Cocoa gashed her leg

[Shelley]

Ugh, I went to feed the girls tonight and didn't see Cocoa. I noticed blood in the PVC tube and found her sitting at the bottom of the hammock cube. Her leg is gashed open badly, it's not really bleeding right now, but it looks really bad. I'm going to try get in to see Dr. Munn tomorrow, I'm pretty sure she needs stitches. It's horizontal across her left back leg, just below the thigh area I guess you'd call it.

I feel lightheaded, it just looks so nasty... I gave her baytril and metacam for tonight. I can't think of anything to do in the meantime but wait until the morning. I'm pretty sure she got the gash from fighting with her sister Addie, they are always bugging each other and there is no blood anywhere but in the tube and hammock.

Poor baby, she's in her own cage tonight to help keep the wound clean. I just wish there was something I could do right now to help keep the skin in place

 

[lilspaz68]

Shel, how deep is the wound? If its shallow it will probably heal itself. Is it into the muscle layer or just down to it?

 

[jorats]

Even the deep cuts, it will heal fast. I made the mistake once of begging my vet to stitch up a wound, she told me that it should heal on it's own and it created huge abscesses.

 

[Shelley]

I'm not sure how deep it is... I could get a picture in a few minutes to show. She's still walking normally so I don't think it cut muscle, probably just the skin layers.

 

[Shelley]

ok, here the pictures are

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/Sp ... gross1.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/Sp ... gross2.jpg

 

[jorats]

That does look nasty but I've seen worse. I'd clean it up with warm water, saline if you have it and just let it be. No ointments either.

eta: spelling :roll:

 

[Shelley]

At least that makes me feel better, in an odd way I guess... lol . I'll try what you suggested, even though I know she's going to hate me for it :lol:

 

[lilspaz68]

Yeah that should be starting to heal nicely by tomorrow. You should've seen the bloodbath Hestia and Ceres left behind before. She's had the metacam so she'll feel better too.

 

[Shelley]

Thankyou, now I can relax a bit. I hate seeing injuries, they always tend to look worse than they are too.

eta - spelling :lol:

 

[lilspaz68]

Injuries/blood are just plain frightening! We cannot help but freak out a bit when our babies bleed.

 

[jennifervb]

OMG Shelley, you poor thing!!! I would have had a heart attack too if I had been greeted by such a wound!!! :shock:

Thank God you have the wisdom of a Jo and Shelagh! :love4:

Poor little Cocoa! Give her and her rival sibling kisses, cuddles and scritches for me (just give Cocoa a few more while Addie isn't looking... :wink

 

[Shelley]

I'll give her lots of extra kisses! The wound looks MUCH better this afternoon. I'll be putting her back in with her family shortly since it's more closed up now.

 

[jorats]

Good news!

 

[Moon]

So glad it's looking better! It sure did look nasty to begin with.

 

[smokey]

don't be shy to let the water run well in it and even if you have a syringe you could use it to flush well to make sure nothing stayed in there to prevent abscess :wink:

 

[lilspaz68]

Its probably too dry for hydrotherapy now I would imagine.

The healing power of rats has to been seen sometimes to be believed!!!

Wonderful news Shel

 

[Shelley]

I rinsed it out last night but it is indeed too dry now to rinse. She's sleeping in a big rat pile with her family again - I hope the girls don't give me anymore scares! They play soooo rough with each other at times.

 

[lilspaz68]

It sounds like she zigged when she should've zagged.

 

[lindsayfawn]

holy geez that's quite the wound, poor little thing. Hope she heals up quick and nicely! lots of treats and kisses to her

 

[Fidget]

Dang those kids are unbelievable healing machines sometimes, eh? I hope Cocoa has no complications and is soon healed & scarless enough to look good in a bathing suit again! Kisses to her.