Strange blistering on turkey neck/shoulder

[Dakota60]

On Tuesday morning, my dog broke into my turkey pen and fatally wounded 5 hens & wounded the Tom. I’ve brought him inside (he’s in my bathtub) but have zero solid knowledge of how to care for the rips in his skin. I have some Small Animal Synbiont & decided to use it on Wednesday to try to clean up the wounds some (yes, I know…probably too late) THEN I just put Vaseline all over the areas. Yesterday I got some triple antibiotic ointment (without pain stuff) & did the synbiont again, patted dry and put the ointment on. This morning, I noticed a blister looking area at the base of his neck/top of shoulder and now this evening it is definitely covering a larger area. This evening I also added amoxicillin to his water. He did not eat yesterday or today so far. I’ve offered him some banana, green beans & corn today in addition to his regular feed to try to get him to eat. He is drinking a lot of water. His injuries are probably beyond recovery HOWEVER he is standing & ‘talking’ to me when I tend to him. So I am a little hopeful. I just really need to know if something that I have applied to his skin is causing the ‘blister looking skin’. Today I got PET SILVER WOUND SPRAY for chickens, but I’m afraid to use ANYTHING until I can find out what the blisters are from. The last picture probably shows the best view of ‘normal’ skin right next to the blistered looking area. Would appreciate any good cleaning solution suggestions also, but know that some tears are into some muscle, not just surface. HELP. Thank you.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does he have mites?

I'm sorry for your losses.

It does look like a reaction to something.

I'd be inclined to rinse with saline. Pat dry then apply a very thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment just to the wound.

Does the wound smell bad?

 

[Dakota60]

Does he have mites?

I'm sorry for your losses.

It does look like a reaction to something.

I'd be inclined to rinse with saline. Pat dry then apply a very thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment just to the wound.

Does the wound smell bad?

No mites. Have rinsed with saline 3 times today….the blistering continues to spread, which is why I HAVENT put anything on him. He is still getting amoxicillin in his water & did eat some soaked starter feed today. I just don’t know WHAT is causing the blistering look. His neck is about 2x the circumference than it should be & all of the additional size is made up of the blister skin. . I just can NOT afford a vet right now.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

No mites. Have rinsed with saline 3 times today….the blistering continues to spread, which is why I HAVENT put anything on him. He is still getting amoxicillin in his water & did eat some soaked starter feed today. I just don’t know WHAT is causing the blistering look. His neck is about 2x the circumference than it should be & all of the additional size is made up of the blister skin. . I just can NOT afford a vet right now.

I'm not sure what's going on there!

Let's tag in @Eggcessive @azygous @coach723 and see if they have any suggestions.

 

[coach723]

I'm wondering if the Synbiont may have caused the blistering. The ingredients contain a surfactant (which helps break up oils and remove dirt) that is used in soaps, detergents, cosmetics etc. As a person with many allergies, the blistering looks to me like reactions I've had from topically applied or contacted substances that I reacted to. Sodium Laurel Sulfate is similar and very common in shampoos and other cosmetics, and one ingredient that I personally avoid. The saline should not hurt anything, so that should be safe and fine to use. I can't say for sure that that is what happened, just my suspicion. Sometimes it can make skin more sensitive to sunlight as well. I would continue to flush as needed with the saline, continue the antibiotic ointment or vaseline (most antibiotic ointments are the medications mixed in a petroleum base), and the oral amoxicillin. Coconut oil might help sooth the irritation also. When there is a topical reaction, removal of the offending material is the first step, and then you have to wait for it to go away. Non-irritating, soothing ointments may help. If it continues to get worse you might consider a topical hydrocortisone ointment to see if that helps. I would apply it to a very small area and see how it goes, before applying it broadly.
If you notice a bad smell, then that would indicate infection and something stronger than amoxicillin might be called for.
What form of amoxicillin are you using? It may not really mix well in water and you may need to give it to him directly orally. If it's capsule or tablet you can just push it in his beak and he'll swallow it. Or you can mix the correct amount in some coconut oil and refrigerate it until hard and give that like a pill. That way you know he gets the whole dose. If he's not drinking well he may not take in enough in the water. Dose should be 57 mg per pound of bodyweight twice a day.
I copied some info:

Alkyl sulfates are widely used as detergents in cleaning products and shampoos; emulsifying agents in creams and lotions; and wetting agents.

Alkyl sulfates can be irritating to the skin if they come into prolonged contact with the skin in high concentrations.

 

[Dakota60]

I'm wondering if the Synbiont may have caused the blistering. The ingredients contain a surfactant (which helps break up oils and remove dirt) that is used in soaps, detergents, cosmetics etc. As a person with many allergies, the blistering looks to me like reactions I've had from topically applied or contacted substances that I reacted to. Sodium Laurel Sulfate is similar and very common in shampoos and other cosmetics, and one ingredient that I personally avoid. The saline should not hurt anything, so that should be safe and fine to use. I can't say for sure that that is what happened, just my suspicion. Sometimes it can make skin more sensitive to sunlight as well. I would continue to flush as needed with the saline, continue the antibiotic ointment or vaseline (most antibiotic ointments are the medications mixed in a petroleum base), and the oral amoxicillin. Coconut oil might help sooth the irritation also. When there is a topical reaction, removal of the offending material is the first step, and then you have to wait for it to go away. Non-irritating, soothing ointments may help. If it continues to get worse you might consider a topical hydrocortisone ointment to see if that helps. I would apply it to a very small area and see how it goes, before applying it broadly.
If you notice a bad smell, then that would indicate infection and something stronger than amoxicillin might be called for.
What form of amoxicillin are you using? It may not really mix well in water and you may need to give it to him directly orally. If it's capsule or tablet you can just push it in his beak and he'll swallow it. Or you can mix the correct amount in some coconut oil and refrigerate it until hard and give that like a pill. That way you know he gets the whole dose. If he's not drinking well he may not take in enough in the water. Dose should be 57 mg per pound of bodyweight twice a day.
I copied some info:

Alkyl sulfates are widely used as detergents in cleaning products and shampoos; emulsifying agents in creams and lotions; and wetting agents.

Alkyl sulfates can be irritating to the skin if they come into prolonged contact with the skin in high concentrations.

Actually, it’s AquaMox 250mg caps….the only thing I have available. I’m mixing in his water first @ 500mg per liter/quart, then upped it to 750….because of the blistering. He is drinking very well & quite a bit. I pop in about every hour or more & stir the water, because there is some settling. Not a significant amount though, so I sure he’s getting a good amount. Also using this water to soak the starter feed that he’s eating. The odd thing is that the majority of the blistering is on 1 side of his neck, which has no actual injury, although the shoulder, back & top, do. Can’t imagine that that much overspray/contact with the Synbiont happened up his neck. I just don’t know. I am only rinsing everything with the saline and using the antibiotic ointment (actually kind of packing it into the torn areas). I’m doing what I can with what I have or can go grab.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Actually, it’s AquaMox 250mg caps….the only thing I have available. I’m mixing in his water first @ 500mg per liter/quart, then upped it to 750….because of the blistering. He is drinking very well & quite a bit. I pop in about every hour or more & stir the water, because there is some settling. Not a significant amount though, so I sure he’s getting a good amount. Also using this water to soak the starter feed that he’s eating. The odd thing is that the majority of the blistering is on 1 side of his neck, which has no actual injury, although the shoulder, back & top, do. Can’t imagine that that much overspray/contact with the Synbiont happened up his neck. I just don’t know. I am only rinsing everything with the saline and using the antibiotic ointment (actually kind of packing it into the torn areas). I’m doing what I can with what I have or can go grab.

How much does he weigh?

Amoxicillin dosing is 57mg per pound of weight given 2X a day for 7-10days.
Since you have Aquamox in capsule form, I'd try to just direct dose him if possible.

My mind keeps going - "that looks like fat under the skin". I wonder if there's just a lot of soft tissue damage and bruising and in time this will resolve on its own.


We can definitely see bruising...

 

[LaFleche]

To me this looks like lymphatic fluid

 

[Dakota60]

How much does he weigh?

Amoxicillin dosing is 57mg per pound of weight given 2X a day for 7-10days.
Since you have Aquamox in capsule form, I'd try to just direct dose him if possible.

My mind keeps going - "that looks like fat under the skin". I wonder if there's just a lot of soft tissue damage and bruising and in time this will resolve on its own.


We can definitely see bruising...
View attachment 4033066

It’s gotten so much worse & seems to keep creeping on. It is definitely a blistering of sorts. Tonight (this morning actually) when I got home, is the first time he seems to be regressing, unfortunately. I’m not giving up, but not a whole lot it ‘looking better’ and it’s been a week. Wish that I could have gotten him to a vet

 

[Dakota60]

How much does he weigh?

Amoxicillin dosing is 57mg per pound of weight given 2X a day for 7-10days.
Since you have Aquamox in capsule form, I'd try to just direct dose him if possible.

My mind keeps going - "that looks like fat under the skin". I wonder if there's just a lot of soft tissue damage and bruising and in time this will resolve on its own.


We can definitely see bruising...
View attachment 4033066

It’s gotten so much worse & seems to keep creeping on. It is definitely a blistering of sorts. Tonight (this morning actually) when I got home, is the first time he seems to be regressing, unfortunately. I’m not giving up, but not a whole lot it ‘looking better’ and it’s been a week. Wish that I could have gotten him to a vet