HELP - I don’t want her to lose her leg!

[Sally PB]

I’ll look into finding some melaleuca honey

I have seen that at Costco. Might have to get some to have on hand.

I assume that since it's honey, it never goes bad, correct? Though it might crystallize. Does it ruin its healing properties to warm it back up? Actually, what "makes it work"?

 

[korpse]

I have seen that at Costco. Might have to get some to have on hand.

I assume that since it's honey, it never goes bad, correct? Though it might crystallize. Does it ruin its healing properties to warm it back up? Actually, what "makes it work"?

I definitely didn’t find it at my Walmart, but I did find manuka honey, which I guess is similar
My sister told me that melaleuca is tea tree! So I suppose that makes sense

 

[korpse]

So the honey didn’t work for us, mainly because Trash kept getting the bandages off and getting stuff stuck all over the wound
So I went back to the plantain salve which has been good!

But yesterday, I decided to use vet wrap instead of cotton gauze and tape.
And I’m an idiot. I’ve never used vet wrap before, and I think I had it a little too tight. She’s fine, but there was a little more swelling than usual at the line of demarcation by her dead toes and slight discoloration. I feel so horrible! I soaked it for a half hour and didn’t put any gauze or wrap on it. I hope I didn’t cause more damage… I feel so terrible and so dumb

Pictures of the foot after wrapping too tight(the yellow bit is just a wood chip)

 

[Weeg]

I have seen that at Costco. Might have to get some to have on hand.

I assume that since it's honey, it never goes bad, correct? Though it might crystallize. Does it ruin its healing properties to warm it back up? Actually, what "makes it work"?

I'm not sure, thats a good question.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

@korpse I somehow managed to lose this thread and am very glad I just now found it again.

As far as using vet-wrap, I've found that cutting strips off Before wrapping is the best way to ensure the wrap is not too tight on a chicken shank. The leverage while the wrap is on the roll makes it very easy to pull the wrap tighter on a chicken's leg than it should be. You can "practice" by wrapping your own foot or leg. You will see that If you wrap while the wrap is on the roll, you can easily get it much tighter than if you cut a strip off at a time before wrapping.

Your bond with Trash will grow stronger every day. Even more so since she is a now a house chicken and you spend even more time with her than if she lived outside with the flock. I look forward to seeing what type prosthetics you choose for her, and how well she regains mobility. Neither of the video links on the top etsy seller worked last time I looked. There are photos of people holding a bird up in the air while a prosthetic is attached to a stump, and there are photos showing a bird standing upright on a prosthetic, but what I really wanted to know is how well can the bird move? Maybe Trash will be the one to show us how it's done.

 

[Weeg]

So the honey didn’t work for us, mainly because Trash kept getting the bandages off and getting stuff stuck all over the wound
So I went back to the plantain salve which has been good!

But yesterday, I decided to use vet wrap instead of cotton gauze and tape.
And I’m an idiot. I’ve never used vet wrap before, and I think I had it a little too tight. She’s fine, but there was a little more swelling than usual at the line of demarcation by her dead toes and slight discoloration. I feel so horrible! I soaked it for a half hour and didn’t put any gauze or wrap on it. I hope I didn’t cause more damage… I feel so terrible and so dumb

Pictures of the foot after wrapping too tight(the yellow bit is just a wood chip)
View attachment 3036491View attachment 3036495

Oh no! I'm sorry that happened. It's really easy to wrap vet wrap too tight, I've done it before. The elasticity makes it hard to tell.
I hope it will be alright, keep doing soaks, maybe I'm sure she'll be alright.

 

[korpse]

Sorry I haven’t updated in so long!
So now, Trash has a chicken diaper so she can spend more time in the house with me and we just received the prosthetic leg from Branscum 3D Printing on Etsy! They were great to work with! They had me send pictures of her leg with a measuring tape and they even let me get them in pink!

It’s a learning curve for her. So far we practiced the past two days with the prosthetic, but today is her day off. It’s also kind of a learning curve for me to figure out how to put the leg on her. She always manages to get it off after awhile. I hope she eventually gets it

She’s loving all the attention! (Besides me putting the prosthetic on her)
She has began to “purr” when she’s happy and she LOVES plush blankets. We just took a road trip to see my boyfriend for a few days and she really enjoyed being able with us 24/7. I hope she’s not too lonely while I’m not around.

I’ve stopped putting antibiotics in her water, and at first, she was so excited about normal tasting water, she wouldn’t stop drinking it, it was almost concerning, but she’s back to normal now.
I’ve also stopped soaking her!
Two more toes have come off, so now there’s just the middle toe and her little thumb toe, but those are going to come off as well.

Right now she’s snuggled up in my lap
She’s such a sweet bird. I think that’s all I have for today. I’ll try to update more! For now, here’s a picture of her going for a car ride and her in her diaper! (Oh and the diaper is from Shannen Sews on Facebook/instagram. She’s also amazing to work with! I just ordered another one!)

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

What a great update, @korpse ! Your telling of Trash's latest adventures and escapades summed up what I've tried to convey re my own hen; that recovery from severe frostbite injury is not just about a chicken surviving; it's also about a chicken Thriving. Trash is very much enjoying her life, and your update put a smile on my heart.

Re her prosthetics, I will be very interested to see how they work out. Your words that figuring out how to put them on her is requiring a learning curve led to me have this thought. When humans get fitted with a prosthetic after losing a limb, they don't just get handed the prosthetic with instructions "Here it is; take it home and wear it." Instead they get multiple fittings and extensive physical therapy to make sure the prosthetic works as intended. So it makes perfect sense you are struggling with the mechanics of figuring out how to get the best function regarding Trash.

The photo of Trash walking on her left stump also caught my attention. Is she mostly bearing her weight on her hock and remaining shank portion? If so, that is similar to how Matilda adapted to restore her balance. But doing so caused her shanks to spread out almost as if she was making herself new "paddle feet." That is the main issue why I decided to rule out getting prosthetics for her. The bottoms of her shanks now look like this:

I wouldn't even know where/how to take measurements to order a prosthesis. The tip/end of her stump, or the widened shank part? I've thought I waited too long to get her a properly-fitting prosthetic; that I should have done so immediately after the stump wounds healed, same as you have done for Trash.

How does the prosthetic change her posture and balance? Trash's thread is the first I've seen on BYC where someone ordered 3d-printed plastic prosthetics for their bird. So whatever successes and limitations you encounter in making them work, I think your input will help future chicken tenders figure out how to best help their own amputee patients.

And my message to Trash? You go girl!

 

[korpse]

What a great update, @korpse ! Your telling of Trash's latest adventures and escapades summed up what I've tried to convey re my own hen; that recovery from severe frostbite injury is not just about a chicken surviving; it's also about a chicken Thriving. Trash is very much enjoying her life, and your update put a smile on my heart.

Re her prosthetics, I will be very interested to see how they work out. Your words that figuring out how to put them on her is requiring a learning curve led to me have this thought. When humans get fitted with a prosthetic after losing a limb, they don't just get handed the prosthetic with instructions "Here it is; take it home and wear it." Instead they get multiple fittings and extensive physical therapy to make sure the prosthetic works as intended. So it makes perfect sense you are struggling with the mechanics of figuring out how to get the best function regarding Trash.

The photo of Trash walking on her left stump also caught my attention. Is she mostly bearing her weight on her hock and remaining shank portion? If so, that is similar to how Matilda adapted to restore her balance. But doing so caused her shanks to spread out almost as if she was making herself new "paddle feet." That is the main issue why I decided to rule out getting prosthetics for her. The bottoms of her shanks now look like this:
View attachment 3080380

I wouldn't even know where/how to take measurements to order a prosthesis. The tip/end of her stump, or the widened shank part? I've thought I waited too long to get her a properly-fitting prosthetic; that I should have done so immediately after the stump wounds healed, same as you have done for Trash.

How does the prosthetic change her posture and balance? Trash's thread is the first I've seen on BYC where someone ordered 3d-printed plastic prosthetics for their bird. So whatever successes and limitations you encounter in making them work, I think your input will help future chicken tenders figure out how to best help their own amputee patients.

And my message to Trash? You go girl!

Thank you for all your encouragement!
All of you guys on this thread really!

And what you said about human amputees, you’re so right! My best friend said the same thing to me when I got discouraged. Trash needs to relearn how to walk with it.
Today we had a tiny bit of progress! She left the prosthetic on overnight! Usually, she manages to take it off.
And she is using her stump and hock! I could tell the stump was becoming slightly “paddle” like, but not too much. She’s a very skinny bird (even though I’ve been feeding her high protein food like the vet suggested).
With the prosthetic, the company was so helpful! I didn’t even take measurements, the company just asked for lots of pictures of both legs with me holding a measuring tape next to her! These are some of the pictures I sent:

I’ve been trying the “hook” prosthetic and my sister brought up a very good point: shouldn’t it be wider, more like a chickens foot? Perhaps then it’d be easier to balance.
For now, I’ll keep practicing with Trash, but maybe Ill see what other prosthetic options are out there.

 

[korpse]

What a great update, @korpse ! Your telling of Trash's latest adventures and escapades summed up what I've tried to convey re my own hen; that recovery from severe frostbite injury is not just about a chicken surviving; it's also about a chicken Thriving. Trash is very much enjoying her life, and your update put a smile on my heart.

Re her prosthetics, I will be very interested to see how they work out. Your words that figuring out how to put them on her is requiring a learning curve led to me have this thought. When humans get fitted with a prosthetic after losing a limb, they don't just get handed the prosthetic with instructions "Here it is; take it home and wear it." Instead they get multiple fittings and extensive physical therapy to make sure the prosthetic works as intended. So it makes perfect sense you are struggling with the mechanics of figuring out how to get the best function regarding Trash.

The photo of Trash walking on her left stump also caught my attention. Is she mostly bearing her weight on her hock and remaining shank portion? If so, that is similar to how Matilda adapted to restore her balance. But doing so caused her shanks to spread out almost as if she was making herself new "paddle feet." That is the main issue why I decided to rule out getting prosthetics for her. The bottoms of her shanks now look like this:
View attachment 3080380

I wouldn't even know where/how to take measurements to order a prosthesis. The tip/end of her stump, or the widened shank part? I've thought I waited too long to get her a properly-fitting prosthetic; that I should have done so immediately after the stump wounds healed, same as you have done for Trash.

How does the prosthetic change her posture and balance? Trash's thread is the first I've seen on BYC where someone ordered 3d-printed plastic prosthetics for their bird. So whatever successes and limitations you encounter in making them work, I think your input will help future chicken tenders figure out how to best help their own amputee patients.

And my message to Trash? You go girl!

Thank you for all your encouragement!
All of you guys on this thread really!

And what you said about human amputees, you’re so right! My best friend said the same thing to me when I got discouraged. Trash needs to relearn how to walk with it.
Today we had a tiny bit of progress! She left the prosthetic on overnight! Usually, she manages to take it off.
And she is using her stump and hock! I could tell the stump was becoming slightly “paddle” like, but not too much. She’s a very skinny bird (even though I’ve been feeding her high protein food like the vet suggested).
With the prosthetic, the company was so helpful! I didn’t even take measurements, the company just asked for lots of pictures of both legs with me holding a measuring tape next to her! These are some of the pictures I sent:
View attachment 3081918View attachment 3081919

I’ve been trying the “hook” prosthetic and my sister brought up a very good point: shouldn’t it be wider, more like a chickens foot? Perhaps then it’d be easier to balance.
For now, I’ll keep practicing with Trash, but maybe Ill see what other prosthetic options are out there.