Yikes! Large wound on hen.

[rebrascora]

I'm of the opinion that wounds heal and skin grows best in moist conditions. I might be inclined to use a combination of honey and sugar, but then I'm a beekeeper so I'm always keen to encourage the use of hive products as they have incredible health benefits. The honey will help the sugar to stick to the wound and keep it moist whilst allowing the sugar crystals to do their work. It should also prevent any more feathers from getting stuck in the scab and pulling.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I was going to look at her wound this morning and try to decide better. I may have to use gauze and vet wrap to keep the honey in place. That's why I wondered about just the sugar. It would stick all on its own and keep everything else from sticking.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Update for documentation purposes. Feel free to comment if you'd like.

I've decided to try sugar. I'm trying to walk a fine line for treatment. I know it stresses her out to be away from the flock and that isn't good for her healing. Attempting to keep a wound moist and dirt free for healing is near impossible while she's outside.

I brought her in again and cleaned her up. Trimmed away some feathers and flushed the wound. I used an ace bandage to hold her wing out of the way and hold the other in place so I could lay her on her side. I dried the wound as best I could. I sprinkled sugar on it a pinch at a time.

The L of my hand is about 4.5" by 2.5". As I prepared gauze and a way to keep it on, the sugar soaked up a lot of moisture so I dabbed it again and sprinkled more sugar on it.

Although this picture is from the other side it shows what I came up with to keep a bandage in place. A piece of stockinette. I cut slits in it for her wings and then her legs. She wasn't the happiest to have it put on but once in place she seemed fine. I'm keeping her inside again tonight so I can easily check her in the morning.
I got her to drink some water this time. Out of a glass. LOL I was using it to fill a syringe to give her water directly but she decided the glass was better. Once she is sugared and socked again I'm going to see how she gets around. If she's walking good I'll put her saddle over her stockinette and put her back with everyone else. I may have to keep her inside at night but I think that would be less stress then all day but enough to make treatment easier.

Fingers Crossed!!!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

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[rebrascora]

You are doing an excellent job, especially with such a dauntingly large wound but it looks healthy. The stocking looks good. Hope it keeps everything in place once she goes out to play. I agree it is better for her to be out than confined, even at the risk of getting dirty, as long as the others don't peck it. Increased blood flow from exercise will help it heal and conversely, isolating them leads to depression which in turn suppresses the immune systems and means they don't heal so well.

Good luck with her. I will be interested to see how the sugar works, so please keep this post updated.

Regards

Barbara

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I'll add that this morning she was up and alert and ready go. She seems be getting more used to being handled. I don't think she's really liking it but maybe she realizes I'm trying to help. I was able to lay her on her side and slip her leg out from the stockinette then remove the gauze. The area that was still goopy yesterday was almost dry. I gave the area a mist of veterycin for the sugar to stick to and sprinkled some on. While I cut gauze I let the sugar soak in and then sprinkled on a little more for good measure. I placed the gauze over the wound and pulled the stockinette over her leg again.
She must be feeling ok as she had a large heathly poop, while laying on her side. LOL She also gladly had some meal worms which I could not get her to eat the first time I had her in the house.
After a butt rinse in the sink I put her saddle on and brought her outside. She joined the flock and started foraging.

Her wound this morning.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Her wound really looks like she got skinned. It's not deep at all. The skin had pulled away a little and when I inspected her yesterday I got a little braver and removed some of the lose dying skin. She handled it well. Gave me the stink eye but didn't try to escape. When she wouldn't eat this morning I knew I had to get her back with the flock. Her saddle is working well but I would modify the shape a little next time. I did have to shorten the elastic too. But it's not bothering her at all. She hopped right up onto the roost.

Ah! I'm thrilled to hear it's not a puncture. My eye deceived me when looking at your photo.

I'm glad she's healing well. Great job!!

MrsB

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

So far things are still going good. One new problem...her feathers under her wound are like cement from the sugar. I gave them a warm water rinse and pried them apart. Today I gave them a coat of coconut oil. I changed her bandage before she went to roost for the night but left her in the coop. Little stinker had somehow lost the gauze from this morning. I think a single bandage change a day will work from now on. I'll just keep treating.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

She's been dong good with her treatments. The meal worm treat after every bandage change doesn't hurt. I've been using the VCO on the whole wound and surrounding feathers. Today the crust it had formed peeled off with the bandage. But the wound is still shrinking. So I'll keep on treating.

 

[rebrascora]

That is looking loads better....really healthy looking wound, if you know what I mean. Well done as I'm sure it has been a lot of hard work to get it to this stage and still some to go of course.
I'm not familiar with the term VCO. What is it? Are you still using the sugar?