Tongue now outside beak...Not sure what to do

[MonicasGarden]

I have a young cockerel about 2 months old. His tongue has been pulled out and is now outside his beak. I have no idea how this happened. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, just drooling on himself. We were going to try and slip it back in, but I thought I would get some expert advice first... Any ideas???

 

[nurse_turtle]

I've never seen anything quite like that. He will not be able to take food enough to sustain life. I would try to put it back. Does he have a wound at the base of his beak? Just try putting it back in and see how he does for a few days. Offer soft foods high in protein. Good luck.
Also, does the tongue move?

 

[MonicasGarden]

No, there is no wound. I can't even see the opening. The tongue is hard, but we tried using some olive oil to make it more flexible. The base of the tongue is wider so it is not going back in very easily. We will keep trying though. He is such a great little guy.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

Try some cold sterile saline, there has to be a hole. You will need to close the hole, I recommend sutures if you can get a hold of them. You should need about 2 stitches and definitely another person to hold the bird, maybe even three, one to run for things if you need it. I normally would say to use some chlohexadine scrub around the area, but being as it looks like a throat opening you don't want to. No iodine either. Possibly use some gold Listerine cut 50% with water, that should work to kill any bacteria without making him sick. I would personally debride the area, if there was a lot of tissue damage, or the tissue had already started to heal on the edges but that is very very hard to do if you are not sure of what you are doing (there are quite a few things you can hit there) and without anesthesia.

I hope that helps, good luck to you!!

Keep us updated!!

 

[MonicasGarden]

We can't seem to get it back in. The hole must be really small or already started healing. He squaks a lot when we push on it. Would it be ok to make a tiny slit from where the tongue is attached in the direction of the beak? or would we be doing more damage? Is there anyway to numb it? This is the craziest thing I've seen yet with my chickens...

 

[Barbedwirecat]

Towards the beak is OK, you could do that yes. That really would seem to be your only option aside from vetting or culling :/ You will have to get it back in somehow or it will swell and close off his airway. Somehow there is a hole right above the trachea passageway. The nares of his tongue have come through (those little forked pointy bits that help them swallow) and are more than likely what is keeping the tongue from going back in combined with swelling. Increasing the opening size would help. Does he seem to have feeling in the tongue itself? If you pinch the tip does he squirm and act like he feels it?

ETA:
To numb the tongue...oragel. It will numb any mucous membrane it touches. As much as it may hurt, try and squeeze the base of the tongue to get the points in.

 

[Barbedwirecat]

I'm worried to ask, any updates?

 

[chloezoebob101]

is he ok?

 

[MonicasGarden]

Well, I am hesitating on what to do with him. We gave him some eggs and he gobbled them up. Took him a few tries on some pieces, but he managed. He is very healthy and in good spirits...it doesn't seem to be bothering him so I thought I would mull it over a few days and see how he does. One person asked if I could cut it off... not sure if I want to do that... what do you think?
One concern I have though is whether he is getting enough water. Not sure if that is working well for him. I will keep a close eye on him and decide if we want to try and make the slit to put it back in... I'll keep you posted...

 

[klmclain1]

I would not cut it off.... this might be one of the few times that I would seriously consider taking him to the vet. My only other thought is to have someone help you - wrap him snugly in a towel, cover his eyes and open his beak wide. Get a light and maybe a magnifying glass and take a look to see if you can identify where the tongue should come back through, reopen it with a scalple or exacto knife from-the outside and PULL it back through with tweezers. I'd use steri-strips to close it back up and maybe loosely wrap with vet wrap until healed. I'd definitely try re-opening though. If you wait - it will heal too much. What a strange thing! Keep us posted!