Cat bite parakeet Blue Boy

[Laurasea]

My Vet is going to include Blue Boys case in a talk she is giving !!!
She has really been there fir me far and above!@
She is thrilled we got antibiotics into him so fast!!! All thanks to her!!
We are cautiously optimistic @
She admitted tonight, she didn't think we would get here....but that we are definitely past the first huge mountain!!

 

[Laurasea]

Blue Boys wound is seeping again.
" Serosanguineous drainage is one common type of wound drainage. It typically appears as the wound is trying to heal and may have a pale red or pink color.

Serosanguineous drainage may also appear as a clear liquid swirled with red blood. The changes in appearance depend on how much clotted blood is mixed in with the blood serum.

This type of drainage is a sign of healing, and it is not usually a cause for concern when it appears in normal amounts. "

When I was cleaning him I up, I discovered bruises on his lower jaw from the attack.

Very active, he is like Blue lightning!!! Darting all around his cage so fast. He is now the fastest most active budgie I've ever seen in my life!! Eating and singing.

 

[saxguy64]

Seems like a pretty normal course of events for the type of wound, and thank goodness, not indicative of infection. Truly wonderful news, Laura! Keep doing what you're doing, it looks to be working. Go, Blue Boy! More feathery hugs and prayers coming to you!

 

[mica21493]

Great news!!!

 

[Laurasea]

O feel a little teary eyed in happiness, Blue Boy seems so joyful to have food and to feel safe again. I think he is very happy to ve in a home again. He certainly can't wait to make freinds with my other two parakeets, he keeps flock calling them.

Bird Trick you tube , had their parakeet Blueberry escape 2 weeks ago.
[ame="https://youtu.be/7byB6co4UCM"]BLUEBERRY ESCAPED! | My Budgie FLEW OUTSIDE From an Open Door! - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Scott]

So glad to see Blue Boy responding and apparently running through a normal course of recovery! Knowledge is so important, any hesitation on your part would have doomed him to slow downward slide. Takes a special person to recognize and apply superhuman effort!

 

[Laurasea]

So glad to see Blue Boy responding and apparently running through a normal course of recovery! Knowledge is so important, any hesitation on your part would have doomed him to slow downward slide. Takes a special person to recognize and apply superhuman effort!

Than you!
Getting antibiotics in as soon as possible is the key. This bacteria from cats mouths can cause sepsis in hours, same for humans it multiples so fast. Supportive heat, so important. ( starting to sound repetitive lol, but hopefully it helps other cat bite victims) I've learned a lot on this journey, and picked up some valuable tips from other members.
I'm not letting my gaurd down till that puncture heals. But he seems to be doing great, fingers still crossed

 

[Littleredbeak]

So glad you found Blue Boy!

 

[Laurasea]

Every morning I'm still excited to see him slive and doing well.

Got new batteries for scale! Weight still 32 grams.

Tail bob gone!!!! A few rare sneezes

Wound seeps if I stress him out. But you can see from picture healing from both ends. Just the deep puncture in the middle to go. Wound does extend farther down jaw still, but feathers are covering here. But still huge healing!! I don't think open to mouth anymore!!

 

[LaManuka]

Oh Laura he looks fantastic, you are doing such a wonderful job with him! What a little champion you are Blue Boy!!

 

[mica21493]

He looks fabulous!! Great job with him!!

 

[Laurasea]

He looks fabulous!! Great job with him!!

Thank you! I'm happy dancing all over the place!! Tomorrow is 1 week!!! Antibiotics will continue till day 10. I still clean the puncture 3 times a day.

 

[bug_n_flock]

All I can say is wow. At first every time I checked this thread I was afraid he would have passed away. But tomorrow is 1 week! That is *incredible*, Laura! Amazing nursing! Amazing fighting, Blue Boy! I'm thrilled for you both

 

[noodles123]

I usually just do the meds straight by syringe. But I've only done oral meds by syringe a handful of times. Alex took it like a champ the one time I had to give him baytril. Sunny I was only giving 1 drop to twice a day(metacam), and other times I have given metacam for various bumps or bruises. My vet usually has me put doxy in the water when doing antibiotics, though.



The thickening the meds with baby food to prevent aspiration is advice I am drawing from human medical care. After my grandmother's stroke they had her only drinking thickened liquids. My mother who is a speech pathologist who worked in a nursing home early in her carreer, told me this is very normal procedure when one is having trouble swallowing, and that she often would perscribe thickened liquids for the folks she was working with.


Plus if you choose a tasty flavor of baby food (hmmm, maybe banana?) he might be less peeved about the meds. Part of why Alex took the baytril so well was he was only a year or so old at the time and had been hand fed with a syringe, but also because I would give him tasty stuff by syringe in addition to meds 1nce or 2ce a day.



But when it comes to hands on feeding with a syringe, most of my experience is hand feeding babies. I'm sure others here have more experience with giving meds by oral syringe.

Doxy in the water concerns me -how does your vet know how much your bird is getting, or whether they are still drinking due to the nasty taste?

And yes! this thread is amazzzing! GOOD JOB!!!

 

[Laurasea]

All I can say is wow. At first every time I checked this thread I was afraid he would have passed away. But tomorrow is 1 week! That is *incredible*, Laura! Amazing nursing! Amazing fighting, Blue Boy! I'm thrilled for you both

Thank you Blue Boy is a fighter!! He was so skinny and wounded yet he kept eating!!

Yeah, my vet told me 95% die of sepsis the first day...no matter how minor the wound we got the wound cleaned and antibiotics into him in under 2 hours . But she also told me amazing survival stories, from having a wing ripped off and broken bones too. Often tye severely damaged birds did better because they brought straight in on emergency, and got the life saving antibiotics right away.

Take away messages straight to the vet as emergency whenever animal has put mouth or feet on a bird. Even if no wounds, because
the saliva can still kill them when they preen it off their feathers. Clean wound immediately with tiny amount of peroxide, and betadine. You can leave tge betadine on the wound as you drive to vet. If its a body cavity wound ior broken bone dont use peroxide.

But....until that puncture heals, I will be very careful.

 

[bug_n_flock]

My CAV has never had an issue with doxy in the water, and neither have I. Perhaps because we have so many birds in a flock setup, IDK. But antibiotics in the water is a tried and true method even with 1 bird in my understanding. Of course, done with CAV direction and supervision.



Plus it isn't really a nasty taste. Birds have 1 taste bud to every 100 of ours, as people here have told me, and the concent. Is low enough that they wouldn't likely be able to tell it was even there.



Typical doxy in water dosage for budgies and cockatiels is 250 mg/liter offered as sole drinking water source for 7-10 days, sometimes a little longer. Fresh solution prepared daily, as doxycycline in solution is not particularly stable long-term. Mods feel free to delete this if you don't want specific dosing info posted publicly.


But I have not noticed a decline in water consumption when administered in this way, and it again is a tried and true method of giving medication that is used the world over. However, most importantly, this is the method my CAV told me to use. I listen to what avian board certified vetrinary professionals tell me to do when it comes to the health of my birds.

 

[Laurasea]

thanks Bug, I agree with you. Tho I have seen the water get a nasty film.
When Blue Boy passed out with my first treatment, my CAV and I discussed using Doxy in the water.

 

[bug_n_flock]

I've left prepared doxy solution in a sealed water bottle at room temp and after a couple days it is filled with brownish clumps of filmy stuff. As said, it degrades pretty rapidly when in solution. And it is less effective when consumed alongside calcium so that also is a mark against it. However, used properly and with these things kept in mind about needing a FRESH solution, it can absolutely be a lifesaver. Doxy is pretty powerful and when you need it and use it properly, it does its job well.


But of course, first and foremost, CONSULT YOUR CERTIFIED AVIAN VET before undertaking ANY treatment!!! Cannot stress that point enough. Antibiotics are not a magic cure, and can make some conditions SIGNIFICANTLY worse if misused. (Of course you guys know this, but public readers from Google may not)


I would have been terrified and extremely upset if I had a bird pass out while I was doing medical care. Just one more way in which you are an A+ bird nurse, Laura.

 

[Scott]

Loving this thread, Blue Boy keeps moving through nearly impossible hoops! Thanks to Laura's instincts and superb nursing skills!

 

[Laurasea]

Today the puncture seems sealed, but you can see in the picture evidence of the wound still weeping. In a few hours I will decide if I want to do wound debride, to open it back up and let it continue to drain. Puncture need to heal from the inside out. A scab can trap bacteria inside. Will consult my CAV. Abd will try to find an article on wound care.

Will put pictures in a row. I do wish I had a picture of the wound on day one, but I w as focused on emergency care....and the whole stress had him passing out from shock and weakness from starvation.. The first picture is from day 3, the second from day 6, and third is Today day 7
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507882/
Excerpt from above:
" Wound Debridement
Manna B, Nahirniak P, Morrison CA.

Publication Details

Introduction
The concept of preparing the wound bed to promote reepithelialization of chronic wounds has been applied to wound management for more than a decade. The 4 general steps to follow for better preparation are compassed in the acronym DIME.[1][2][3][4][5]

D: Debridement of nonviable tissue within the Wound.
I: Management of Inflammation and Infection
M: Moisture control
E: Environmental and Epithelialization assessment
The DIME approach to chronic wound management is a global concept approach from which a more detailed pathway can be initiated to bring about wound resolution.

The primary goal of debridement is to remove all the devitalized tissue from the wound bed to promote wound healing. Debridement is also used for removal of biofilm, bioburden along with senescent cells, and it is suggested to be performed at each encounter.[6][7][8] "

A little clarity on above terms, biofilm is that first sealing of wound by proteins before scab forms. Bio burden seems like a pretty fancy term for trying to remove as much bacteria from wound as possible....