operating on an Aylesbury duck

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Marie Kubiak — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 19:17:56 GMT

I form a triangle of cotton wool about 2cm deep and cover it with vetwrap to make it firmer, then place it under the ball of the foot so that the toe tips just overhang slightly. Then bandage over all of it so they end up looking like they're wearing platform boots. They're generally not very happy about it for the first day or two but then seem to get the hang of it.

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 17:32:43 GMT

[quote user="Marie Kubiak"]With a duck foot I prefer to leave them padded and bandaged and minimise disruption to allow the granulation tissue to develop over an already vulnerable and easily traumatised area so the cleaning and application isn't as convenient.[/quote]

Agreed.Do you have any tips for bandaging a webbed foot, Marie? I puzzled over this with my first duck, and since then have always cut out a triangular piece of stiff cardboard. I lay the foot out on that and then I can construct a rather flat bandage that the duck can walk on. (The outer layers of Vetrap get impregnated with earth and it forms itself into a stout impermeable sole).

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Sara Ramsey — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:58:14 GMT

Just to say, the procedure went well, the anaesthetic with propofol induction was very impressive. Fingers crossed for the healing process. Thank you

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Marie Kubiak — Fri, 31 May 2013 10:45:31 GMT

I like honey for infected wounds but find it works best when the wound is being cleaned and honey applied several times daily. With a duck foot I prefer to leave them padded and bandaged and minimise disruption to allow the granulation tissue to develop over an already vulnerable and easily traumatised area so the cleaning and application isn't as convenient.

hope the surgery went well today,

Marie

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Michael Woodhouse — Fri, 31 May 2013 10:34:40 GMT

[quote user="SER"]Mmm, I was thinking about Manuka honey? Wonder if that might work.[/quote]

I was thinking orange sauce but that will get me red stars.............

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Bob Russell — Fri, 31 May 2013 10:13:56 GMT

The medical grade honey is irradiated to destroy spores that are present in 'shelf' honey. How big a problem this is in practice I don't know!

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 31 May 2013 09:40:26 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

[quote user="SER"]I was thinking about Manuka honey[/quote]

Save your pennies and buy the cheapest honey on the shelf.....

[/quote]

I'd tend to agree, I don't think the magic Manuka-iness is what makes it work, it's the honey keeping things moist and not letting tissue dry out.

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Gillian Mostyn — Fri, 31 May 2013 08:51:08 GMT

[quote user="SER"]I was thinking about Manuka honey[/quote]

Save your pennies and buy the cheapest honey on the shelf.....

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Sara Ramsey — Fri, 31 May 2013 01:07:11 GMT

Mmm, I was thinking about Manuka honey? Wonder if that might work.

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Utlendigur — Thu, 30 May 2013 23:22:47 GMT

I noticed that Vet Instrumentation were advertising a collagen packing material that they say could be used for localised drug delivery eg antibiotics - would that be an alternative to beads?

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Sara Ramsey — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:35:35 GMT

Thank you so much Marie - that's really useful. I have got some pictures but I can't work out how to re-size them!

She's a really nice duck (though extremely noisy!) and although more comfortable on pain relief, the lesion is just getting worse and the owners are prepared to give her this chance.

Re: operating on an Aylesbury duck

Marie Kubiak — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:55:53 GMT

Hi,

I prefer propofol personally as they go to sleep quickly, wake up faster and don't have protracted ketamine effects in recovery. They are pretty easy to get a vein on - I use the medial tarsal vein on the inner aspect of the lower leg, just below the 'hock'. You can see the vein running in a groove there and I place a cannula in the conscious bird and secure it prior to induction. I draw up 10mg/kg and give to effect. Once asleep, pull the tongue forward and the glottis is visible at the base - many ducks have a crista ventralis within the glottis meaning the glottis is effectively divided into two by a spicule of bone so you have to use a smaller ET tube than you would expect. You may need to ventilate through surgery and capnography is ideal for monitoring efficacy of respiration as hypercapnoea is the biggest risk factor in anaesthetic death in avian species.

For surgery itself, place a tourniquet first as you'll find blood frequently obscures your view if vessels freely bleed and it taken an awful lot longer. Debride all fibrous/reactive tissue and consider antibiotic bead placement (though if purely plantar lesions this can create pressure problems in its own right). Pad both feet with doughnut/ball bandages to prevent a contralateral lesion developing and be aware the bumblefoot is usually only a symptom - typically of a lesion on the other side causing increased weight-bearing on the good leg or inappropriate husbandry leading to too much time on dry land or abrasive surfaces. They can be frustrating to treat if the primary cause isn't corrected, or simply because keeping them out of water for wound healing means they get further lesions from constant loading of the feet.

Marie