Yes, please continue to give us updates and pics if you can. Just posted a pic of my Blue Slate turkey poult in the turkey section. I love these birds. Good luck with yours.
Dislocated turkey wing
- Thread starter threehorses
- Start date
I hated prying my girl's beak open to give her medicine! Now I put two or three pellets in my hand and drop the medicine on top. It soaks right in, she has never refused to eat this "treat", and I can make sure that she gets all of her medicine. (As opposed to just putting the drops in with her feed to get scattered around!)
- Thread starter
- #13
Wow so here's something from which I hope people can learn!
I had a night up last night sobbing - again. (I had a migraine yesterday from sobbing already... I think I sobbed it right out of my head hahah oh boy.) Turns out my river of tears (hopefully) was all for naught, but anyone would have thought the same...
The wound area turned black. My phone is both retarded and possessed or I'd be attaching photos, but at least I HAVE some and will edit later. /sigh
So here we go - surgery site, wound turning black, it's VERY warm. It's not seeping, just one little drop of some leaked blood but nothing really - just really wicked out onto a stitch. The whole lower area (where the bone end is) is indeed filling with air. You thump it, gently mind you - more like a tap. If it feels like "poof" it's air, if it feels like vibrations it's fluid. That's the test. It's called "percussion" for those of you like me who like the tedious info.
Anyway, so I have this black balloon on my bird, and the stump meat is blacker and hot.
The tears start flowing. And of course, no vets answer phones unless you take the bird in. And with a bird with a hot black balloon held together by a few stitches that you'd have to put in a carrier and drive for a half hour.... yeah, you don't want to just leave willy nilly.
So the emergency vet (which after my sobbing they actually called her without me coming in) said that it could be safe til morning because their clinic couldn't fix it if it were dying tissue anyway. (Good? to know.)
In the morning, I called the vet and described the situation (and TRIED to send a picture from my demon-phone without luck). She was up and eating, walking, just barely bothered by her wing (the occassional twitch which could be habit from once having had a wing there). Just this black hot balloon and black hot stump.
Apparently, birds bruise greenish and black. (Yes, very much the color of necrosis disturbingly). But since the wound smelled of nothing at all (again use your nose - best tool God gave you for wound care other than the eyes), wasn't seeping, wasn't pus-filled, and she was alert and active - then he wasn't concerned about dying flesh.
The key (finally) is if it's COLD, not hot. He said that it's probably bruising and that if the flesh were cool, then I should worry (as she's on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories). Apparently a loss of circulation caused by dying flesh also causes coolness of the skin. If it were warm, like it is, and getting nasty then to worry about necrosis. But since otherwise the flesh looked normallly moist, and alive (just blackened) it's ok.
I had no idea. I figure I'm not the only one, so I'm sharing.
MAYbe this will save someone else a night up, tossing and turning and crying and praying, in the future.
More to come...
I had a night up last night sobbing - again. (I had a migraine yesterday from sobbing already... I think I sobbed it right out of my head hahah oh boy.) Turns out my river of tears (hopefully) was all for naught, but anyone would have thought the same...
The wound area turned black. My phone is both retarded and possessed or I'd be attaching photos, but at least I HAVE some and will edit later. /sigh
So here we go - surgery site, wound turning black, it's VERY warm. It's not seeping, just one little drop of some leaked blood but nothing really - just really wicked out onto a stitch. The whole lower area (where the bone end is) is indeed filling with air. You thump it, gently mind you - more like a tap. If it feels like "poof" it's air, if it feels like vibrations it's fluid. That's the test. It's called "percussion" for those of you like me who like the tedious info.
Anyway, so I have this black balloon on my bird, and the stump meat is blacker and hot.
The tears start flowing. And of course, no vets answer phones unless you take the bird in. And with a bird with a hot black balloon held together by a few stitches that you'd have to put in a carrier and drive for a half hour.... yeah, you don't want to just leave willy nilly.
So the emergency vet (which after my sobbing they actually called her without me coming in) said that it could be safe til morning because their clinic couldn't fix it if it were dying tissue anyway. (Good? to know.)
In the morning, I called the vet and described the situation (and TRIED to send a picture from my demon-phone without luck). She was up and eating, walking, just barely bothered by her wing (the occassional twitch which could be habit from once having had a wing there). Just this black hot balloon and black hot stump.
Apparently, birds bruise greenish and black. (Yes, very much the color of necrosis disturbingly). But since the wound smelled of nothing at all (again use your nose - best tool God gave you for wound care other than the eyes), wasn't seeping, wasn't pus-filled, and she was alert and active - then he wasn't concerned about dying flesh.
The key (finally) is if it's COLD, not hot. He said that it's probably bruising and that if the flesh were cool, then I should worry (as she's on antibiotics and anti-inflammatories). Apparently a loss of circulation caused by dying flesh also causes coolness of the skin. If it were warm, like it is, and getting nasty then to worry about necrosis. But since otherwise the flesh looked normallly moist, and alive (just blackened) it's ok.
I had no idea. I figure I'm not the only one, so I'm sharing.
MAYbe this will save someone else a night up, tossing and turning and crying and praying, in the future.
More to come...
- Thread starter
- #14
Quote:
Well first attempt left me covered with sticky vanilla smelling Baytril. Why vets even bother to try to mix it into a good flavored solution, I have no idea - I'd rather have 1/4th cc of "God that tastes like crap" than 2 cc's of "wow that would taste good but there's no WAY you're getting that in my beak". It'd be easier to get in her.
So last night I mixed a dab of yogurt (which probably will have no effect mixed WITH the antibiotic), a frozen strawberry (microwaved til warm and mashed), a bit of crumbles, and her 2 meds. She ate it - if I held every piece between my fingers. Then half the time it was actually my fingers she was eating. (One time she very disturbingly had my whole pinky in her mouth shaking it a bit like a worm....). If you put the food under your fingernails, she loves it. My ring was also a lot more interesting.
NOW if they made Baytril in a shiny SILVER solution - turkeys would beg for it.
She ate almost all of it (prompting me to ask if it's ok for me to give her a little too much Baytril to ensure that she actually gets the right amount if she doesn't get all the food). And today - I tried the same thing, and she won't have any of it. /sigh
This bird is very very social, and very lonely, and loves me. I don't really want to take away her last little joy in life by becoming a beak cramming monster. (I strongly believe that if the bird feels positive, they heal - if they feel negative, they decide to and will die.) So I'm going to have to figure out yet another way to get her to eat her meds. Without having her eat them out of my mouth. I'm thinking maybe mixing them with something more gel-like so at least it doesn't drip everywhere. If she wants to sling it, well fine - she slings anyway. BUt maybe something paste-like would stick inside her mouth.
More fun!
Well first attempt left me covered with sticky vanilla smelling Baytril. Why vets even bother to try to mix it into a good flavored solution, I have no idea - I'd rather have 1/4th cc of "God that tastes like crap" than 2 cc's of "wow that would taste good but there's no WAY you're getting that in my beak". It'd be easier to get in her.
So last night I mixed a dab of yogurt (which probably will have no effect mixed WITH the antibiotic), a frozen strawberry (microwaved til warm and mashed), a bit of crumbles, and her 2 meds. She ate it - if I held every piece between my fingers. Then half the time it was actually my fingers she was eating. (One time she very disturbingly had my whole pinky in her mouth shaking it a bit like a worm....). If you put the food under your fingernails, she loves it. My ring was also a lot more interesting.
NOW if they made Baytril in a shiny SILVER solution - turkeys would beg for it.
She ate almost all of it (prompting me to ask if it's ok for me to give her a little too much Baytril to ensure that she actually gets the right amount if she doesn't get all the food). And today - I tried the same thing, and she won't have any of it. /sigh
This bird is very very social, and very lonely, and loves me. I don't really want to take away her last little joy in life by becoming a beak cramming monster. (I strongly believe that if the bird feels positive, they heal - if they feel negative, they decide to and will die.) So I'm going to have to figure out yet another way to get her to eat her meds. Without having her eat them out of my mouth. I'm thinking maybe mixing them with something more gel-like so at least it doesn't drip everywhere. If she wants to sling it, well fine - she slings anyway. BUt maybe something paste-like would stick inside her mouth.
More fun!
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Oh, you poor thing! Huge hugs!!! It is going to be OK. Really!
What about giving her bread soaked with medicine? That might be easier to deal with than something gloppy. If you are pretty sure that she is getting most of the medicine, I would err on the side of caution and not exceed her dose.
Hang in there! I'm going to see if I can find a thread on entertaining isolated birds... I need some ideas too.
What about giving her bread soaked with medicine? That might be easier to deal with than something gloppy. If you are pretty sure that she is getting most of the medicine, I would err on the side of caution and not exceed her dose.
Hang in there! I'm going to see if I can find a thread on entertaining isolated birds... I need some ideas too.
- Thread starter
- #16
Bread! OMG! So simple but my brain is so tired, there's no way I'd have thought of it. Brilliant! I'll try that. Thanks!! /hugs
p.s. Entertaining isolated birds. Well, apparently Ella thinks a bathtub scrungey scrubber is the most fascinating thing ever. Apparently she also likes Lady Shavers (which I quickly removed from her reach).
NOt that they should HAVVE a scrubber.
But just sayin'....
Shiney chain is apparently supposed to be a nice thing to keep them busy.
p.s. Entertaining isolated birds. Well, apparently Ella thinks a bathtub scrungey scrubber is the most fascinating thing ever. Apparently she also likes Lady Shavers (which I quickly removed from her reach).
NOt that they should HAVVE a scrubber.
Shiney chain is apparently supposed to be a nice thing to keep them busy.
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Good luck with the bread idea-keep us posted. We had waffles for breakfast & I thought of your turkey.
I'd read a post where you can hang a cd for chickens to peck at-don't see why something closer might work. or playing music, even a talk radio station..? Cooked spaghetti is a crowd pleaser here, just a little might keep her occupied for a little bit, anyway.
Just some thoughts - good luck, sending Happy Turkey thoughts.
I'd read a post where you can hang a cd for chickens to peck at-don't see why something closer might work. or playing music, even a talk radio station..? Cooked spaghetti is a crowd pleaser here, just a little might keep her occupied for a little bit, anyway.
Just some thoughts - good luck, sending Happy Turkey thoughts.
- Thread starter
- #18
Well, the bread idea went over about like a lead balloon. lol It was a great idea, but apparently Her Majesty The Tub Turkey was unimpressed. I wonder if Baytril absorbs through the skin. I won't have a single bug left in me if it does!
I ended up having to make crumbs of it, and feed it to her by picking at it for literally 30 minutes - adding just enough crumbles to keep her looking at the bread.
She finally finished it. Pampered minx.
Special note: If you at all want to keep a turkey's attention on food, do NOT replace her solid colored bath towel bedding with busy blue and green stripes. Once you finally convince her it's safe to walk on, then you have to spend the rest of the time convincing her to "please STOP eating the blue and green worms on the floor and eat your *(&@# food so I can sleep tonight".
On another note, I put her meds on just enough crumbles today to absorb them - about 1 tablespoon - having taken her food away (as is habit) when I turned off her light last night.
She ate every single crumb within 5 minutes. /cheer
Today her 'stump' has shrunken and I'm seeing less black, and more pink. It's still warm to the touch.
Her black airbag under the wing is getting smaller (deflating) now, too. She's still lovely and active, and now that I think about it I didn't see her shivering that wing today at all. She did, however, pick up "both" wings and flap them - twice - the sort of "I feel so freaking good" way they flap their wings.
Only of course, one was just a wiggle. But that's ok - I knew she felt the glory of both wings and that's good enough for me.
I ended up having to make crumbs of it, and feed it to her by picking at it for literally 30 minutes - adding just enough crumbles to keep her looking at the bread.
She finally finished it. Pampered minx.
Special note: If you at all want to keep a turkey's attention on food, do NOT replace her solid colored bath towel bedding with busy blue and green stripes. Once you finally convince her it's safe to walk on, then you have to spend the rest of the time convincing her to "please STOP eating the blue and green worms on the floor and eat your *(&@# food so I can sleep tonight".
On another note, I put her meds on just enough crumbles today to absorb them - about 1 tablespoon - having taken her food away (as is habit) when I turned off her light last night.
She ate every single crumb within 5 minutes. /cheer
Today her 'stump' has shrunken and I'm seeing less black, and more pink. It's still warm to the touch.
Her black airbag under the wing is getting smaller (deflating) now, too. She's still lovely and active, and now that I think about it I didn't see her shivering that wing today at all. She did, however, pick up "both" wings and flap them - twice - the sort of "I feel so freaking good" way they flap their wings.
Only of course, one was just a wiggle. But that's ok - I knew she felt the glory of both wings and that's good enough for me.
I'm so glad she is on the road to recovery. You talk about her with such pride. She is very lucky to have you. Keep us posted. I love turkeys.
What a trooper... I can't believe she's flapping her stump already! I'm glad you finally found a hassle-free way to give her medicine. It sounds like she is doing really well!
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