Matilda is going to lose her feet. :(

[pennyJo1960]

I think you understand we call care and will keep her in our thoughts as well as you

 

[BGcoop]

I am not sure, but I think the red coloration you saw was not actually blood flow, but just the underlying tissue color itself and with the light passing through it it seemed to be viable. I’m thinking like a steak is still red even though there is clearly no longer blood flow to the steak....

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

I am not sure, but I think the red coloration you saw was not actually blood flow, but just the underlying tissue color itself and with the light passing through it it seemed to be viable. I’m thinking like a steak is still red even though there is clearly no longer blood flow to the steak....

I think you are most likely right.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

How is Matilda doing now?

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

How is Matilda doing now?

I thought for sure i would be saying she lost the top part of her foot by now, after the bottom pad swelled up so much last week. But as of today it's still attached! The strange thing is the swelling seemed to go Down some over the weekend. I didnt think the inner toe falling off last week would cause her entire bottom of foot to swell up so much, but maybe that was the reason? I looked back through all her "feet photos", & read some more about frostbite injury/recovery, but am still clueless as to what is going on beneath the surface of the damaged skin. So its still a waiting game. After the swelling went down, started once again feeling (Very) cautiously optimistic she may retain the top of her foot, & maybe even partially some toes. (partial toes may be too much to hope for.) Time will tell. And if anyone has any better predictions than me, please weigh in!

Both of her spurs are definitely shrinking. Its like they are somehow being "absorbed." As far as im concerned, thats a good thing. When i was attempting to wrap her left leg after the foot fell off, the spur was in the way of the vetwrap. Plus, i suspect the spurs may be causing slight injuries to left nub and top of right foot. Will be interesting to see if they completely absorb and go away. Very surprised, because both spurs appeared to be above the line separating dead tissue from live.

In the first photo below, taken today, there does seem to be a sort of indented "line" separating the healthy tissue from the visibly damaged part. Maybe that defines the line of demarcation even though the swelling went down, idk.

2nd photo & 3rd photo show the shrinking spurs, & left nub which continues to heal. Photos were taken today immediately after epsom salt soak. Nub was a little red & bloodied before the soak. Yesterday her right foot was bloodied on top. I can only assume her spurs are causing slight injuries. Either that, or her beak is nicking the new fragile scaleless skin when she tries to clean the antibiotic ointment off her leg feathers.

4th photo was from yesterday, showing how much the foot pad swelling decreased from last mid-week. Last week her right foot looked like it was perched on top of a kid's bouncy ball, with the toes pointing at a 90 degree angle up in the air. Photos from last week convinced me she would soon be losing the top half of her foot. Injury on top of foot looks worse in photo due to triple antibiotic ointment. Its mostly back to normal today. That new pink skin unprotected by scales is Extremely fragile though. Other than the noticeable decrease in foot pad swelling, any changes from last week are subtle.

And last but not least, final 2 photos. I took Matilda on another outing this week. She hasnt been outside to soak up some sun or sit in a dirt hole even once since she lost her left foot four weeks ago. Its been a rainy spring, & i've not wanted to risk any soil bacteria causing infection. I will take her outside regularly once the spring rains stop, and her injuries heal. Meanwhile, hope that taking her out and about a bit will provide her a little mental stimulation and keep her from getting depressed. She's definitely brightening people's days! Many kids and adults oohed and aaahed and petted her. Sitting in a basket almost all day long has got to be boring, even though she never complains. Miss Matilda, my chicken in a basket. She remains as calm and content as ever. Matilda is an awesome chicken!

 

[pennyJo1960]

My guess is we will all see huh .. I am glad you keep posting the changes this great just so know moments

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

My guess is we will all see huh .. I am glad you keep posting the changes this great just so know moments

Thank you for your support; you have been here from the beginning.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Another life I was dvm so really does intrigue me frosbite is big uknown

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Another life I was dvm so really does intrigue me frosbite is big uknown

You're a veterinarian?! Thats awesome! Ive thought there must be some vets on byc, but havent seen anybody admit it!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I had to give a license when graves took my vision