Abcesses & Tumors - Graphic Pictures

[JennyHeidewald]

It looks worse/bigger now than when stating the antibiotics, and she's acting sicker. Poop is green now. I trimmed the feathers around it more, and she preens the rest of them often. Last antibiotics are Tuesday morning.
Next vet appointment is Friday (when I have off from work). So, we'll see. I don't know how it can heal if it has what looks to be an infection in there.
I was trying to figure out what I can put on it to soften the scab, because I think as along as what looks to be an infection is in there it's not going to heal. Gail Damerow was saying desitin (diaper rash cream), which I also read can be toxic to chickens (contains zinc oxide), or ichthammol. I don't have either of those, so I think I'm going to try to make a coconut oil paste of some sort. Probably with jojoba oil. I thought maybe vaseline, but I guess that is bad, just need it to stick and not be bad for her if she preens it. I put vetricyn gel on it earlier, my spray stopped working on the bottle.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The scab likely needs to come off.

I prefer Chlorhexidine (Hibiclens), you can find it at Walmart/CVS, etc. or order it online off Amazon.
Take a rough wash cloth and debride the wound with your antiseptic. See if you can start removing the scab.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

As much as I dread having to do that...*sweats* I usually hold them and have my mom help by doing any gross medical stuff. She has a stronger stomach.
I was hoping to soften it gently and peel it, but husband forgot to buy the ointment when at walmart today(I was going to use the desitin, though I don't really like the idea). I don't know how the vet expected it to heal with just antibiotics if there is infection in it.

I'll go get some chlorhexidine, seems like it's good to have on hand for the chicken first aid kit anyways. Thanks for the help!

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Called the vet today, they will debride it on Friday. We'd went out to get that Ichthammol ointment, and I only used it twice and she looked terrible. That sick chicken look we dread. I thought I was going to lose her, she looked so bad.

So I washed it gently with the chlorhexidine, the scab was not coming off, but I got all that nasty ick ointment stuff off. Why would the book recommend that, I think it must have been stinging something terrible. She is much better today when I came home at lunch. Then I hung out with her after work, and was a chicken perch for about two hours.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Called the vet today, they will debride it on Friday. We'd went out to get that Ichthammol ointment, and I only used it twice and she looked terrible. That sick chicken look we dread. I thought I was going to lose her, she looked so bad.

So I washed it gently with the chlorhexidine, the scab was not coming off, but I got all that nasty ick ointment stuff off. Why would the book recommend that, I think it must have been stinging something terrible. She is much better today when I came home at lunch. Then I hung out with her after work, and was a chicken perch for about two hours.

I'm glad you will be seeing the vet tomorrow, hopefully with this visit she'll start to improve.

I don't have the book, so would have to read the context of how Ichtammol is being suggested. Usually it's used on very small areas like minor bumblefoot.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

RIP, Blackberry.

I'd called the animal hospital SPECIFICALLY days before to ask how much the wound debridement would cost. After the receptionist checked with the dr, the receptionist said the dr was going to include it in this check up. Which *I* thought meant the check up cost of $70ish. I asked a few times in the call, because I needed to know so I know if I can afford it, or if I should prepare myself mentally to have her put to sleep.

I get there and it is not included... and of course Blackberry will be under anesthesia so she won't feel any pain, and that would be $100, monitoring would be $15, then more Metacam pain /anti inflammitory (to actually, y'know, LAST the 14 days it's prescribed) would be $89, the recheck is $70 ish...it was going to be about $300. No guarantees that it would actually help her in the end if it was cancer or a tumor and not an infection.

I had to wait for my husband because, of course, that time he hadn't come with me. I called him, but he said it was my decision, but he wanted to be there if I decided put her to sleep. She was huddling under my arm next to my body under a towel,eyes closed, the whole wait period (cold in there for a frazzle, I came prepared this time with the towel).
I decided to have her put to sleep, because I didn't want her to suffer more. If the antibiotics didn't do anything, then either it was the wrong antibiotics, or it is something that won't be fixed with them, and debridement would cause her more suffering on top of the month or so already.
---
The vet tech said that she had a hen with a spur wound and it was not doing what Blackberry's wound was. It had doubled in size.

After she was put to sleep, RIP poor chickie, the vet asked if she could open the scab. I said yes, because I wanted to know too. She was going to do it with no gloves! Me: "Um, you might want to put some gloves on...?"
Kind of nervous because, what if it was just an infection that could have been fixed, y'know?
It looks like a ring of pus infection? Her muscle was right under the indented part of the scab. There was no blood, and it did not smell.There is no way to know for sure without a biopsy if it was cancer.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

They were going to charge me $153 for euthanasia, on top of the vet consultation ( and $5.50 biohazard fee), and I said, "Wow... the price has really gone up for that! Last time it was only about $65 or so..."
So that got changed to the lower price. My mom said that is what it costs to have a horse put to sleep.

@Wyorp Rock Thank you for your suggestions and thoughts on this case, I wish it had turned out differently. I think you are right about the icthammol ointment, it didn't specifically say only use on small wounds in the book,but after Blackberry's reaction I'll not use it on anything large.

I have a hen with bumble foot in my living room that I am going to try it on. She is a penedescenca and flighty as heck, so I've been putting off dealing with her today. So much clean up and disinfecting to do after I do anything with chickens at my place.

 

[Kiki]

RIP, Blackberry.

I'd called the animal hospital SPECIFICALLY days before to ask how much the wound debridement would cost. After the receptionist checked with the dr, the receptionist said the dr was going to include it in this check up. Which *I* thought meant the check up cost of $70ish. I asked a few times in the call, because I needed to know so I know if I can afford it, or if I should prepare myself mentally to have her put to sleep.

I get there and it is not included... and of course Blackberry will be under anesthesia so she won't feel any pain, and that would be $100, monitoring would be $15, then more Metacam pain /anti inflammitory (to actually, y'know, LAST the 14 days it's prescribed) would be $89, the recheck is $70 ish...it was going to be about $300. No guarantees that it would actually help her in the end if it was cancer or a tumor and not an infection.

I had to wait for my husband because, of course, that time he hadn't come with me. I called him, but he said it was my decision, but he wanted to be there if I decided put her to sleep. She was huddling under my arm next to my body under a towel,eyes closed, the whole wait period (cold in there for a frazzle, I came prepared this time with the towel).
I decided to have her put to sleep, because I didn't want her to suffer more. If the antibiotics didn't do anything, then either it was the wrong antibiotics, or it is something that won't be fixed with them, and debridement would cause her more suffering on top of the month or so already.
---
The vet tech said that she had a hen with a spur wound and it was not doing what Blackberry's wound was. It had doubled in size.

After she was put to sleep, RIP poor chickie, the vet asked if she could open the scab. I said yes, because I wanted to know too. She was going to do it with no gloves! Me: "Um, you might want to put some gloves on...?"
Kind of nervous because, what if it was just an infection that could have been fixed, y'know?
It looks like a ring of pus infection? Her muscle was right under the indented part of the scab. There was no blood, and it did not smell.There is no way to know for sure without a biopsy if it was cancer.


View attachment 3592801View attachment 3592802View attachment 3592804View attachment 3592806

Did you know you can/are you going to send her to your state lab for a Necropsy?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

RIP, Blackberry.

I'd called the animal hospital SPECIFICALLY days before to ask how much the wound debridement would cost. After the receptionist checked with the dr, the receptionist said the dr was going to include it in this check up. Which *I* thought meant the check up cost of $70ish. I asked a few times in the call, because I needed to know so I know if I can afford it, or if I should prepare myself mentally to have her put to sleep.

I get there and it is not included... and of course Blackberry will be under anesthesia so she won't feel any pain, and that would be $100, monitoring would be $15, then more Metacam pain /anti inflammitory (to actually, y'know, LAST the 14 days it's prescribed) would be $89, the recheck is $70 ish...it was going to be about $300. No guarantees that it would actually help her in the end if it was cancer or a tumor and not an infection.

I had to wait for my husband because, of course, that time he hadn't come with me. I called him, but he said it was my decision, but he wanted to be there if I decided put her to sleep. She was huddling under my arm next to my body under a towel,eyes closed, the whole wait period (cold in there for a frazzle, I came prepared this time with the towel).
I decided to have her put to sleep, because I didn't want her to suffer more. If the antibiotics didn't do anything, then either it was the wrong antibiotics, or it is something that won't be fixed with them, and debridement would cause her more suffering on top of the month or so already.
---
The vet tech said that she had a hen with a spur wound and it was not doing what Blackberry's wound was. It had doubled in size.

After she was put to sleep, RIP poor chickie, the vet asked if she could open the scab. I said yes, because I wanted to know too. She was going to do it with no gloves! Me: "Um, you might want to put some gloves on...?"
Kind of nervous because, what if it was just an infection that could have been fixed, y'know?
It looks like a ring of pus infection? Her muscle was right under the indented part of the scab. There was no blood, and it did not smell.There is no way to know for sure without a biopsy if it was cancer.


View attachment 3592801View attachment 3592802View attachment 3592804View attachment 3592806

They were going to charge me $153 for euthanasia, on top of the vet consultation ( and $5.50 biohazard fee), and I said, "Wow... the price has really gone up for that! Last time it was only about $65 or so..."
So that got changed to the lower price. My mom said that is what it costs to have a horse put to sleep.

@Wyorp Rock Thank you for your suggestions and thoughts on this case, I wish it had turned out differently. I think you are right about the icthammol ointment, it didn't specifically say only use on small wounds in the book,but after Blackberry's reaction I'll not use it on anything large.

I have a hen with bumble foot in my living room that I am going to try it on. She is a penedescenca and flighty as heck, so I've been putting off dealing with her today. So much clean up and disinfecting to do after I do anything with chickens at my place.

I'm very sorry to hear about Blackberry
You did what you could for her and I'm sorry you had to put her down, but she's no longer in pain.

That's quite expensive and having necropsy and testing through your state lab may be a bit cheaper, but you'd have to call and find out. Sometimes it's economical, other times not quite so much.

Thank you for sharing the photos.

 

[JennyHeidewald]

Did you know you can/are you going to send her to your state lab for a NecIropsy?

I always forget about that, would have to look up how they do it in Arizona again. We buried her the same day.