A Frostbitten leg - Save-able?

[Jolly_Rancher]

One of my Marans chicks, 6 weeks, must have stepped in the water. None of the others recieved any frostbite last week during our -30 temps.

She tries not to walk on it, but will set it down for just a second to get where she wants.. and has gotten very use to being in the house.. she cries all the time when shes in her box.. she wants to be fluffed up all curled on your chest... not just anybodies chest.... you have to have a chest.. lol

We have lanced where the leg was very swollen and seemed full of fluid and about to pop, it just had clear liquid in it.. we soak both feet in an iodine antibacterial soap solution, dry it off, neosporin, pad and wrap it, not to tight, trying to make sure nothing gets into the cuts we have made. We used ambosol as a numbing treatment.. just in case there was feeling in the foot.

I don't know .. I can't tell if shes any better.. attitude and chirpiness, I'd say yep she is just fine.. but the foot just keeps looking worse and the bandage had 2 green spots on it today when I removed it.. but, while the foot looks bad, it does not look all gangreeny..

Are we on the right path.. can we save this foot? I know we will lose at least one toe, maybe the tip of another..

Tonight I compared pictures from last week and it does look so much worse. Opinions??

Fran

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

And here are a few of the foot shots

When we first found her.. we use neosporin, the white stuff you see:

This picture is from tonight:

And this is a pic of both feet:

 

[conny63malies]

Well that one toe is dead, no dobt about it. It will shrivel up and fall off soon. Make sure to keep any wounds clean . Its a wait and see, i have a muscovy drake with a frostbite on his big caruncel right now.

 

[3 sisters farm]

My white leghorn 7 months had bad frostbite, foot and leg swollen for about 4 weeks, then the last week rapid improvement....she's out running well and giving us eggs....that toe is a goner, but the leg I think will recover.

 

[chickenzoo]

You might want to try bathing her footsy in warm epsom salt. The one toe will fall off on it's own, the rest should heal. I have used epsom salt for all kinds of things, it works well at drawing out infection and healing. Best wishes

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

Thank you for the encouraging words.

I believe she will end up being fine no matter the outcome, because she tries so hard. She doesn't like being left alone on the floor so it takes her about 10 minutes to get enough ump to put weight on it to fly up to the chair or couch and the human she is after so she can cuddle. How fast did she learn that one!

One question... Should I continue to wrap it? Last night I left it open to air it out overnight.. The clear watery liquid seems to be gone.. but as I said there was a bit of green, which is why I think we might want to keep a bit of neosporin on it a few hours a day... yes?

 

[katrinag]

I would start antibotics too, you do not want an infection starting. I would leave it with out a wrap for a while.

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

oops, I forgot to say.. I do have her on antibiotics..

Big oversite on my part huh?? Shes been on them for 3 days now.. do I just keep her on them till ... when?? I deem her better??

 

[walkswithdog]

Epsom salt soak is something I'd agree on, it will draw swelling down and help with wound care. Though ugly it does look like it will heal other than the lost toe.

Frostbite always looks worse before it gets better.

Hug her for me.

 

[katrinag]

What kind of antibotics? Some are 5 day others are 10.