Silkie hen with huge lump on her cheek.

[ChickenAddict24]

I have a silkie hen that's less than a year old who has a huge lump on her cheek. I noticed it about 2 months ago & brought her inside & have treated her off & on with Durimycin-10 but it just seems to be getting bigger. She acts perfectly fine and her poo is fine too. I am thinking that I need to cut the mass out before it get so big that it seals off her airway/throat. It is a hard mass, so extracting with a needle won't work. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[realsis]

Yes that's a huge mass and I agree it needs to be removed soon. I think you might need to take her to a vet for removal incase she has a lot of bleeding. Sometimes you have to be very careful with tumors.I had a cat with a tumor it was very small and I removed it myself but the area never healed. Turned out he had a cancer of sorts. Not saying your bird has cancer but sometimes tumor removal can be tricky. If you are going to brave it and do it yourself I'd make sure to put her on antibiotics after and seal the skin with super glue or something to close the area. As large as it is I would seriously consider having a vet do it. If that's not an option then I suppose you will have to do it. Keep us posted on what you decide. I do agree that she needs it removed very soon.

 

[ChickenAddict24]

Thank you realsis. I appreciate your feedback. I have seen the procedure done on a peacock but it was nowhere near the size of this. I just did bumblefoot surgery on one of our black sexlinks so I'm pretty sure I can handle it. The only thing that i worry about is it being on her face. I can't exactly cover her face but she can't see out of that eye so I might be ok if I just have some help with holding her still. I just googled bird vets in my area and there is one at our PetSmart about 45 minutes from here, but who knows if they'll see my chicken and how much it will be. Probably a million dollars. I'll try to call them tomorrow and see what they say, but if it's ridiculously expensive, then I'll have to just take a chance and take care of it myself. She is already on another dose in her water of the Durmicyn-10, do you think this would be ok, or straight penicillin for a few days? Please wish me luck and I'll post back to update.

Thanks again,
Jenn/ChickenAddict24

 

[PoultryPedia]

If you think it might be a Staph(which is the agent that causes Bumblefoot) infection, I'd recommend Penicillin because it has a strong track record with treating those. I would also give it by injection if possible, for greater potency in her bloodstream--vs mainly in her digestive system (which would be the case if you just gave orally).

I wish you the best!

 

[realsis]

I wish you the best! Please keep us updated on how it went and what you did! Best of luck!

 

[ChickenAddict24]

Thank you both. I'm hoping to take care of this tomorrow. I need an extra pair of patient hands to help with holding her still. I'll be sure to post back with how it goes.
Thanks again, I appreciate the feedback.

 

[PoultryPedia]

If there is a lot of bleeding, perhaps you could try:
1. apply pressure a few minutes
2. sprinkle white flour or white sugar on the area to help with clotting
3. heat some small metal instruments (tweezers or something) by holding them over or on a stove plate & use them to cauterize the area by searing a few seconds.
I hope there isn't much bleeding, but I'm glad you'll have a second person to help you work if there does end up being a fair amount.
You are courageous to tackle such a challenge!

 

[ChickenAddict24]

I did end up lancing it and I was able to get A LOT of the yellow cheesy stuff out of it, but couldn't get it all. She seemed to be getting weak and I didn't want to push her too far and lose her. I was just going to go with the homeopathic route, but was going to go ahead and get some penicillin in her until my order came in when I noticed that even though she has been eating, she was very thin and I was having trouble finding ANY breast muscle for the IM shot. So, I decided that I needed to get some of that nasty mess out of her so she could swallow her food better. I had to trim her head feathers because they kept getting "gunked up" with the drainage coming from the wound. She does look much better, but I still can't tell if she has lost her eye or not. With all of the unimaginable pressure from that nasty mess, I wouldn't think the eye could withstand it, but I'm still hopeful of a good surprise ending to this long new painful journey with her. I have treated her with penicillin orally as well as on/inside the opening. Am now treating her with homeopathic Calendula which is said to be a great overall treatment for just about any kind of infection especially if it's unclear what kind of infection it is or where it's actually coming from. Here I can't tell if it was from the sinuses, ear issues or eye issues. Hopefully, she is on her way to good health and I'll try to remember to take some pictures of her when she is all healed up. Thank you for all of your support.

 

[PoultryPedia]

I hope she is soon feeling much better & that treatments can be effective for her.