DixChix
In the Brooder
12 days ago, my silkie juvenile was attacked by a raccoon. She got away and we found her with a missing foot, exposed bone, missing skin and muscle tissue. I cleaned her up, wrapped her wound and gave her bactricillin shots for 5 days. Today we unwrapped it again and knew we either had to amputate the exposed bone or cull her. I could not cull her without trying to save her. So we sterilized the wound and removed the dead tissue and bone just below the knee joint. There was very little pain and very little bleeding. Despite my background in human medicine and having lived on a farm most of my 37 years, I need advice as this is seriously my first amputation. I changed her dressings again this evening to see how things were going. There is more blood now than when we amputated the leg. I know I shouldn't use blood stop on an open wound so I am seeking advice on how to slow the bleeding even more. I don't actually know how much blood she can lose before she becomes critical...currently she has lost less than a teaspoon of blood...when I changed the dressing, a small clot broke loose... I assume since she is clotting, that's good...I am currently using sterile gauze up against the open wound and then applying a pressure dressing. Attaching pics...She does stand. Has been talking to us as normal in her little silkie babble, and has been eating fresh grapes and okra since 3 minutes post amputation. Side note, she was given bactricillin with procaine before the amputation. She will receive the same med for the next 14 days. Im hoping to not have to go back in tomorrow and put in skin extenders to make extra skin to close the wound... do you think with her not being an adult yet, she will regrow enough skin to close on it's own? All advice appreciated. But I do not need to be told to cull her. I have no problem culling. This is a poultry farm. But I value all life and am trying to save her first. She will never be returned to the farm yard. She will live in our library as a pet who will raise the babies we hatch... she has been snuggling the hatchlings all day and showing them what to eat and drink.
