Pierpont-Fistula and Injury

[TAWhatley]

Well done, Pidgey! I think I see some blue ribbons for you in the embroidery or cross stitch competitions at your local fair .. maybe even needlepoint!

It truly is wonderful that Pierpont is doing so well!

Terry

[snyder]

Ive been wondering how Pierpont is doing now..I hope he is still making progress!

[Pidgey]

Snyder,

Oh, yes, he's been making progress, all right. It has been slower and different than I imagined, though. I guess that I'd have to say that the edges of the skin all the way around the big chest wound must have sealed off on the underneath side before I got him. Therefore, sewing him up across the chest ultimately just caused scabs underneath the outer skin that weren't able to get out until I re-opened the wound (not difficult as only the stitches were holding) and removed them. Underneath is a lot of sealed membrane that may shrink in time as long as I keep the two flaps sewn together and occasionally reopen to check the progress.

Another facet of the wound that I didn't find out until later was a hole going into the chest at the top of the left side. That hole is about 3/8" long by 1/8" wide and 3/4" deep. It also gets filled with debris that must be debrided occasionally or it'll get closed off in there and cause a constant source of infection. The only way to work on that is with forceps and an otoscope. It's tedious and I also use a huge 60 cc syringe repeatedly to flush about 2 cups of warm saline at a whack. We did it three full times (6 cups) this last Saturday.

The other hole in the crop is now down to about a 1/16" diameter. It occasionally gets a dewdrop on it when he drinks a full load of water and I'm pretty happy with that. Given the way that the other wounds have healed, I'd like to simply manage that particular aspect of the wound without actually surgically doing it right, yet, because all of the wounds so far have not been capable of healing "by first intention." This has become more of an ongoing "plastic surgery" deal where you actually need for something to take PLENTY of time to heal before going on to the next stage.

His attitude is still hilarious. I regularly get wing-flipped, bit and suffer what can only be the most profuse profanity known to pigeondom. The other birds always cover their beaks with their wings in incredulity when he gets going. He can fly fairly well now although he's a little low on stamina. His weight's slowly coming up--he's at 235 grams now (for his frame, I can't see him getting much over 300 at the most). He absolutely HATES being away from his friend, Jedd, a banded racer who shattered his wing near the proximal end of the radius and ulna. I did take him out into the loft for a look-see and he was a "kid in a candy store" so I really think that he just likes other pigeons in general.

Pidgey

[pdpbison]

Wow...

Good going there Pidgey...

Outstanding...!

Phil
Las Vegas

[Reti]

Great job, pidgey.

He sounds like a funny guy, full of life. Bless his little heart.

Reti

[snyder]

That is awesome that he is doing so well. Its so amazing how dedicated you are to all the pigeons you have! Pierpont surely is one lucky bird and I hope that he makes a full recovery. Keep us updated about any new challenges you come across. Take care!

[Pidgey]

Well, his crop wound has completely sealed off now--there hasn't been the slightest dew-drop after drinking for a few days now. I finally de-stitched all the other wounds to let them do what they wanted.

The last time that I stitched the chest flaps, there was a fine membrane of scar tissue over all the breast muscles and the keel. I was hoping that the juncture of the skin flaps and the membrane would move closer to the keel on both sides. When I de-stitched them, there was a growth of grayish debris that I guess was either the crap that builds up in the sides of big toenails (Eeewww!) or decomposing skin and scar tissue. As gross as that was, the junctures had, in fact, moved closer to the center. But I didn't feel that sewing it up again would do any real good because the flaps were getting just too pierced up and ready to fragment.

At this writing, they are "sucking in" to the chest and disappearing. At least the center section that's mostly scar tissue isn't appearing to stretch out. Actually, it may even be getting a tad smaller somehow. All in all, that area is about the area of a dime so I really should be very happy considering where we started from.

I'm using Hydrocolloid Gel (thanks, Cynthia, for bringing that to our attention) to pack the other hole up and that stuff's funny. After a long day, it starts looking like silicone caulking and you just pluck it out and replace it. Usually, he takes care of that himself but he's been so busy supervising my cleanup of the basement today that he's forgotten to mess with it. When I finally stop getting debris out of there, I'll sew it up unless it decides to close up on its own. That may yet happen, I just don't know.

Pidgey

[pdpbison]

Hi Pidgey,


Wow...


Phil
lasvegas

[Trees Gray]

I'm so glad to hear about Pierpont's increased healing going on with both his crop wound and his chest wound. That is positive. Besides the topical treatment, is he still on antibiotics or are you allowing him to go solo?

His little body can now focus entirely on healing and laying down new skin and tissue cells of the chest....loads of nutrients are in order, of course.

....and I can just imagine what you're going to be in for once Pierpont can expend all his energy on you! LOL

Glad to hear an update, Pidgey, thank you.

[feralpigeon]

Hi Pidgey the Poo,

So glad to hear that Pierpont is doing better and able to give you the much needed supervision and discipline that you truly require. Keep up the good work
Pierpont, it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it !

fp

[Pidgey]

All,

He hasn't been on antibiotics for a couple of weeks. Here's the latest picture:



His latest thing is RooKooing. He's just started doing that and is getting pretty doggone good at it although the pitch is unusually high because he's such a small bird.

Pidgey

[Trees Gray]

Oh, this poor baby he has been thru so much. It does look a whole lot better then before, though.

I'm glad he is off the antibiotics, wow, he is going to direct all his attention to you now.

I'm sure he will really appreciate having other pigeons around, especially the hens, once he gets to join the flock! LOL

[Lady Tarheel]

Pidgey, you just beat all! I look at those pics with those awful wounds and just can't imagine how you have saved him. Pierpont is one lucky little bird to have been found by you. You would make a terrific vet. maggie

[pigeonmama]

Pidgey,
I still say "you're my hero"
Daryl

[snyder]

Wow, I still cant believe how well those holes closed up! That is very inspirational to see. Im glad the bird is healing so well! You really should be a vet! Keep up the good work!
Leena