Lump, Bump, Tumor, Cyst, Abcess on Wing.

[lovemyprettybirds]

I hold this rooster every day and failed to notice this "thing" on his wing until it was so big it interfered with his primary flight feathers and I noticed they didn't look right. I wish I had been more observant! Anyway, his name is Baby and the problem seemed to stem from the metacarpus to the phalanges of his right wing.

I had no idea if it was a tumor, cyst, or abcess, much less what to do about it. I couldn't find anything exactly like it on this forum and after reading up on the differences between tumors, cysts and abcesses in birds, I was still not sure exactly what I was dealing with. It was squishy but firm, no detectable odor, but hotter than it should have been. If it was a tumor, was it Mareks, or a malignant disease?

It didn't look like the only picture of a fibrosarcoma that I could find:
I noticed a matted clump of feathers on Baby's body where his wing rested. Fortunately, it was not another mass, just evidence that the thing on his wing had been seeping. I thought this must mean that it was either a cyst or abcess until I learned that tumors can seep too. It would have been so much easier if I had enough money to take Baby to an avian vet! I tried soaking his wing in epsom salt water to see if it would draw any infection out. It didn't help. I learned that avian exudate differs from human exudate. Our infections tend to result in a liquidy pus while avian infections result in a caseous substance. I concluded that if it was an abcess it would require more than epsom salt soaks to get the bacteria ridden cells out of the wound.

After a couple glasses of courage (wine), I got out the scalpel and proceeded to investigate Baby's booboo more thoroughly. It would have been nice if I could have anesthetized him, but all I had was some ice to numb him a little and a soft blanket to cover his head so he wouldn't see what I was doing to him. He was very tough and brave, and fortunately, there wasn't much blood loss. Once I started to cut into it, I found a lot of residue from the infection (I think)! It was a solid, yellow substance that differed from the consistency of flesh or bone. Once exposed, It had an odor. I tried to get all of it out, cleaned the wound and put Baby to bed in my shower.
Here is some of the stuff I dug out of it:
And, here is poor Baby's wing after the surgery:


Apparently, this was an abcess. Baby seems to be doing fine and hopefully this awful hole in his wing will heal quickly. He is a 2 and 1/2 yr. old Asil, and just the sweetest little guy! Here's a better picture of him:

This was while I was just soaking his wing and not cutting on the poor little guy. Anyway, I've tried to document this the best I can because I know it might help somebody in the future.

 

[tinychicky]

poor boy! good for you for performing the surgery. i'm not sure i would be able to do something like that. i once had a rooster with a similar issue. unfortunatly he died shortly after i removed the scab (see pic below). i don't know for sure what was wrong but it was some sort of hard absess. someone on here said it might have caused by staphylococcus aureas (bumble foot). apparently it's not just confined to the foot pads.

here's a pic of poor spice's infection:



i hope your rooster heals up nicely for you!

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

So sorry to hear about your rooster! It's definitely not easy to cut into them like that, he's doing great and it's already starting to show signs of healing. I'll be keeping him inside for a while until he's better.

 

[tinychicky]

glad to hear it

i wished i'd had you around when my rooster was injured!

 

[Suzie]

Thank you for such an informative post! Your description and the pictures are of great help to any one of us facing such issues....!

I hope Baby is back in full health now after your incredible help to him!

Best wishes to you and Baby!

Suzie

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

Thank you Suzie. I'm definitely not an expert, but I hope my success or failure will help some other poor chicken lover in the future.

That's why I'm trying to document everything thoroughly.

I had to go out of town on business for most of today and I worried about him the whole time; but thankfully, all is still well and he is eating and drinking normally. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to take him out in the sunshine for a little while. I've been using Vetericyn Wound Care spray on him. It's a bit pricey, but the product testimonials are very encouraging! I should probably give him a broad spectrum antibiotic too.

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

UPDATE ON BABY:

He was worse yesterday. There was more necrosis in the wound, it was very hot and smelling very, very bad! The swelling encompassed the entire metacarpus, but the ulna and radius appeared fine (so far). He was weaker and not eating very well either. I started him on the only appropriate antibiotic I could get my hands on, Dura-Pen. I gave him double the recommended dosage yesterday, 2cc instead of 1, and we amputated it at the ulna - radius and metacarpus joint. I did not know if he would survive or not, but it was pretty obvious that he would certainly die without the amputation. There isn't enough wine in the entire world to make that choice easier to handle!!!

I was afraid he would bleed out because we are not surgeons and the "surgery" was primitive; however, the bleeding completely subsided after about an hour. I think he was in a mild state of shock for a little while, I know I certainly was! This was a very radical action and I only recommend it as a last resort. I put him back in my shower and hoped for the best. Today he looks good. His appetite is better. I fixed him some scrambled egg and he really liked it. I plan to keep him in the shower for at least one more day before returning him to his outdoor pen. I have a special pen for him outside that gives him a little protection from predators, elements and the rest of the flock, but he can still enjoy fresh air and sunshine. I will continue with the Dura-Pen at 1cc every 24 hrs. I'm thinking 7 days of this is the right course. If anyone reading this knows better, please tell me.

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

Post Amputation Update:

He's doing fine. I noticed that the Dura-Pen label said to inject it subcutaneously. I've been doing it intramuscularly and even though he's been fine, I called the manufacturer to ask why they recommend subQ. It's because the med is normally used in beef cattle and an IM injection can damage the meat, so it's fine to use IM for pet chickens!

I would still welcome input on the length of time to administer it though. I didn't think to ask the mfg when I spoke with them and since it's meant for beef, I'm not sure they'd have a ready reply. So, anyone?????

 

[magnolia-1971]

Wow, You did great! Wow

 

[lovemyprettybirds]

Another Update:


There is a tiny bit of bone still protruding, but otherwise it's healing very well. There aren't any avian vets around here, but I called my regular vet for some input. He said that in the next few days, the tissue could close entirely over the wound. If not, and the bone appears to be hollow at the end I need to remove it and stretch the skin over it, otherwise it could provide a point of entry for germs and bacteria. So, we'll see what happens in the meantime. He said that sometimes the bone itself will seal over and if so, it should be ok, but I think that if it's protruding at all I will remove it. Actually, he told me he would do it for me and gave me a very reasonable price (YaY)!

Thanks for your support, Magnolia.

By the way, If I had known my vet would agree to operate at such a reasonable fee, I would have taken Baby to him in the first place.