Open Wound - Recovery and Maintenance?

[joshmcniel]

Hello BYC Community, I'm thankful to have you all as a resource for times like this.

My wife and I have had a flock of six for a couple of years now, but this is our first serious injury. About 4 weeks ago, something, I guess a raccoon, got into the coop before I went out to close it. Thankfully all six survived, and only one was injured - two 2-3" gashes on the upper left thigh and under the left wing, along with more minor scratches and tears in the skin. She is small, two year old Rhode Island Red, bottom of the pecking order to begin with and general pretty pitiful already. (I say this in a loving way. She's really sweet, just not much spunk to her.)

I cleaned her up the best I could, and stitched up the leg and under her wing. I gave her antibiotics as well (I'm leaving out details of the process here in order to get to my current question.), and she has recovered very well. She is eating, drinking, and pooping normally. She is moving around great, except that she has lost some use of her left wing. She can't extend it fully, and I don't think she will be able to fly up to their normal roost again. She's accommodate and found another spot. Other than that, she's getting around on her feet as quickly as she ever was before and generally seems to have a good energy. She is picked on by one of the other chickens, but now that she can move around well again, she's able to avoid her.

My current problem: The stitches under her wing either pulled apart from her movement, and/or she picked and pulled at them herself, and now part of the wound has opened back up. I'm not sure what to do from here. She is behaving wonderfully, and I wonder if I could just leave her alone. But it seems too open to me. Also, I'm not sure if the part covering the opening is a kind of scab or muscle that has decayed and hardened, or something else. Any advice? Do I need to try to close it again? Is there any kind of skin seal spray I could use? Will it be fine if I leave it alone? (See pictures for more details. I will post them in chronological order.)

#1 - A couple weeks after the initial injury. I mistakenly thought the skin was still intact underneath what looked like a kind of scab to me. Shortly after this picture I cleaned that area and underneath that area of skin before stitching it up.

#2 (Two weeks ago) After the stitches. The purple is from an external antibiotic spray.

#3 Today (1/4/18) I brought her in to remove the stitches to find most had been torn out, either from movement and/or her picking and cleaning. Do I need to close this? Or can I leave it open?

#4 (Today) A closer look. Is that dead muscle? Or just a scab?

Thanks for any helpful advice!


Joshua

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I wouldn't close it up. I'd flush it with saline, pour on some betadine and perhaps some eye type triple antibiotic ointment. Eye type melts at body temp and will work its way into the wound.
As long as there's no swelling or heat/fever I wouldn't worry.
It could have been raccoon or opossum. Raccoons usually grab them by the head to kill fast. I have nursed a couple of those type injuries back to health.

 

[micstrachan]

I don’t have experience with this, however, it LOOKS like a scab to me. My inclination would be to leave it, but keep it moist with antibiotic ointment. I would watch for signs of infection, but she already received a full course of antibiotics, right? I did notice in the first photo her face looks pale. Shemight benefit from additional supportive care like vitamins snd electrolytes in her water and a nutritious protein boost (like tuna, egg, or switching her tporarily to chjck starter) to help with healing/building tissue.

 

[joshmcniel]

Yes, I did give her a course of antibiotics, as well as some supplemental vitamins and electrolytes. I'll remember protein if this ever happens again. The color has returned to her face now, and she seems 100% better except for this wound. I just want to make sure I finish her care well and don't let something slip right at the end here. She's been a great patient.