Mary the turkey - abscess or hemorrhoid?

[Warrior Creek]

Mary finally let me look at “her pretty tail,” because I wanted to make sure nothing was hung up in her digestive track or egg laying track I forgot what you exactly color because I’m not exactly well versed in birds .

She hasn’t trusted me, since taking her temperature on 3/24 and this wasn’t there then. Poor baby!

This doesn’t have any involvement unless it’s just popped to the outside and that he’s really hurt. I probably have some old things laying around like preparation H or something, but is that appropriate for a bird?

They are so sensitive and all I have is an X-Acto knife and nobody to help me hold her. I have sent this to the local vet to see if we need to lance it, or what their recommendations are but they don’t really know birds either. Her dad is on vacation.

 

[RosemaryDuck]

It might be difficult, but could you get some pictures a bit zoomed away from it so we can see the location/size? It's really hard to see anything in the first picture.

 

[Warrior Creek]

She’s not letting me near her “pretty tail”- - it’s to the outside. I tried to palpate it a little bit and she still popping her “egg hole” as she and I call it. Truly looks like a thrombosed hemorrhoid or abscess. I’m trying to wrap my two fingers around it for size comparison.

 

[Warrior Creek]

It’s in between my fingers. Would Preparation H be wrong for a bird? Geesh, if I had local and knew where the head was, I would lance it. But doesn’t have involvement with her egg laying process, other than it’s “not up inside.” That’s what I wanted to check for.

The acidophilus in the yogurt this AM wasn’t a bas idea. She is poohing more naturally. Poor baby.

Someone had said to put her on clean bedding, but she’s on a raised 10 ft x 16 ft veranda type of porch and very spoiled. She hasn’t wanted to go down the steps since she’s felt bad in 2 weeks, but getting back to normal behavior.

I had read about the acidophilus on a bird website w e-coli, which makes more sense than salmonella, since it’s problematic in my county and it’s flooding in my lower acreage, where she goes with me.

 

[Warrior Creek]

It is not mathesized (spelling)?

 

[RosemaryDuck]

Personally, I would try to lance it, but use a needle first so you can see if it's chunky pus or blood. If it's a tumor, it will have an extensive network of veins and slicing it open could cause her to loose a lot of blood very quickly.

If it's just an abscess, you should be able to see a bit of pus at first and then you can open it up a bit more and push it out.

Just be very careful and if it starts bleeding a lot, apply pressure & quik stop (or flour, cornmeal, anything similar in texture) and stop cutting. Make sure to flush it really good and apply neosporin (no pain killer).

You can wrap her in a towel like a burrito (with her head and neck out) to work on her.

@sourland

If you don't want to mess with it, just keep an eye on it. If it's not hurting her or interfering with everyday life it should be alright. I'm not sure if prep H is safe for birds, but I tagged one of the users who may know. Or you can just wait for the vet to contact you again.

 

[Warrior Creek]

Thank you guys. I have sent it to two DVMs also, not even thinking it’s Good Friday. The avian DVM will know. Prep H is a topical to help reduce swelling and so is Meloxicam, which we can give in yogurt or IM to birds safely and be conservative.

This could be a puncture wound / abscess from the puppy roughing her up and taking out some blood feathers. She certainly lost a lot of feathers after that and they were all over the place on my porch.

I do have a young possum that wants to be a porch pet, but discourage him and feed him cat food on the other side of the house. He’s never bothered her or her eggs, but there sure was a lot of feathers on the porch and she didn’t look unhealthy like I would think a molting turkey would look.

She was a raging lunatic there for a month on hormones towards her sitter AND me. We had to have a talk. She had a few “turkey spankings” before I left town, because she was being awful. I think she was nesting and laying a clutch.

Turkeys are so smart and we had some special time together. She resented not getting to come inside to be w me, but she tried to peck me in the eye and run off with my eyeball in December when I was cleaning her water. Slept w a pillow between me and her on the couch after that. (I have a leather couch and line everything w feed bags and she sleeps in a poncho. She’s likes to watch TV, but drives me nuts preening all night. She’s pretty housebroken from being a baby.

The eyeball incident was My fault entirely for being so close to her and she’s a thief w buttons and things on my clothes. Saw me blink and went for the motion. Wasn’t even trying to be mean.

She doesn’t have a tom and she got kicked out to the pen when I got back until she could act like a little lady again. She’s such a prolific egg layer. But those things are nasty thick and not like free range chicken eggs.

Me and my turkey - she is a spoiled little lady for sure.

 

[Warrior Creek]

Not lancing w needle. Looks like an infected gland or blood feather duct. I wouldn’t know where to lance. Will take her to the DVM to look at it if not better in a few days.

I had her between my legs looking it last night and she bit me. She’s about over being doctored on for a while. And she’s a 25 lb turkey w a 360 reach, so not like I could do a towel burrito. Could cover her head and do a blanket, but nobody around brave enough to hold her. Mary, the turkey and a I live alone except when grandkids come for a visit

But she did come off the porch today and act like her wild self. Giving her Acidophilus in yogurt to help her pooh and her appetite is back pretty good. She didn’t want any part of the yogurt in a syringe either. Completely different and very strong again. Sassy self was about to go after my daughter turkey strutting