very injured duck in need of help

[Kleonaptra]

might not seem nice but i kinda wish this girl got hit with it instead of her sister. her sister was real pretty and would have likely produced real pretty ducklings, this girl might too but her crest is about 1/4 the size of her sisters and is on the side of her head instead of centered on the top back and her coloration is cream on white instead of fawny tan on creamy white. just hope that if the crest does get passed on its properly centered on any ducklings. could still get interesting colored offspring from her i guess since ive got a rouen and khaki campbell for drakes (other hen ducks left are a rouen, pekin, and magpie. not an ideal ratio but the rouen is the lead drake and the khaki is a wimp even with the girls).

We all think like that some times. Dont feel bad, its just being human really! Usually I find it all works for the best - this one might turn out to breed you some really fine babies. Im just a newbie breeding ducks but I can tell you in horses, plainer ones breed the real lookers, and the real lookers are hit and miss breeders.

Sounds like she's doing great, I wish you both the best of luck. I need to hear stories like this so I have hope to push on when bad things happen with mine.

 

[Miss Lydia]

We all think like that some times. Dont feel bad, its just being human really! Usually I find it all works for the best - this one might turn out to breed you some really fine babies. Im just a newbie breeding ducks but I can tell you in horses, plainer ones breed the real lookers, and the real lookers are hit and miss breeders.

Sounds like she's doing great, I wish you both the best of luck. I need to hear stories like this so I have hope to push on when bad things happen with mine.

It is an inspiration for sure..

 

[Miss Lydia]

Hows your girl this evening?

 

[KaziCritter]

just got done changing her bandage and i think ill stick with using nonstick and vaseline. had to spend most of yesterday prepping for a storm and didnt get a chance to change her bandage until now (first real storm of the winter so i had to make sure my coop and such wouldnt end up in danger, bedding still got soaked through so my other ducks get a raised bed now (boards on cinderblocks with some fresh bedding)). even after nearly 2 days on, the bandage slid right off, only sticking was with the gauze wrap and it got stuck to itself. the hole is still there but i didnt see more then a bubble or two while changing the bandage, but then she also didnt move much. there was a little food on the bandage this time, but only a tiny bit.

she's been doing a bit of quacking and has gotten a bit more of her appetite back, eating only about a cup of moistened food a day so far (up from about 1/2 a cup a day) though but shes also drinking a lot more. shes also more active and im considering giving her more room then the box she is in. i have a 2 1/2 ' x 3 1/2' pen indoors that i have a pair of chickens in right now (one has a hurt foot and was having trouble walking, the other keeps escaping into the creek that backs the yard so shes caged until i can get out to add netting to the top of the fence and doesnt like being caged much). would it be safe to put her in with them or should she be kept separate? i also have a large dog crate thats about half the size of the pen that i can use but its a pain to get into. and should she still be kept in a dark or low light area? if so when should i start allowing more light? both where she is and where the pens/cages are is calm but if i move her it would be tricky to keep it dark since they back against a window and are just across the room from me (technically shes already in the same room, but shes on the other side of a bookcase and the box is covered with a towel currently).

updated photo of the wound:

the dark on the right side im pretty sure is a scab or at least scab like, it rubbed off on the bandage a little as was the color of dried blood. the white below it isnt actually that white, had to use the flash to get a clear photo and for that matter the dark pink isnt that dark either. no bleeding, puss, oozing (with the exception of the hole), or smell so (to me at least) once you get past that stomach churning wound factor it seems like its more or less doing fine (might be entirely wrong here though).

and here is how she looks all bandaged up:

the vet wrap and gauze wrap are reused from the first bandage, didnt see the need to replace them since the gauze was still clean and the vetwrap still stuck to itself and has no contact with the wound (vetwrap is actually 2 pieces (4" wrap cut lengthwise since 2" works on this better), only the outermost has any discoloration and thats from the staining from the earlier wrap which was orange). the actual bandage pad and the gause pad both got replaced ofcourse. (she needs another bath i think, but not going to until the bit of air chill from this storm passes. better dry and a little grungy then get chilled but clean)

 

[Amiga]

I am not a vet, have no experience with such large wounds, but I keep thinking she is going to need more time with the wound open to air - and away from flies, of course.

But maybe you can find some kind of bandage that lets air in. I would move away from anything like vaseline or ointment, and get a cream.

 

[JensChickies]

She seems to be doing well. I'm glad to hear she's eating better. If she were mine I would keep her separated from the chickens. Since her vein is still exposed I wouldn't risk it. If her bandage gets pecked at or even gets torn off her fresh skin and that vein will be open to pecking. I would keep her in low light....just so she doesn't move around too much. It will also give that little whole time to repair itself.

You are doing a great job with her....I love seeing her improve.

 

[KaziCritter]

been doing a lot of reading since this happened about caring for wounds (most is for humans unfortunatly) but while common thought has been that exposing to air speeds it up and such recently there has been a shift that it actually slows the healing and can make it worse. current leading idea is that you must keep a wound moist and covered (no matter the size, from scrape to large wounds) for fastest and cleanest healing but once it is scabbed over then you can and should leave it unbandaged. i think the reasoning behind this is that exposure to the air dries out the tissue that is trying to heal and makes it harder for it to get repaired (causing more damage in the process) while keeping it covered and moist provides the body with an environment it needs to quickly fix the damage. going from that it might be best to keep it covered and coated with vaseline until at least either scabbed over or the skin is mostly regrown and then switch to a lighter bandage. if im way off on this then someone please let me know, ive personally had wounds that did best covered and were delayed/worsened when left uncovered and ones that did the opposite (often times on the same wound before it scabbed over).

 

[Miss Lydia]

been doing a lot of reading since this happened about caring for wounds (most is for humans unfortunatly) but while common thought has been that exposing to air speeds it up and such recently there has been a shift that it actually slows the healing and can make it worse. current leading idea is that you must keep a wound moist and covered (no matter the size, from scrape to large wounds) for fastest and cleanest healing but once it is scabbed over then you can and should leave it unbandaged. i think the reasoning behind this is that exposure to the air dries out the tissue that is trying to heal and makes it harder for it to get repaired (causing more damage in the process) while keeping it covered and moist provides the body with an environment it needs to quickly fix the damage. going from that it might be best to keep it covered and coated with vaseline until at least either scabbed over or the skin is mostly regrown and then switch to a lighter bandage. if im way off on this then someone please let me know, ive personally had wounds that did best covered and were delayed/worsened when left uncovered and ones that did the opposite (often times on the same wound before it scabbed over).

I like your what your saying and think how your going about it for now is the right way, not to go against what others have said but I just feel in my gut this is right. You've done the research so stick with it. I am with JensChickies on keeping her separate from the chickens, yes give her more room to move around and I wouldn't keep her in the dark light heals so gradually begin to give her more light, if it affects her adversely then go back to where she is now. I'd keep her crate or box covered at night and maybe top covered during the day but open the sides up so she can have some light. I wish you had a day light bulb? if you do maybe put that close by her. for day time unless you have a nice sunny window where she can have some day light but be able to get away from it like we do chicks or ducklings when in the brooder, they can be under the light or away from it their choice. I maybe off base here but if I was recovering from a serious wound or illness I think I'd want some sunshine in my life. Your doing a great job. She is looking so much better and eating and drinking more is a really good sign. Glad to hear you didn't see bubbles either.

 

[Kleonaptra]

been doing a lot of reading since this happened about caring for wounds (most is for humans unfortunatly) but while common thought has been that exposing to air speeds it up and such recently there has been a shift that it actually slows the healing and can make it worse. current leading idea is that you must keep a wound moist and covered (no matter the size, from scrape to large wounds) for fastest and cleanest healing but once it is scabbed over then you can and should leave it unbandaged. i think the reasoning behind this is that exposure to the air dries out the tissue that is trying to heal and makes it harder for it to get repaired (causing more damage in the process) while keeping it covered and moist provides the body with an environment it needs to quickly fix the damage. going from that it might be best to keep it covered and coated with vaseline until at least either scabbed over or the skin is mostly regrown and then switch to a lighter bandage. if im way off on this then someone please let me know, ive personally had wounds that did best covered and were delayed/worsened when left uncovered and ones that did the opposite (often times on the same wound before it scabbed over).

For an injury this severe, yes, keep it covered. One of the number one rules is if there is still lymphatic fluid (the clear sticky stuff) then the body is trying to keep the wound covered the only way it can. I think you are doing brilliantly and you will just begin to get a 'feel' for when it needs less bandaging.

Quite often the vets will tell me, 'keep it bandaged for so many days, changing it on this and that day' and I do something completely different depending on the wound and the patient.

 

[JensChickies]

been doing a lot of reading since this happened about caring for wounds (most is for humans unfortunatly) but while common thought has been that exposing to air speeds it up and such recently there has been a shift that it actually slows the healing and can make it worse. current leading idea is that you must keep a wound moist and covered (no matter the size, from scrape to large wounds) for fastest and cleanest healing but once it is scabbed over then you can and should leave it unbandaged. i think the reasoning behind this is that exposure to the air dries out the tissue that is trying to heal and makes it harder for it to get repaired (causing more damage in the process) while keeping it covered and moist provides the body with an environment it needs to quickly fix the damage. going from that it might be best to keep it covered and coated with vaseline until at least either scabbed over or the skin is mostly regrown and then switch to a lighter bandage. if im way off on this then someone please let me know, ive personally had wounds that did best covered and were delayed/worsened when left uncovered and ones that did the opposite (often times on the same wound before it scabbed over).

I agree, once it looks like it's cabbing, no bandage is the way to go. But with her, and all those critical structures she needs that bandage. Not only yo heal and protect, but to keep her a little immobilized. There is a fine line with wounds....air is good for it, but it needs to be at a certain stage where bacteria can't get in.