Abcess(?) on face

[Hawsegal]

Soooooo now that the bumblefoot is gone, my girls just couldn't stand me not fussing over them health-wise.

I have a Pullet who has been getting a lump on her face, the area between her nostril and eye...that big fleshy expansion where you can feel the indentation of the eye socket and nasal cavity. I tried ignoring it thinking I could deal with something cosmetic, but it kept getting bigger.

Start of last week I decided to lance it. Clear yellow-ish fluid came out and it hang empty. Next day it had to be lanced again but was smaller pre-cutting. I started going 2 days between popping her "zit" and finally let it go altogether when it looked like it was going away.

Today I see her chickening around the yard and, oh my! It was the size of a small marble! I immediately brought her inside and lanced it wide (approx 1/4" wide lancing)
She then proceeded to bleed all over the place while I tried to work the fluid out. The last big gush i got out of it came with globs of what reminded me of congealed blood. I'm wondering if this was what the irritant was or perhaps just old blood from past lancing.

Anywho, my main q's are..has anyone ever dealt with this before? Is there a way I can make a drain to insert in the small lanced hole? I'm having debates on this since while it would be letting fluid out, things could also get worked in... It wouldn't be so much of an issue if it didnt impair her ability to blink effectively in its huge state. I would like to be able to get her back to normal but am unsure as to how to approach the treatment...

I unfortunately don't have pics of this, for those that are good at mental imaging, picture a marble under the skin where I described its location. After lancing, a fleshy sack where the knot used to be.


Help?

 

[ruth]

Sounds like a sinus infection. I have lanced and cleaned out swellings on the face before but they do tend to come back. Lance and clean out well (rinse with Saline Solution - also rinse down the nose - and pack with Neosporin and hope for the best.

 

[Hawsegal]

Quote:
OOOOOoooooohhhhhhh, sinus infection....that never came to mind but now makes perfect sense now that you mention it! Should I just use standard salt in water or should I get a store bought saline? I'm hoping the wider opening would allow it to drain a bit better, I guess that I will know first thing tomorrow. If it is/was a sinus infection, would she have any discharge from her nose? I've yet to see any of that. Strangely the stuff that comes out of the swollen area doesn't smell of infection at all. But hey, at this point I'm willing to try anything.

And here I was hoping that everyone would be bandage and antibiotic free before winter snowfall...ha! silly me.

 

[ruth]

I often just make a batch of warm salt water - find it works best. Flush out the wound and gently flush out her nose. You can also open her beak and check the roof of her mouth. There is a wide gap in roof of mouth. If they have a bad sinus infection, it clogs up with "gunk" and needs to be cleaned out - I use a toothpick. If it's open, the salt water you put in her nose should come out in her mouth.

 

[Hawsegal]

Quote:
I will definitely try this. I do have one question left...how the world can I get her to hold still for this? I have a hard enough time holding this girls head still long enough to lance it with out poking her in the eye. I am afraid that I will cut off her airway by wrapping my hand around her head and holding it that way. Either way, what needs done will get done. If there is a safer way to restrain her please share, I'm more than willing to try it.

Also, thank you for your advice!

 

[ruth]

Well for just about any other procedure/operation, I wrap them in a towel and cover their head but since you need to work on her face, I guess just wrap her snuggly in a towel and lay her on her side and try holding her head down. Sometimes if you give them a minute, maybe covering her eyes, they calm down and you can work then.