How to Wing Amputation????

[Bananarose24]

Our ducks were attacked last night, I have another thread up about that.
The one who was hurt but is still alive has a broken wing. The bone is showing.

Any advice on what to do? Should it be amputated? Or should it be left alone?
We cannot afford to take her to a vet.. Is there anyway to amputate it at home?

Any suggestions would be much appreciated

 

[katharinad]

It's hard to tell what to do without seeing. Amputation is a lot of work and you have to worry about major arteries you have to separate and close. I would not try that on a duck without anesthesia, because the pain can put it in shock and it can die just because of it. The best choice is trying to set it and hope that it will heal. I don't know how much skin is broken open either. You can set a wing using Popsicle sticks and vet wrap. Gauze with antibiotic cream is also good if you have wounds beyond break. I would clean the wing as good as possible using water with hydrogen peroxide (must be diluted) or Betadine. Then slap ointment on, wrap with gauze and then add the sticks and more wrapping. This will be a two person job. Duck wings heal fast, so the bone should mend in one week. You will need to change the wrapping daily, if you needed antibiotic ointment. Good luck, and lets hope ducky will do just fine.

 

[FenDruadin]

I hope she does fine! Good luck.

I have no personal experience, but I wonder if you could find enough information if you did a search for medical information designed for areas without doctors--for instance, I know there are books, and probably websites too, that are dedicated to helping people in remote areas, third world countries, etc. find the information they need to treat injuries. Also, perhaps you can find resources for hikers and climbers--first aid for broken bones, etc. That kind of information could probably be applied here.

I agree that amputation is probably a bad idea without a doctor and anesthesia. But it depends on how much is left of skin and such. If it's only attached by a flap of skin, then it might be your best bet after all. It's really hard to say. I had a duck break a leg in half--we had to put her down because the injury was way too severe to treat--but if it had been a wing I think we would have just trimmed the flap of skin by which the limb was hanging on and then treated it with antibiotic and a wrap. It was literally hanging by a flap--no blood flow whatsoever in the separated part of the limb--so there would have been little danger in that.

Ducks are highly resilient, and I imagine she'll recover just fine if she's treated well and given time. You've gotten some really good advice already and I commend you on being willing to try. It takes guts and grit to tend to a wound like that with open eyes.

Good luck!

 

[Bananarose24]

Well, we took a close look, and the thing that worries me about it is that the break is external. The bone is sticking out, and the wing itself is Not attached to the ducks body anymore. And I cannot figure out where the other part of the bone is where it should connect.. it is hard to describe.

So, basically it is held on by skin, but, the skin is pretty much intact. If it heals she wont be able to use it, it will just hang there limp..

We washed everything with diluted iodine, put on some neosporin, and wrapped it to her body with gauze and cling.
Its been at least 12 hours since it broke and she seems to be doing well, so, we will see what happens tonight..

I really think the wing needs to go, but, we cant afford a vet and I'm not sure how to do anything with it here at home..

 

[FenDruadin]

Can you post pictures? With a warning in the subject heading, of course, of the graphic nature. But maybe someone can help in more detail if they can see?

I think you're doing all the right things so far. Keeping it wrapped is a really good idea. By tomorrow, you may be able to tell whether there is blood flow. If there is not blood flow in the disconnected portion of the wing, then you may be able to safely amputate. It sounds like that is likely to be a good option, IF you can find a way to do it safely and with relatively little pain.

Good luck. Sorry you're having to go through this.

 

[CityChicker]

Talk about the blind leading the blind. No offense, but if you can't afford a vet, you shouldn't have birds. Period. You are actually going to let a bird suffer with a severed wing without getting it medical attention? Unbelievable. No one with any real veterinary medical training would give you advice on at-home amputation on an internet forum. The only advice ANYONE here should be giving you is to either A. Take the bird to a vet. B. Cull the bird. What other compassionate choices are there? What I can guarantee you is no one posting in this thread has the knowledge to walk you through an amputation (myself included and I *do* have veterinary education). That is just ludicrous. Put the poor animal out of its' misery. Do the humane thing! I guarantee you that birds feel pain. If the wing is completely severed and bone is exposed, the bird is in pain. Do the right thing.

 

[veronicasmom]

Thank you CityChicker.

 

[justbugged]

Quote:
I have to agree. If you can't afford to take it to a vet, then the next option is to put the poor bird out it's pain and misery. The wing will never work again, and it's not fair to make the bird live with that level of disability.

 

[katharinad]

You cannot let the duck go as is, if the bone is still exposed. You need to set the bone, and it does need to be covered with skin. From what you are writing about the skin hanging loose, that is not good at all. The skin will die off, if there is not blood circulation. You are waiting for an infection to set in, and that will kill the bird slowly. Please see a vet if it is that bad. Call your vet and ask if you can go onto a payment plan. Many vets do that. Really don't let the bird suffer. My first reply was to setting it and putting antibiotic cream onto a wing that it broken and has some scraping. This sound so much more severe.

 

[desertdarlene]

Quote:
As much as I know how horribly sad this will make you feel, I do agree with this. Have you talked to any vets and explained your situation with them? You might find someone kind enough to give you a break or a reasonable payment schedule. Otherwise, I wouldn't let the duck suffer any longer. Trying to amputate at home may bring it to a horrible, lingering death. Even in the vet's office, there's risk of infections and complications. But, I would at least check around the area for a vet that might help you.

I know what it's like to have a financial situation take a sudden turn and what you could afford to keep or care for before you can't afford any longer.