Hen Mauled by dog, Large skinless wound gashed muscle LOOK HELP ADVISE PLEASE PICS

[froggiesheins]

The wound itself will heal from the edges towards the inside. It WILL be a LONG process. If you keep her meticulously clean [like you have been] just a thin covering of neosporin is fine. You do not have to keep cleaning it UNLESS a spot gets dirty. DO try the paper first aid tape to help close the wound alittle, it will speed healing a tiny bit. Will look for the picture. It would be great if you could take weekly pics so we can see her progress...LOL

 

[ChickinBlack]

New photo 4th day:

 

[froggiesheins]

Oh, its looking FABULOUS!!! Keep up the good work Chikinblack. :cd You be GOOD chicken MAMA!!

 

[ChickinBlack]

NEED ANSWER ASAP PLEASE before the store closes. Thank you in Advance
I have a cleaning question: I cleaned it the first time by using a store bought bottle of sterile solution then straight peroxide for bacteria and I don't want to buy it (the premade saline) again unless I have to as it ok the whole bottle to clean her and its about 6 bucks a pop. Also I know now not to use the straight peroxide because of tissue damage.

The 2nd time I boiled water and added table salt to it, let it cool and rinsed it with that. I don't know if that is sufficient for the job.

I need to clean the wound again today. I still have peroxide and was wondering what the mixture should be of peroxide to water, and if I should be boiling the water, or maybe buy some bottled water. If I should buy the bottled water, which type should I get if any?

OR should I be using something different altogether? My question is what is the best way for me to clean it daily that wont damage the tissue but kill the germs. Also should I just be rinsing it, or do I need to actually touch it and wipe at all. I had been just pouring it over the wound and letting it air dry.

I do have a co op I can go to for supplies. I have never been there yet, but if you think there is something I can get there that would do the job I will go get it. Also I do not know what this paper tape is that is being referred to. I keep hearing about blue kote in other wound threads and want to know if that is something that might be of some benefit.

So to sum it up,
What should I be using to clean it?
To wipe or gently scrub or not to?
Should I be letting it air dry after the cleaning before I put the neosporin on?
and is there something besides neosporin I can use to salve the wound?
Should I be covering it at all?
and I've read that you can only cut the feathers back so far because of bleeding, can I clip her wing back a bit more so that it doesnt cover the wound or touch it? Id like to clean it soon or go to the cop op for supplies before they close today, so if any of you can let me know soon She and I would really appreciate it. and thank you all so much for your kind words and advise. I am so thankful I found this website and all of the chicken lovers here! I've clicked around and read so much already in the past few days. I LOVE this site, and I hope to become more involved and educated by it.

 

[Nsampsel]

I had a bird get her wing ripped off by a raccoon & survive. I used rubbing alcohol in regular tap water for her rinse. I mixed it about 1:4 with warm tap water and just used a medicine syringe to spray it gently to rinse out the wound once a day. I did go buy a bottle of blu-kote after about 2-3 days & put this on several times as well. I kept my girl bandaged with gau2e for about 3-4 days right after her injury too, but she began picking it loose & I was afraid she was going to eat pieces of the bandage. She returned to the coop once everything was well scabbed over, but she was at the top of the pecking order & I had brought her friend in with her during treatment. She was also given Duramycin-10 in her drinking water along with vitamins & electrolytes for the 1st week.

 

[ChickinBlack]

any one else able to chime in on my last post? I wish it was a smaller size wound, but with all th exposed muscle I really want to do the very best for her that I can. The alcohol mix is acceptable on such a large area? id hopefuly like to get some opinions about the methods I was using and if anyone has dealt with a wound similar to this one in size and with a similar amount of skinless area. Nsampsel, thanks for the answer, I think will pick up some of this blue kote now. I still want to know some more successful ideas for cleansing a wound of this type. Thats really cool to know that the wing healed up. Was it just a small hole where the wing was joined or did it tear off a large area of skin and muscle around the joint as well?
also, would the co op or rural king sell any antibiotics that would benefit the healing/infection issues that I could buy outright? or are any antibiotics something I would need a vets prescription for first? and if I can buy some, what name/type should I look for?

 

[Habibs Hens]

if it was me i would maybe stich the skin with disolvable stiches

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I just wanted to add that if you do cover/ stitch it, remember post 12 of the link......Leave a drainage spot so any pus can get out, so it don't fester.......

The pen-g penicillin came up again and again when i asked for help with wound management when my hen's foot became infected. Only cost me $10, plus 30 cents per syringe unit. By injecting it directly into the muscle it goes right into the body tissues without needing to be digested first. Dosage for an adult hen is .5 up to 1 ml of it for at least 5 days, even if she looks better before.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

IODINE, not peroxide! Peroxide is ok for the first time, but especially in deep wounds it is damaging to the tissues, so it kinda contradicts the healing process if you keep doing it.
I have seen people recommend watering iodine down to a "weak tea" solution.

Liquid penicillin, "pen g" was sold in a little fridge in my local TSC farm store. It is the #1 antibiotic i have seen recommended for wounds.....

 

[Nsampsel]

When I did my girl's wing, I actually had to do surgery on her to remove 2 pieces of exposed bone so that the skin could grow back over. I called my vet before doing anything with her & took his advice on the watered down alcohol, triple antibiotic ointment, blu-kote & oral antibiotics in her drinking water. First I literally flooded the wound with the alcohol solution to wash away any debris. I used a child's medicine dropper to spray the wound with so I didn't have to touch it. I then doused a pair of tin snips in straight alcohol & clipped the bone even with the skin as best I could to allow the skin to grow back over it. She lost all but about 1 1/2 inches of her wing, so a pretty big & traumatic wound for a 4 month old Sebright pullet. She was in shock when I found her. After the bone was removed, I rinsed the wound again & smothered it in triple antibiotic ointment. I then wrapped it with gau2e pads & roll gau2e & put vet wrap over the entire thing to keep her from picking at it. I changed the dressing the next day & added blu-kote to the procedure. I had to soak the bandages with the alcohol solution to soften them because the blood had clotted to the bandage. I only bandaged her for about 3-4 days because she began to pick at the bandages & I didn't want her choking on pieces of them. She actually kept the wound very clean on her own & picked all feathers out of the affected area herself. During the 1st week of her treatment I added Duramycin-10 & a vitamin/electrolyte powder to her drinking water. The very 1st thing I had given her to drink was diluted gatorade with added sugar to try to bring her out of the shock. It worked well & she was back to eating & drinking normally within 24 hrs. The Duramycin-10 & vit/electrolyte powder can both be found at TSC. I would assume most feed stores would also carry something similar.

As for your girl's wound, a good rinse with the diluted alcohol, a coat of blu-kote & triple antibiotic ointment (Neosporin) and the vitamin/electrolytes & antibiotics would probably do her fine. My vet was most concerned with infection for my girl & said the antibiotics in her water were really the most important part after the initial cleaning & dressing of the wound. As long as the wound is staying clean & fly free it really won't need a dressing on it.

Complete healing took about a month for the skin to completely cover the bone. She will never have feathers over that particular spot again, but the feathers from the little bit of her shoulder that is left have grown in over it to help conceal it & now, unless she extends her wing you can barely tell it's missing without looking very closely.