Help :(. Snapping turtle injuries.

[Folly's place]

If you can keep it clean, and it has meds on it, maybe do without a bandage. Unless it needs support because of fractures.
Are any toes broken?
Mary

 

[Anime2lover]

Not sure if it's broken. Seems like it hurts him too much to move. How can you tell?

If it is broken badly on the toes or leg, you should be able to feel the break with your fingers, or it will be able to bend at a spot that isn't a joint. As for splitting, if you splint with that much swelling you could risk cutting circulation. You could make a chick chair for her to keep her off of it though until then.

 

[Ducklala]

If you can keep it clean, and it has meds on it, maybe do without a bandage. Unless it needs support because of fractures.
Are any toes broken?
Mary

Nothing seems broken. Again it's really hard to tell. I can try and manoever it in the morning and post updates.

 

[Ducklala]

If it is broken badly on the toes or leg, you should be able to feel the break with your fingers, or it will be able to bend at a spot that isn't a joint. As for splitting, if you splint with that much swelling you could risk cutting circulation. You could make a chick chair for her to keep her off of it though until then.

Yeah there's a lot of swelling. For now I'm bathing him, cleansing, vetericyn, and over again twice a day. This happened 2 days ago and he's already better. The bleeding stopped and there doesn't seem to be any rotting of the flesh. He sits wrapped in a towel with us. I put him on a soft towel to sleep in a small kennel indoors.

 

[Anime2lover]

Yeah there's a lot of swelling. For now I'm bathing him, cleansing, vetericyn, and over again twice a day. This happened 2 days ago and he's already better. The bleeding stopped and there doesn't seem to be any rotting of the flesh. He sits wrapped in a towel with us. I put him on a soft towel to sleep in a small kennel indoors.

So how did the snapping turtle get to him??

 

[Ducklala]

So how did the snapping turtle get to him??

Theres one in our pond at the farm . The farmers have been trying to catch it all day.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Sounds like you're on the right track. I've seen worse on here mend. Poor baby...

Imma tag some folks, though, to see if they have any input.

@Miss Lydia
@Quatie
@ruthhope

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Does the entire leg feel OK, like even in the hip area? I've got a wild goose that comes to me with a snapping turtle injury to his foot. This goose lost most of the webbing and some of the outside toe and a year later he's still here but he has trouble getting around. His joint clicks and I suspect he possibly dislocated something in the struggle to free himself. That's why I ask about your ducks entire leg.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

How many wounds are you seeing? From the picture, it looks like the webbing is missing but there's another injury up further right below the joint and swelling has begun. How long ago did this happen?
Edited to add, it actually looks like a huge slice or wounds all the way up his leg.
I wouldn't allow this duck or any others in the area until all snapping turtles are gone. I'm so sorry this happened. I know this is hurting your heart ♥

 

[ruthhope]

Help. Injury to duckling due to snapping turtle. I already cleaned with purified water and sprayed with vetericyn. The baby can't walk on it yet. Any other recommendations? I'm keeping him inside. Will it heal??
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I think you are doing great with the wound.

Rather than using purified water to bathe the wound I suggest you now use salt water as it is mildly antiseptic. Use 2 teaspoons table salt in 1 cup of boiled and cooled water. Alternatively use 2 sachets of salts sold in pharmacies for sinus wash outs using a neti pot, also in 1 cup of boiled and cooled water.

One suggestion for keeping the wound clean now would be to spray it with liquid skin. One brand sold in pharmacies is https://newskinproducts.com/

If there are any broken bones, the duck needs prescription antibiotics as there is great risk of bone infection. The only way to be certain regarding broken bones is by Xray. If there is any chance you can get a vet appointment, I would do so. Snapping turtles often break ducks' legs -- our local rehabbers get ducks bitten by snapping turtles every year.

Keeping your duck quiet in the home is a great idea. If she has not needed pain killers until now, don't worry about pain killers.

Do let her swim frequently in water deep enough to swim not just move around. That is good physiotherapy without weight bearing.

If you can't get an Xray, wait until the swelling has gone down and see if there is obvious deformity. As others have said, its possible to feel a bad fracture but be careful as its possible to displace a fracture with palpation. If there is no obvious deformity, and no acutely painful place indicative of a fracture when you gently feel the leg and foot, let the duck begin to move and weight-bear when it is ready: that could be in 2 or 3 weeks.

I would be relucant to splint the leg unless a fracture is obvious, as it is possibel to do more harm than good with a splint