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

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

Yes it is good to give antibiotics and probiotics concurrently. Giving both daily will help prevent diarrhea, rather than trying to correct the problem after the fact.

Re Rosie's bedding, most people seem to recommend soft towels, puppy pads, etc for bedding, but i found shavings to be much easier to keep clean. I used flake shavings and was careful to remove any sharp/pointy ends. (Sometimes the shavings werent adequately shredded). I had wondered if fine shavings would have been better. The important thing is to keep her wound clean & dry.

 

[Shezadandy]

Okay gotcha, hadn't thought of "sealing" the pin feathers in, thanks!
Would a soak be okay to do before applying the veterycin? Just wondering if that would help clear out any debris and wash out the liquid bandage.

You've got a couple of options there. If the area is looking good using the Curad liquid bandage, you can simply leave it be, i.e. don't mess with success!

To treat the feather areas with the hydrogel if the liquid bandage is doing well --- just do kind of the reverse of what you did when you applied the liquid bandage, i.e. cover the area that's been liquid bandaged and spray only the feather tips area with the hydrogel- the hydrogel will lend moisture to the area and it will come off easily to clean and reapply if need be.

If the liquid bandage needs to come off before that 5 day mark when it will likely start to let go on its own -- ironically one of the ways to remove the liquid bandage is to put more of it on- it will dissolve into itself- and scrape the old and new while still gooey. Or, it can be soaked off if need be.

Once the upper area of her leg has healed up, it might be possible to come up with something to put on the end of her stump to give her a surface to hit the ground with. Until that skin is good and healed though, I would leave it open to the air.

When the stump situation has resolved and the leg skin has healed up, there are some products out there that may work for making her a little cushioned nub.

There is a series you can probably stream - "The Wizard of Paws" - a guy who makes prosthetics for all kinds of animals - for ideas on how to come up with something that will give her a little stability. (https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/prosthetics-any-animal-derrick-campana/)


These are ideas for materials - I don't know what the pros and cons are of any one product over another, but they seem easy enough to work with to protect the stump and are a starting point ... also - Using a velcro strap (the kind with adhesive to stick to the rigid part) to get it to stay on the stump ...

Something for a cushion between the stump and the "leg"

https://www.amazon.com/CompriFoam®-Bandage-Size-Color-White-Each/dp/B00FNV286A/ref=sr_1_7?crid=1DWHI7DQKV9JU&dchild=1&keywords=comprifoam+12cm&qid=1634709209&sprefix=compri,aps,335&sr=8-7

Something to make the "leg" from:

https://www.amazon.com/Moldable-Plastic-Thermoplastic-Beads-8OZ/dp/B077874HM8/ref=sr_1_12?crid=SOVJ64NXPDQ0&dchild=1&keywords=moldable+plastic&qid=1634710072&sprefix=m,aps,495&sr=8-12

https://www.amazon.com/Polly-Plastics-Moldable-Plastic-Sheets/dp/B01MQMNV3P/ref=sr_1_14?crid=SOVJ64NXPDQ0&dchild=1&keywords=moldable+plastic&qid=1634709971&sprefix=m,aps,495&sr=8-14

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cast+plastic&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

[aart]

Is it okay to start probiotics before the antibiotics are done? It's probably a stupid question but I'm asking anyway lol, thank you so much.

It's never made sense to me.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

It's never made sense to me.

As i understand it, is best to stagger the daily antibiotic and probiotic dose if possible. For example give antibiotic, then a few hours later give probiotic. Or vice versa. (That applies to humans too.) But I defer to aart that may be fine to wait to give probiotics After course of antibiotics is complete.

 

[darlingdarla]

So I have new pictures and new concerns I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable could weigh in on.

Here are the pictures, I am concerned about the green spot on the inside of her leg. This probably isn't a new development but rather one I have not noticed as it is in a hard to see place.
Also, the back of her leg where it looks like it is rotting away.

Here is the green spot, I tried to get a good picture but it's hard to see. The blood spots are pin feathers I had to pluck out.

And here is the back of her leg.

Still looks like auto amputation? I feel like it hasn't changed since the initial pictures.

The liquid bandage is doing good at keeping it clean, no shavings stuck to the wound or leg. Her scales are falling off down on the dying part.
She has two more days on penicillin, I am worried once she is off antibiotics the infection will start to spread again.

 

[Happy hen lover]

So I have new pictures and new concerns I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable could weigh in on.

Here are the pictures, I am concerned about the green spot on the inside of her leg. This probably isn't a new development but rather one I have not noticed as it is in a hard to see place.
Also, the back of her leg where it looks like it is rotting away.

Here is the green spot, I tried to get a good picture but it's hard to see. The blood spots are pin feathers I had to pluck out.
View attachment 2872914View attachment 2872915

And here is the back of her leg.
View attachment 2872905View attachment 2872906View attachment 2872910

Still looks like auto amputation? I feel like it hasn't changed since the initial pictures.

The liquid bandage is doing good at keeping it clean, no shavings stuck to the wound or leg. Her scales are falling off down on the dying part.
She has two more days on penicillin, I am worried once she is off antibiotics the infection will start to spread again.

View attachment 2872904View attachment 2872907View attachment 2872908View attachment 2872911View attachment 2872912View attachment 2872913View attachment 2872916View attachment 2872917

Gross question but does it smell? Is it hotter in that area?

 

[darlingdarla]

Gross question but does it smell? Is it hotter in that area?

The green doesn't feel hot compared to the healthy part of her leg, and I don't smell anything.
The spot concerns me because it is above the break at her knee, where I'm hoping it auto amputates.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Green is usually bruising. It may be from the plucking of the pin feathers or even where you held the leg while plucking.

The back of the leg, almost looks like a pressure sore. You may need to place her in a sling to take pressure off the leg since she's not that mobile.

 

[darlingdarla]

Green is usually bruising. It may be from the plucking of the pin feathers or even where you held the leg while plucking.

The back of the leg, almost looks like a pressure sore. You may need to place her in a sling to take pressure off the leg since she's not that mobile.

Okay, that makes me feel better about the green, I'll keep watching it.
I can rig up a sling. So I thought that would be where the leg was separating, I'll keep my eye on it, she's had that since I posted her leg in its worsened condition.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

It might help you understand what you are dealing with if you research dry gangrene vs. wet gangrene. Dry gangrene takes place in auto-amputation. The body "seals" off the dead tissue from the live. The live tissue will swell just above the dead before the dead part separates. During dry gangrene/auto-amputation, usually there is no infection.

Wet gangrene is a whole different matter. Fast-spreading and deadly unless treated with an effective antibiotic. I didnt research wet gangrene much after i knew i was dealing with dry gangrene. Looked at Lots of gruesome human photos showing dry gangrene/auto amputation in order to understand the process. I think/hope if you learn more about both types, you will understand more as far as what you are seeing.