New mother attacked ducking. How do I take care of wound.

[K4zn4v3]

my musocvy just hatched 2 ducklings last fridays. Everything was going great untill this morning. I went outside and she was chasing around one of the ducklings. She plucked a big spot off of its back and the area is covered in blood. How do i treat this? I'm obviously going to clean it but what kind of anteseptic and bandagde should i use afterward.

 

[Judy]

Well, I can tell you what answer I'd give if it were a chicken, and I suspect it's going to be the same situation. Chickens are extremely sensitive to "caine" drugs, which can kill them. Some wound cleansers and antibiotic ointments contain these and should not be used. Examples are cetacaine, benzocaine -- anything ending in "caine." I think this applies to any bird, but am really not sure. Other than that, simple human first aid is fine. You might clean with simple soap and water, or peroxide or Betadine for the initial cleaning. A little Neosporin or whatever you keep around is good. A dressing usually isn't practical, but if you really have to, duct tape will hold gauze in place (for a while) and will stick to feathers. With chickens you will probably need to separate the bird til the blood is no longer visible. Another approach, which I've used on smaller wounds, is just to clean then spray or dab with BluKote. This masks the blood and is also an antiseptic. My "BluKote" is generic -- active ingredient is gentian violet, an old timey remedy.

 

[Amiga]

I think flockwatcher covered it. We have been blessed with very few injuries like that, but as you said, cleaning and follow up with topical antibiotic work well.

Things to consider and watch out for:

You may want to snip the feathers immediately around the wound to prevent them from getting stuck in the wound.
Keep flies and other egg-laying insects away from the patient!!!
Blu-kote is standard treatment for skin wounds and unless the label says not to use it for chicks or ducklings, I think it would be okay - we haven't used that product yet. I use triple antibiotic ointment.

Some are cautious about using hydrogen peroxide on wounds, thinking it may slow healing. Some are concerned about iodine based antiseptics due to the occasional allergic reaction. I would just offer that if you don't overdo it, and keep an eye on the duckling to watch for adverse reactions, the prospects are good unless there has been an unseen internal injury.

Keeping the baby quiet and separate for a while might be a good approach for at least a day or two. A swim in clean warm water a couple of times a day may do quite a bit of good.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Good point. It's been proven in people that both will kill newly forming tissue during healing. More problematic with iodine preparations than allergies (again, in people) is the systemic absorption of iodine, especially if a lot is used and / or left on the skin. On the other hand, both have their use in initial wound cleaning. To do it correctly, use the product, then rinse with saline, then the ointment or BluKote. Unless the wound has a lot of dirt or pus, only use peroxide or Betadine for the initial cleaning.