again, how much sugar in the water?

 

[Eggcessive]

If he is drinking water and eating the sugar is not necessary. But if you want to give sugar water, a tsp per coup is fine. That can help treat shock. But the pain may help him to not overuse the toe, and rest it.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Pain is not always a bad thing, it makes them self limit activity and allow rest and healing. I would do as suggested, keep the wrapping on til tomorrow watching for swelling. Check tomorrow, with the bleeding stopped then you can get a better look at what happened. It also may already be less painful for him by then. For some birds, once their brain registers 'injury' it can kind of stick, and may take some time for him to realize he's OK again. Eating, drinking, standing, pooping are all good signs.

I've not seen him drink yet, but eating and pooping yes. I think that the nipple waterer in with him is scaring him. He is used to drinking out of nipple waters, but I think that I will just put a little dish in there with him real quick. I do know that pain will keep him calm, I just do feel bad. It's like almost chopping your finger completely off but it still being there and feeling the pain. You can't do anything about it, and the ER can't get you in. They just tell you to wrap it up and put ointment on it.
At least that's how I feel about it.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

If he is drinking water and eating the sugar is not necessary. But if you want to give sugar water, a tsp per coup is fine. That can help treat shock. But the pain may help him to not overuse the toe, and rest it.

Thank you! I will do that right now.