bad eye injury*updated w/pics*

[AmynChad]

my 4 month old Cuckoo maran had injured eye. I treated it with antibiotics and it seemed to be getting better, however, she was still sctratching it. I went out today and her eye was extremely swollen and upon further examination, it appears that she has actually slit her lower eyelid from about the middle of it straight down about an 1/8 of a centimeter. Any other chicken would be a cull because I know her eye won't ever be normal, but this is my one pet chicken that I happen to be attached to. Has anyone ever tried to wrap a chicken's eye or put a patch on it? I was thinking a tiny patch might work better. I know they make that Shut-eye stuff for cows that you can glue a piece of fabric over their eye with. Any ideas?

 

[magsrags]

I am sorry to hear that, hope someone comes along with some good advice.

 

[AmynChad]

Here are some pics of Lacy's eye. Amazingly, it's not swollen shut, although the actual tear is much worse than it was a few days ago. She is not acting any differently. She is very active and was scratching and eating away when I found her. I separated her and she is pacing back and forth in the dog kennel right now. Pics are a little fuzzy, but you can kinda see the slit.

 

[AngelzFyre]

You can clean her eye off with a dilute solution of Betadine Solution, diluted to look like weak tea. Either syringe it as a flush and then wipe off the eye gently so you don't scratch it. Eye flush will work as well if you can't find the Betadine Solution. Do NOT use Nolvasan Solution or anything like that as it'll injure the eye. Her eye may heal up better than you expect. They are very resilient.
Keep an opthalmic ointment on the eye itself and the injured cut. The main thing is to keep it as clean as you can so it doesn't get infected more. You could try an eye patch over it, but you need to medicate it at least 2 times daily and preferably 3. Do not put anything with a steroid in it into the eye in case she's scratched it. I wouldn't use the long gauze wrap for fear of her getting caught in it while scratching and pulling it tight enough to cut off circulation or strangle herself, but you might be able to fashion a makeshift cover with a gauze pad covered with the ointment and then taped with pieces of tape around that side of her head or making a little sock wrap with a place cut out for her beak and good eye. Tape that on with a mild tape that's not going to pull all her feathers out.

Hopefully others will have some ideas that'll help as well.
Sending get well wishes Lacy's way!

 

[AmynChad]

Ahhh! excellent idea with the sock wrap. I have some baby socks that would be the perfect size. I'll email pictures when I am done

 

[AngelzFyre]

I did sock wraps on a kitten I rescued at our clinic. It had been drug around the yard by a jump rope and burned severely. His skin peeled from his head down to the middle of his back down to the muscle. We dressed it with Derma Clens ointment and I kept a sock wrap on him and adjusted the sizes as he grew. It took almost 3 months, but the wound closed almost all the way and we did surgery to close the rest and relieve the tightness from the skin that healed too tightly over his head and kept his eyes where they wouldn't close all the way.
He looked like ET, but I swear by the sock bandages helping him heal as well as he did. He never tried to get them off either.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Quote:
If the sock wrap doesn't work why don't you try and wrap her foot where she want be able to scratch the eye anymore. The air will be good for healing. I would also bring her in for a bit, put her where its dark. This will give the eye time to maybe scab over. Offer food and water of cource. If you keep her from scratching it she should be O.K.

I would also do the meds at least three times a day. Good luck, let us know how its going.

 

[chilling in muscadine]

Quote:
Poor baby, he knew you were trying to help him. I love when I look into there eyes and you know that they know your helping them. I have worked with abused animals for years and get such a great feeling when I've been sucessful helping them.