Urgent: post-amputation care, advice needed/I thought I would spend my Saturday doing this...

[darlingdarla]

I understand your concern re Rosie's age; Matilda will be 6 years old this coming february. I dont have a crystal ball to know if her life has been shortened & if so how much. But i am positive Matilda is still enjoying her life. And I bet if i asked Rosie she would say the same.

Also, you previously mentioned Rosie was a top hen in her flock's pecking order. So was Matilda. Her flock is much too big to have a true pecking order (130-ish older hens & 2 older roos), but i never once saw Matilda get in a spat with other hens. After she lost her feet, other hens noticed her handicap and sometimes bullied her at the food trough, causing her to duck her head and move away. It was painful to watch. But as Matilda's muscle strength and mobility has returned the past few weeks, she is now asserting herself and causing Other hens to leave. So again, give Rosie all the time she needs to physically heal. She's a tough girl same as Matilda, & after her stump heals, Rosie will find her way back in the pecking order too.

Okay, I will give her time. I am not very patient as you can tell, waiting kills me.
She used to be #4 in my flock of fifteen. There is one hen, a marans, who has been challenging everyone since she was 4 months. But Rose always beats her off.
Now, her three "sisters" peck her to bleeding with her handicap, despite living in sight of them for weeks. Other hens challenge her as well, my two marans have moved above her as well. She is completely separated but still in view of the flock now.

 

[ryneaeiel]

Okay, I was just curious about the smell. Would dry necrosis be better? Just wondering, obviously none of this is good.

Wet or dry doesn't really matter, but dry necrosis is arguably better since it separates more easily from healthy flesh (instead of being attached by fleshy "strings") and because dry necrosis typically doesn't give off much of a smell, so it's less likely to attract flies. Dry necrosis is what you usually see in things like frostbite, where the dead flesh hardens and shrivels, whereas wet necrosis is more often seen in instances of gangrene.

This is the penicillin I have, is this okay to give orally?

Unfortunately I doubt that would work since it's designed to work through injection and is slow-release -- if given orally, it would likely cause digestive issues (and is unstable with different pH so likely wouldn't have any beneficial effects.) If possible, could you try to find amoxicillin?

If not, you're going to need a 20-gauge needle. She'll need 0.1cc of the penicillin per pound of weight. Lay her on her back and press the needle 1/4th of an inch into either her left or right breast muscle. Pull back on the plunger a little -- if there's blood, immediately remove the needle and re-insert it somewhere else in the breast. Blood means you hit a vein and you need to be sure that you don't inject it into a vein. If there's no blood, slowly push down the plunger until the syringe is empty.

You'll need to do this once daily for at least 5 days; I'd recommend the maximum of 7 days given the necrosis. Switch off which side you inject into every injection (Saturday left, Sunday right, Monday left, Tuesday right, etc) to prevent soreness. She may seem to decline a little and not want to move much after you start the injections -- don't worry, it's just because she's sore.

 

[darlingdarla]

Wet or dry doesn't really matter, but dry necrosis is arguably better since it separates more easily from healthy flesh (instead of being attached by fleshy "strings") and because dry necrosis typically doesn't give off much of a smell, so it's less likely to attract flies. Dry necrosis is what you usually see in things like frostbite, where the dead flesh hardens and shrivels, whereas wet necrosis is more often seen in instances of gangrene.


Unfortunately I doubt that would work since it's designed to work through injection and is slow-release -- if given orally, it would likely cause digestive issues (and is unstable with different pH so likely wouldn't have any beneficial effects.) If possible, could you try to find amoxicillin?

If not, you're going to need a 20-gauge needle. She'll need 1cc of the penicillin per pound of weight. Lay her on her back and press the needle 1/4th of an inch into either her left or right breast muscle. Pull back on the plunger a little -- if there's blood, immediately remove the needle and re-insert it somewhere else in the breast. Blood means you hit a vein and you need to be sure that you don't inject it into a vein. If there's no blood, slowly push down the plunger until the syringe is empty.

You'll need to do this once daily for at least 5 days; I'd recommend the maximum of 7 days given the necrosis. Switch off which side you inject into every injection (Saturday left, Sunday right, Monday left, Tuesday right, etc) to prevent soreness. She may seem to decline a little and not want to move much after you start the injections -- don't worry, it's just because she's sore.

Gotcha. I gave her injections before and have 20 gauze needles and sterile syringes in stock. I will do 7 days starting tomorrow.

I could try to order Amoxicillin. Initially I tried to find it but every supplier was on backorder. If she can wait a few days I will order it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She'll need 1cc of the penicillin per pound of weight.

You sure about that dose?

 

[ryneaeiel]

You sure about that dose?

Crap, thanks for catching that. Lemme change it.

Edit: There, changed. Gave me a miniature heart-attack.

 

[darlingdarla]

Crap, thanks for catching that. Lemme change it.

Edit: There, changed. Gave me a miniature heart-attack.

This actually made me laugh, I understood the first time though

 

[ryneaeiel]

This actually made me laugh, I understood the first time though

Thank god, I was worried there for a moment!

 

[darlingdarla]

I haven't changed her bandage yet today, but I'll try to get some better pics when I do. I'll be heading to the store soon for some fresh shavings and more 20 gauge needles.

I was wondering, would soaking the limb do any good?
Also, if I clean her shavings twice daily, could she go without a bandage like @Allsfairinloveandbugs did with Matilda? I know sometimes bandages do more bad than good, so I am just curious. I know it's different as Rosie is still outside and lives with the two bantams, but I can move them out while Rosie heals and have them sleep in the big coop so they don't peck at her wounds.

 

[darlingdarla]

Here are some pictures today and a new video, sorry if I'm posting too many, just trying to give as clear a look as I can.
The video:

I cleared more feathers away, the swelling and wound are somewhat hot, but the fleshy part of her leg feels normal.

How does that look? Specifically the last picture of the back of her leg. Is that gangrene?
It seems like the infection stops above the knee, does that mean it is auto-amputating?

I tried to clear as many feathers as I could but Rosie is a difficult bird to work with, though she is very tame she does not like being "handled" and struggles, and as someone else said I don't want the limb snapping off prematurely as I am examining it.
I gave her a penicillin injection at .1 cc before changing the bandage. I got some fresh shavings but haven't cleaned the coop yet as it is pouring here and I don't want to expose her to the elements right now, hopefully tomorrow isn't as icky and I can really clean and modify things for her bedrest.
I flooded the leg with peroxide. Should I do that every day until the leg amputates? I ask because peroxide can slow healing and damages cells.

Weird question, could I shave her leg with my dog's clippers to get a better view?

Anything else I should be doing?

Thank you everybody

 

[aart]

Weird question, could I shave her leg with my dog's clippers to get a better view?

I would not, feather shafts probably won't fit in clipper slots(might depend on what blades you are using) and would dull the blades quickly(making them useless for the dog hair).
Better to use scissors to trim the feathers back to 1/4-1/2" from skin.