Urgent Help and Advice Needed Please!

[PineappleC]

Hi there! I have a couple of questions about my one birdie:

I have a lovely pineapple conure around a year old that was bitten by my dog 3 months ago. It left a puncture wound in her crop that leaks digestive fluid when her crop is full. We have been to the vet numerous times and she has been stitched up numerous times among other things, but nothing has been able to close the hole and heal the skin completely. We are at a total loss and don't know what to so. She's eating well and produces stool, she's definitely not starving, but her chest is covered in caked on gunk and it bothers her. I was wondering if anyone has experience in crop puncture wounds- can I glue it myself with superglue? The vet glued her last time, but it didn't last the day. Stitches last about 5 days. I can't keep going back and forth to the vet, I've already spend thousands of dollars and there is still no light at the end of the tunnel. I have a second opinion app. on Tuesday. My vet is hesitant to do a skin graft, because of the fluid- if it becomes infected I'll have to put her down.

Second! Lately there has been a bluish tint above her nostrils. I know parakeets show gender colors there, but not conures. Is this a sign of respiratory problems or is it normal?


Any advice would be so welcome I am desperate.

Thank you!

 

[Mizzely]

Oh wow that's distressing! I don't know but I'm commenting to bump the thread up for you

 

[Shezbug]

Wow that sounds awfully frightening maybe @Hankmacaw or @enigma731 might have some ideas?

 

[enigma731]

I'm sorry, but I don't besides thinking that you need a vet with more surgical skill.

 

[PineappleC]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate you commenting.

 

[Diesel13]

Oh no, that sounds highly uncomfortable! Is your vet a board certified avian veterinarian? If not, the procedures may be failing because they are not proficient with avian medicine. Another suggestion, have you tried putting a cone on your conure? That may help the wound heal if she's picking at the wound and/or stitches. I hope you can figure this out!

 

[PineappleC]

Thank you! Yes, she's been wearing a cone for three months now. its actually kind of funny. My vet is very good, he has a lot of experience with birds, but I am not sure about the certification. The skin is so thin that the skin around the stitches disintegrates and once the digestive fluid comes out, that works against any healing that has happened.

 

[Hankmacaw]

I've known of a couple of birds that have had crop surgery. One a GW that had several burns on the inside of the crop caused by extended baytril medication. Her poor crop looked like a patchwork quilt - but she healed up well.

The crop acids are most likely causing the deterioration of the exterior skin/tissue. Unless she has developed an infection there. Has your vet done a swab and gram stain of the fluid on the wound? I wonder if your vet is not stitching the inner layers of muscle, crop and tissue.

 

[Toy]

Just thinking out loud here....I'm wondering if steri-strips would help to keep the wound from pulling apart once stitched & or super glued? I've had 16 surgeries & due to fast overgrowth of skin they had to stop stitching me & use super glue & steri-strips. Steri-strips can be cut to size. With a cone on your bird shouldn't be able to pull the steri-strip off. Not sure if this would work on the thin crop skin. Could be an option tho if all else fails.

 

[PineappleC]

That's a good idea: glue and then steri-strips. Is that something that I can buy over the counter @Toy ? Did that help your skin heal?

 

[Toy]

That's a good idea: glue and then steri-strips. Is that something that I can buy over the counter @Toy ? Did that help your skin heal?

Yes you can buy it OTC. Check your local pharmacy, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, etc. They usually come in a box. They come in 2 different widths 1/4 inch & 1/2 inch. Most are 4 inches long. They are on a stiff waxed paper. The 1/4 inch size usually has 30 strips, the 1/2 inch size 18 strips per package. Depends on the Brand. You can cut them to size with scissors. Peel & stick. Always stick to one side of the incision, then gently pull a little so the incision is pushed together, & then stick to the other side.

I had 2 neck surgeries. Due to gravity neck skin tends to sag & let a wide incision behind, sort of like crop skin would. You can barely see either of my incisions. Same with both my elbow surgeries & back surgeries. As far as promoting healing. No they are not designed for that. They are to hold the incision together.

Now you will also need fresh cut skin for it to heal together. You can't get skin to heal to it's self if it's already healed along the edges. Speak to your vet & see if he/she thinks this may work.

 

[Zara]

I wonder if your vet is not stitching the inner layers of muscle, crop and tissue.

A good point.

I had an injured dove land on my balcony last summer who had a crop puncture and the vet sewed it up and sprayed it with ¨aluminium spray¨. I don´t know about the spray and if it is safe for parrots. But he explained that during the surgery they had sewn all the layers. I never knew that the crop were layers, but learned something new that day. I gave antibiotics in the following days until it healed.

I wish you all the luck that someone can help your little one.

 

[PineappleC]

I've known of a couple of birds that have had crop surgery. One a GW that had several burns on the inside of the crop caused by extended baytril medication. Her poor crop looked like a patchwork quilt - but she healed up well.

The crop acids are most likely causing the deterioration of the exterior skin/tissue. Unless she has developed an infection there. Has your vet done a swab and gram stain of the fluid on the wound? I wonder if your vet is not stitching the inner layers of muscle, crop and tissue.

A good point.

I had an injured dove land on my balcony last summer who had a crop puncture and the vet sewed it up and sprayed it with ¨aluminium spray¨. I don´t know about the spray and if it is safe for parrots. But he explained that during the surgery they had sewn all the layers. I never knew that the crop were layers, but learned something new that day. I gave antibiotics in the following days until it healed.

I wish you all the luck that someone can help your little one.

I think that he did sew up all the layers the first time, I'm not sure if he still is. The hole is now the size of a pin needle