maintenance cleansing of a wound

[josie89]

I am treating a bantam for a wound - piece of skin removed covering the crop. With some difficulty I found a vet to sew it up - have read the article by Nathalie Ross - but do not know what to do the daily cleaning with. Also could use ideas on making bandage so she won't pick - she did after i used peroxide but seems to be okay now. She's a Belgian d'Anvers and had a fit
when I tried to bandage her mostly using her feet to pull it off.
Thanks for any help.

 

[ivan3]

Are you using dressing supplies provided by the vet?

I'm only guessing here (without a pic this may be way off base). Did the vet remove the feathers from the immediate area where the stitches were placed? If so, it might be possible to just use sections of Steri-Strips on either side of stitches with a small section of nonstick gauze 2"x2" padding along stitch line itself (Steri-Strips are pretty tough to pull off and would hold it in place).

However, if she is NOT picking or scratching at the stitches when NOT covered, I'd not give her an opportunity to pull a stitch while working the dressing off, and would leave uncovered (so long as she is on clean bedding, under low light, and isolated).

Daily cleaning: Use Betadine tea (mix betadine in water until it looks like tea - just so you can see the bottom of the container through the solution) followed with just a bit of plain neosporin (don't daub it on, use a q-tip to apply a small amount - don't want anything sticking to it).

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I've PM'd you (and didn't know this was the post). If you want to cover the area, I would say to get a clean and large tube sock - one that will not at all constrict the area - and cut off the foot. Use this, tight side on top, to cover her neck. It will sag but is long enough to where it will cover without constricting her crop. It should also keep the dirt off.

You could technically use a collar, but I've found that jsut drives poultry crazy.

By the way, you shouldn't have to cleanse it now. If you do any cleansing, it should be with very dilute betadine and water (the color of very light iced-tea) or with a solution of Nolvasan and water (again very light).

 

[dlhunicorn]

Take the bird back to the vet and ask for a hydrogel sheet dressing to be applied (is good for more than a week I should imagine and will also protect against the bird scratching/damaging the wound and will soak up exudate... they may have this product (or another with similar properties:
http://www.cliniciansbrief.com/?p=capsules&pnum=6&newsid=187

seeing as how the bird will step in poo and then scratch that wound I am horrified that the vet did not address this.

 

[Judy]

You can also get hydrogel or hydrocolloid dressings for people over the counter. There are numerous brands. You might need a pharmacist to help you select one. It won't have the silver, probably, and that would be nice, but will have the absorbent properties, and they do last at least a week. They need bare skin to stick to, though. When you apply it, hold your hand over the whole thing right after you apply it for at least a full minute. This warms it slightly and helps it stick better.

 

[dlhunicorn]

(vet should not have sent her bird home like that)

 

[josie89]

Thanks for your help and concern. She's on her 6th day and hanging in there. I've had her pal in so they can see each other, different pen. I don't think the wound needs cleansing now, but
she messes with it quite a bit. If she starts doing more damage, I made a shirt/apron like thing that should go on way easier than any bandage. Hope I don't need it.

 

[threehorses]

I'm glad to hear she's still doing well. The picking at the stitches bothers me a bit, but perhaps she's grooming it. Is there any drainage? Any seepage? Does the stitched skin seem to be alive and good to you? All smells are good?