I need help.

AnserMater

In the Brooder
7 Years
Apr 14, 2012
18
1
24
Hey, all.

I just joined BYC today after continually visiting for a long while.

Today, there was a bit of an accident and I was wondering if I could get some input.

My chickens get full roam of the back yard, and their pen is near my bedroom window. While I was on the computer, my boyfriend and I heard a scream and saw a hawk swoop down. It tried to make away with one of my silkies, and we yelled out just in time. I'm not sure what happened between the descent and the escape, but we ran out to find Dr. Peeps on the ground. It turns out her right humerus had shattered near the shoulder, and the bone was sticking out.

We called the college's vet school, and they gave me a number of an animal rescue that would be able to help. Well, i tried calling these people 6 or 7 times without an answer, and time was not on our side. So I came here as I often do, and found a thread with steps on how to amputate a wing, which we ended up doing, as we did not want her to contract sepsis.

My question is, did I do it correctly? Is there anything that I can do post amputation to help with healing, or pain?
Here's what we did, and what we've been doing:

We disinfected all the tools, and rubbed the skin with iodine. We then placed ice on the wound for 5 minutes and cut the wing off. Afterwards, we sewed the wound with thick thread (which we soaked in alchohol). I did my best to close the skin around the muscle and bone. We then rubbed it all down with iodine, wrapped it in gauze, and used a first-aid wrap to bind what was left to her body so she can't move it too much.

She's now separated from the rest of the flock by my bed, in a cage. We put electrolytes and probiotics in her water, and have been giving her asprin (about 50-60 mg) at 4 hour intervals. We also made her a little hood to put over her head. We'll be re-dressing the wound tomorrow, and continue to do so until it looks like it doesn't need to be dressed anymore.

I'm hoping it won't become too badly infected, as I would hate to have to put her down.

If anyone has criticism or advice, anything would be welcomed and appreciated! I'm not sure if I did the right thing.


Thank you in advanced!

-Mikal




UPDATE:
I took some pictures of Dr. Peeps! Today is the 3rd day post-surgery, and she's doing great so far! We gave her 1/5 cc of penicillin (purchased at the feed store) a few hours ago, and we have been administering asprin orally when needed. The wound looks to be healing well, and it's seeping a little lymph and blood, but nothing cloudy or pus-like. We've been keeping her company and have been taking her outside for a few minutes at a time to see her brother and sister.

There's still a long haul ahead, but so far, so good! She's still eating and drinking on her own! (the electrolytes in the water also are helping.)



 
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It would never have healed with the bone sticking out through the skin, so you really didn't have a lot of choice. I'm concerned you might have sewn it too tightly closed and not allowed for any drainage. Watch for redness, warmth and swelling. This is one time that antibiotics should probably be used to prevent infection. Scroll down a ways in the article below for details on how to give penicillin.

https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/poultry-podiatry

Of course if an avian vet might be an option for you, that would be better, or perhaps someone at the animal rescue will be available Monday.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/200108/list-of-vets
 
I'm impressed with all you did! I've never done anything like that so I'm just here to be a cheerleader! Stuff like that can be soooo scary! Great job!
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UPDATE:

Thank you for the responses!
Dr. Peeps as begun eating and drinking on her own again.

She's alert, and more active with every hour.
The wound is a little swollen, and smells strange, but not fetid. We are going to the feed store tomorrow to purchase penicillin. I'll post pictures soon!
 
Haha. The funny thing is, I've spent my entire life wanting to become a vet surgeon and pursued zoology and pre-vet major briefly upon entering college. I had to put it to a halt, however, because of financial and personal issues, but in the past few months I've learned so much more from owning and tending to my poultry, and through this site and the internet, than I have ever learned in any classes I've taken so far. Makes me wish I could just jump right in to it and skip the pre-req courses (not to downplay vets who've studied hard to earn their credentials and degrees)!

Thank you for your support!
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