OMG what am i dealing with? FINAL UPDATE # 104**graphic

[Dar]

thanks she is doing ok i guess....

the clumps of infection or what ever it is have been coming off in big clumps in the bath. I have not taken any new pics i want to wait a few more days... Because I see it all the time I cant say weather or not things are looking better but she no longer smells like rotting flesh. hubby says she is looking better though.. there is no more redness.. more pink flesh

she is fighting me more and more everyday about the bath and will not snuggle after her bath like she did the first night so I am taking that as a good sign that she is getting stronger. I am starting to wonder if i will end up with a bald chicken when all this is over because she is loosing feathers daily, but then that could be a good thing too because i dont know how i will ever get all the polysporin greasy feeling out of her feathers.

she has started preening herself again so thats a good sign...

I will get hubby to take pics of the bath.. I have on the yellow kitchen gloves, and a headlamp and a face mask.. because i still dont know 100% sure what I am dealing with..

 

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
I don't see it as a crazy extreme for us (not necessarily everyone) as our pets are involved in our lives everyday and are like family members to us. We watch TV on the family room couch together and play games every day. I am also an animal behaviorist.

We have no children (by choice) and all our family members live in other states. It was for 2 knee surgeries and stem cell injections. We were able to pay it off (stretched our finances for sure!) in 6 months with a no interest loan from Care Credit. I will also mention she was a Military Working Dog (US Air Force) who served our country and injured her knees during a training exercise (they continue to train all the time).

We adopted her not knowing if her knees would heal with rest and they didn't. She could live with the problem but limp and be in pain. As an intense working dog--a Belgian Malinois--that would be a horrible life and she was only two years old. In order to enjoy her life pain free we chose to fix both her knees. She is so amazing we felt she deserved to have a great life, running, jumping and chasing Frisbees. I am happy to say she has been pain free ( five years old now!) and the surgery gave her 100% function with out pain and you cannot tell she ever had injured them!

OP--Sorry we got a bit off topic and wonder how is your hen doing? Feathers do hide a lot of injuries and I can only imagine your horror. My best wishes for a full recovery--you are a great chicken mom!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Flys Off and SWAT are excellent wound ointments that also contains pyrethrin (or permethrin--I always get them confused). THey are actually the exact same thing, one markets towards horses/livestock, the others towards dogs. It is a good choice, especailly in hot weather when flies are everywhere.

I believe that you are dealing with a substantial buildup of proud flesh. There are some ointments that prevent it from forming. As to the original cause of the wound? Who knows. The one questions I will ask is whether there are or were any maggots in it? If so, they must all be removed or the wound could become septic. The Flys Off will kill any that come in contact with it; if you give her ivermectin, any that are inside will also die. However they need to be removed, and she needs to be on a strong antibiotic. Baytril is best, but requires a prescription.

 

[Dar]

there were NO maggots at all (thank goodness) remember I am limited to the amount of antibiotics i can get OTC. she is improving slowly but surely i can see i difference between the first pics and looking at her today. I was trying not to look at the first pics for a few more days just so I can really see the difference with the before... during.... and after shots

chickerdoodle
I am so glad you took the chance with your dog... to be honest i would have done the same thing.

We had 3 of my 4 dogs at the vet this weekend, one for her annual vaccines and heartworm. The 2 puppies were there for a booster... and low and behold before we leave the vet office one puppy vomits and the other swells up so bad her face looked like a Shar Pei dog... and she is a min pin..... so they had to get the antidote for the reaction and then the swollen pup starts to have trouble breathing.... so off to the back they go.... they did not have to tube her but it came close.... so now i need to bring the dogs in 1 hour before their final booster and have the dog equivalent of benadryl injected prior to any shots and when it comes time for their spay its going to cost double because of the concern of medication reaction

puppies are great now!

 

[CoopCrazy]

Dar sounds like she is improving pink flesh is a very good sign.. Good job on her and keep up the good work....

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Dar...

Just got in on this conversation and looked at the pics. Her skin looks a lot like what I'm dealing with right now with a hen of mine. Do the scabby red/dark spots look like they are almost under the top layer of skin and kind of solid (can't tell for sure from the pics)? Bathed my girl today with HIBICLENS and slathered her with anti-biotic ointment. Still don't know why and how all this got started but will continue to follow this post for other helpful tidbits. I think we are on the mend and hope your girl is also.

ps: priorities... they are different for each of us.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Ditto

 

[mamabigbird]

Hey Dar ... hope your hen is getting better. So sorry that some rather inflamatory remarks showed up, but you have kept your head while others haven't. I respect your attitude and see you have stayed on the topic of your hen's well-being. Well done and best luck to you.

 

[Dar]

thanks everyone....

tonights update... another dime size chunk came off and its pink flesh underneath. I could not find betadine to save my live the other day so I got the dettol and that seems to be working well. she seems to be fighting me more and more every time so i am assuming that means she is getting stronger her breast bone is still sticking out A LOT

I am thinking about putting her back on medicated crumbles. Would that act like say kitten food to "fatten her up"? or is it just crushed layer food with meds in it? what would you suggest to help her gain weight?

I dont think she is put of the woods yet but is still moving forward

I am going to wait till friday to add more pics so then she will have been in treatment for 7 days


mmaddie's mom
this may sound gross but it looks like granola is on her and attached.. and smell....

I have a STRONG stomach but this girl smelled like death walking when i started. Now there is little smell and the granola is getting less and less. It softens when she is in a bath and thats usually when the chunks come off.

I am bathing her in the aveno baby oatmeal wash to get the polysporin off and then i pour on some dettol let that sit for a minute or so and rinse carefully to make sure i get everything off... then I towel dry her the best i can blow dry as much as she will let me then slather her in polysporin

 

[mmaddie's mom]

kinda red granola is what mine looks like... and we didn't have any smell at all... feathers came off first and then the scab-things came... only feathers left are on her wings, sides and back... pretty naked otherwise... but new pinfeathers coming now on her head and neck... hoping time will help that... and cleanliness and moisturizing will take care of the skin?

Looking forward to the new pics to see how your girl is doing.