Cyst or mass on the outside of knee.

[Exopoulterer]

Dove, the whisperer of golfballs, the "Don't touch me." bird, who is also soon to lay her first egg has been found to have this on her leg on the outside of her right knee.

It is about the size of a large blueberry and was not as round or visible yesterday but was felt when my daughter checked her wing that had a bloody feather recently. This mass doesn't seem to bother her, even when we messed with it.

After going to get chlorhexidine gluconate 4% solution that we have yet to use, we used a warm saline compress on it and applied some triple antibiotic ointment. I also removed a couple feathers from around the scab that came out easily and one tough one from the center of the scab. Then I took the photos which is why it looks moist.

I was hoping that the scab would open up and reveal pus or a feather that needs removed but no luck this time. I didn't soak her bottom half because it seems so close to her first egg and I was afraid that may mess with that.

Should I open this up and see, soak, or will a few more compresses perhaps help?

Also, if anyone can tell me if I need to dilute this chlorhexidine gluconate 4% solution to use topically on the wound area? Instructions are for humans and just say •apply the minimum amount of product necessary to cover the skin or wound area and wash gently •rinse again thoroughly. I have searched and am getting too many answers or unhelpful ones like "dilute with water", "spray the wound with chlorhexidine", etc.

 

[Eggcessive]

Usually chlorhexidene 4% is diluted with an equal amount of water to dilute it to 2% strength. Then it is rinsed with water. For most wounds I would use that or saline, or a wound spray such as Vetericyn followed by the antibiotic ointment. Hopefully, it is just a wound, but it could tun out to be a skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma which can look like this. I would not worry at this point, but just clean the wound twice a day. Watch to see if it grows in size.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some graphic pictures of squamous cell cancer:
https://sesc.cat/en/squamous-cell-carcinoma-in-laying-hens/

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/squamous-cell-carcinoma

 

[Exopoulterer]

Here are some graphic pictures of squamous cell cancer:
https://sesc.cat/en/squamous-cell-carcinoma-in-laying-hens/

https://poultrydvm.com/condition/squamous-cell-carcinoma

Thank you. It sure looks like tumors I have seen in humans.

I have 500mg amoxicillin capsules on hand that I feel might be worth a try if topical treatment doesn't do much as I am now definitely afraid to piss it off by cutting it in case it is cancer.

Is there any dosage by weight info on amoxicillin for chickens?

I have made a suspension of it several times to treat abscesses in feral cats and it works very well for that.

 

[Exopoulterer]

Update!
A really good update for Dove!

I have been gently checking and cleaning the sore about once a week and nothing seemed to change it.

Dove would start pecking and fixing the feathers around it when I messed with it and applied the triple antibiotic. She would fix the feathers on top of it so they would fall over it neatly like, "Would you please leave that alone?"

The skin appeared raised and locked around that mass and even dawn plastered on it with warm compresses wouldn't do much but produce some red staining that looked like she would bleed if I pried at it. I assumed it was an SCC for all this time...

Today, I was feeling on it just to see if I felt any size difference like I do when I handle her regularly when I thought, Oh no, maybe it is a bit larger!
Then I noticed that it was mostly released from the skin! I had my daughter hold her while I got a better look and photos from straight on while Dove was going for it and took it right off!
I then took it away because Dove was really playing with it as if she would eat it. Lol

It had gradually begun to feel more and more superficial, flat backed, just a skin involvement type of thing. It always felt like it wasn't deep but lately was more movable if that makes sense.

I am so pleased to show that it may have just been a little ingrown feather or cyst with a scab over it or something. I no longer think she has a tumor!

I will dissect the yellow center part of the cap in a little while to see if it was a feather or whatever it may have encased. It is quite small.

 

[Eggcessive]

I’m glad that scab came off. Did it grow at all over the last month? Did you complete the amoxicillin? I would clean off the area where the scab was, and keep some antibiotic ointment on it until it dries out. Let us know if it shrinks down and goes away. I have seen some lesions in a couple of dogs that seemed like cancer, but turned out to be dermoid cysts. One went away after a round of antibiotics.

 

[Exopoulterer]

I’m glad that scab came off. Did it grow at all over the last month? Did you complete the amoxicillin? I would clean off the area where the scab was, and keep some antibiotic ointment on it until it dries out. Let us know if it shrinks down and goes away. I have seen some lesions in a couple of dogs that seemed like cancer, but turned out to be dermoid cysts. One went away after a round of antibiotics.

It didn't really grow but the hard dark part slowly spread closer to the outer edges of the half sphere shape shown in the first photos I posted. I will check for some other photos I took of the progression. I am sure I took some but didn't share.
It darkened and slightly flattened. It was/is very hard and moisture from saline compresses, nor dawn would soften this thing. Her condition was otherwise good with no indications of illness. She also has become more open to being petted and handled and seemed not to mind getting treated. She would join in and try to fix the area instead of actually complaining. I supposed it was itchy.

I did not use the amoxicillin as I discovered worms in her cecal poop shortly after posting that I would try that. I was wary of deworming her and using antibiotics at the same time, also her first eggs coming up around that time added to the complexity of the situation. I prioritized deworming because the worms were evident. Timing was crazy with everything coming up at the same time like that. Amoxicillin was the next step I was about to take because it has been a week since I administered the albendazole to the flock. Then it just came off!

I immediatly prepared saline, flushed the area with a stream of it from a spray bottle, and applied triple antibiotic.

She is probably covering that in dirt with one of her favorite things to do. Dust bathing. I would have been tempted to try a tegaderm or something if the ointment wouldn't render it useless and she didn't have so many feathers there on her knee. LOL

 

[Eggcessive]

Tegaderm won’t stick if using ointment. I don’t know about a colloid dressing, but probably using the antibiotic ointment and leaving it open would be easiest. Using a spray bottle for the saline or nasal saline spray might rinse the dirt off easily.

 

[Exopoulterer]

Here is the whole bird Dove. She laid soft shells for her first week laying and is now laying pretty mint color eggs that taste great. She went from the "Don't touch me." bird to my Lovey Dovey.

I am still so happy that that big scary scab came off. I was seriously worried about it being cancer because it did look way too similar to a tumor I saw on my mother and in many photos of cancer in humans.

 

[Exopoulterer]

Tegaderm won’t stick if using ointment. I don’t know about a colloid dressing, but probably using the antibiotic ointment and leaving it open would be easiest. Using a spray bottle for the saline or nasal saline spray might rinse the dirt off easily.

She would surely tear whatever dressing I tried off anyway.

I put a hen saddle on her once and it was not a pretty sight. Took me a while to make that thing...
She proceeded to freak out and even the other pullets tried their best to help relieve her of it.

I might try a better saddle one day because Lovey Dovey is also the lovey to Cleatus. She is a squatter, The Squatter! No real damage yet but she does get most of the attention from him.