- Aug 21, 2012
- 10
- 11
- 87
Howdy--wanted to share GOOD news. It has been nearly 6 weeks since our hen was attacked by a dog on the same day (8-16-12) as ChickinBlack's hen. I started posting on her thread 'cuz I was brand new to forums and trying to figure out how to help our hen. (My posts about our wounded hen started on 8-20 of ChickinBlack's original thread.)
Our little hen is STILL ALIVE and doing very well, in spite of the 6 deep puncture wounds, tissue loss, and bone loss. We have carefully nursed her back to health, taking time to change her wet/dry dressings and pulling out the gunky stuff from the deep wounds. Our little Whiskers is a survivor! Had it not been for the great info I found on these forums, we probably would have given up on her the first night. The infection did not go down under her backbone, as we had feared. It did penetrate through a flap of connective muscle under her wing/thigh area. That was mess to keep working with, because we could only access it from the puncture holes. And we opted not to slice into the area. Nonetheless, we kept pushing wet gauze in the tiny hole for about a two inch lengthwise section underneath the muscle flap. Each time we did the wet/dry, we would pull out more necrotic (dead) tissue from surface areas and also from underneath the flap. We found that if we were just patient and waited on some sections, when it was the right time, the stuff would just peel right off and form new, healthy skin. A week ago, my son pulled a whole bunch of black, almost plastic-type dead stuff from under the muscle flap. We figured it was the top layer inside the cavern-type wound that was sloughing off and new healthy skin was underneath. Within a day or two, the little puncture wound closed up on it's own; the last of the puncture wounds to disappear!
Healthy skin and feathers have been replacing the huge 3-4 inch dog bite. Her hind quarters have healed up tremendously. At first I was worried that the bite had gone into her oviduct area because her tail area had a 1 inch rip in it, but no seepage or foul smell was present. Amazingly, that heal up quickly.
Only one area with exposed backbone is still under our watchful eyes. This wound is on her backbone where the teeth went clear through the backbone. We've watched for signs of infection, but that part looks and smells nice and clean (unlike that muscle flap area did!) She still has a one inch crater of missing tissue that is very slowly growing granulated tissue. I think that will probably be a bald spot on her back for a long while.
I wish I could figure out how to post photos, so you guys could see the wonderful healing she has undergone the past 6 weeks.
I let her out during the day to talk with the other hens and enjoy the bugs and pecking seeds, etc. At night we bring her into her box in the dining room because the other hens try to peck at her bandage. I am hoping that by the time that crater gets filled with good healthy tissue, that her back feathers will have grown long enough to cover the area to prevent pecking.
She is still feisty and can hold her own against the other hens; (except when they all gang up on her). Then she usually runs under the outside equipment, so they can't pester her.
Wet/dry method really works, even at deeper levels than skin tissue areas! Don't give up on your wounded hens. If they have a will to survive, they can come back to health with a little help!
Life is hard; but God is good! And I am thankful for forums like these that allow us all to share life's emergencies and remedies in the barnyard.
Thanks and God bless!
QuietJD
Our little hen is STILL ALIVE and doing very well, in spite of the 6 deep puncture wounds, tissue loss, and bone loss. We have carefully nursed her back to health, taking time to change her wet/dry dressings and pulling out the gunky stuff from the deep wounds. Our little Whiskers is a survivor! Had it not been for the great info I found on these forums, we probably would have given up on her the first night. The infection did not go down under her backbone, as we had feared. It did penetrate through a flap of connective muscle under her wing/thigh area. That was mess to keep working with, because we could only access it from the puncture holes. And we opted not to slice into the area. Nonetheless, we kept pushing wet gauze in the tiny hole for about a two inch lengthwise section underneath the muscle flap. Each time we did the wet/dry, we would pull out more necrotic (dead) tissue from surface areas and also from underneath the flap. We found that if we were just patient and waited on some sections, when it was the right time, the stuff would just peel right off and form new, healthy skin. A week ago, my son pulled a whole bunch of black, almost plastic-type dead stuff from under the muscle flap. We figured it was the top layer inside the cavern-type wound that was sloughing off and new healthy skin was underneath. Within a day or two, the little puncture wound closed up on it's own; the last of the puncture wounds to disappear!
Healthy skin and feathers have been replacing the huge 3-4 inch dog bite. Her hind quarters have healed up tremendously. At first I was worried that the bite had gone into her oviduct area because her tail area had a 1 inch rip in it, but no seepage or foul smell was present. Amazingly, that heal up quickly.
Only one area with exposed backbone is still under our watchful eyes. This wound is on her backbone where the teeth went clear through the backbone. We've watched for signs of infection, but that part looks and smells nice and clean (unlike that muscle flap area did!) She still has a one inch crater of missing tissue that is very slowly growing granulated tissue. I think that will probably be a bald spot on her back for a long while.
I wish I could figure out how to post photos, so you guys could see the wonderful healing she has undergone the past 6 weeks.
I let her out during the day to talk with the other hens and enjoy the bugs and pecking seeds, etc. At night we bring her into her box in the dining room because the other hens try to peck at her bandage. I am hoping that by the time that crater gets filled with good healthy tissue, that her back feathers will have grown long enough to cover the area to prevent pecking.
She is still feisty and can hold her own against the other hens; (except when they all gang up on her). Then she usually runs under the outside equipment, so they can't pester her.
Wet/dry method really works, even at deeper levels than skin tissue areas! Don't give up on your wounded hens. If they have a will to survive, they can come back to health with a little help!
Life is hard; but God is good! And I am thankful for forums like these that allow us all to share life's emergencies and remedies in the barnyard.
Thanks and God bless!
QuietJD
