**It should be assumed in anything I post that going to a vet is not on the table.**
My gander was sitting with his butt to the fence and was grabbed by the tail by a dog in an attempt to yank the gander through. Huge chunks were taken from the back and one side of the tail. The injury on the back of the tail was very deep - I'm assuming that's the area where his oil gland was because I sure can't find it now, and every time he bathes he's no longer hydrophobic and gets soaked. He could (and can) still wag his tail and move it normally, so no issues there.
The attack happened maybe a month ago so I'm not looking for advice on wound care. What I'm mostly wondering is if anyone has experience with injured oil glands, and if having that part basically "torn off" is something that can be healed, or if I should be expecting this to be permanent? And if permanent, anything I should know - like I'm assuming access to pools in winter will no longer be a thing lest I want a frozen goose.
This is the injury closer to when it happened, maybe one or two weeks after the attack. I didn't even think to take a picture earlier on, unfortunately. I was dealing with infection and not thinking of things like that. It was an extremely ragged wound and for a long time I wasn't sure what I was looking at, so it took me awhile to get confident in the things I was debriding, plucking, and snipping away.
This is the wound today. Lots of new feather growth (and a dandelion leaf?!) attempting to block my view.
Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.
My gander was sitting with his butt to the fence and was grabbed by the tail by a dog in an attempt to yank the gander through. Huge chunks were taken from the back and one side of the tail. The injury on the back of the tail was very deep - I'm assuming that's the area where his oil gland was because I sure can't find it now, and every time he bathes he's no longer hydrophobic and gets soaked. He could (and can) still wag his tail and move it normally, so no issues there.
The attack happened maybe a month ago so I'm not looking for advice on wound care. What I'm mostly wondering is if anyone has experience with injured oil glands, and if having that part basically "torn off" is something that can be healed, or if I should be expecting this to be permanent? And if permanent, anything I should know - like I'm assuming access to pools in winter will no longer be a thing lest I want a frozen goose.
This is the injury closer to when it happened, maybe one or two weeks after the attack. I didn't even think to take a picture earlier on, unfortunately. I was dealing with infection and not thinking of things like that. It was an extremely ragged wound and for a long time I wasn't sure what I was looking at, so it took me awhile to get confident in the things I was debriding, plucking, and snipping away.
This is the wound today. Lots of new feather growth (and a dandelion leaf?!) attempting to block my view.
Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.
