# Silkie hen with huge lump on her cheek.



## ChickenAddiction (Sep 10, 2012)

I have a silkie hen that's less than a year old who has a huge lump on her cheek. I noticed it about 2 months ago & brought her inside & have treated her off & on with durimycin-10 but it just seems to be getting bigger. I am thinking that I need to cut the mass out before it get so big tht it seals off her airway/throat. It is a hard mass, so extracting with a needle won't work. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry the pics are sideways (grrrr) uploaded from my phone


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## mjs500doo (May 6, 2013)

I agree. Lance and put antibiotic on it. LA200, penicillin, ampicillin, similar.


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## hennypenny68 (Apr 30, 2013)

I would lance it as well and medicate


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## ChickenAddiction (Sep 10, 2012)

Do you think I should make the incision at the bottom or both bottom and up through the middle. I do have penicillin, but am unsure of the dosage. I have seen a post where someone put the penicillin directly on/in the wound, should I do that or in the breast muscle and for 3 days or 7 days? I also have Tylan-50 if this would be of any help as well. Thank you very much. I appreciate your responses


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## mjs500doo (May 6, 2013)

ChickenAddiction said:


> Do you think I should make the incision at the bottom or both bottom and up through the middle. I do have penicillin, but am unsure of the dosage. I have seen a post where someone put the penicillin directly on/in the wound, should I do that or in the breast muscle and for 3 days or 7 days? I also have Tylan-50 if this would be of any help as well. Thank you very much. I appreciate your responses


I personally would sterilize the area, then go ahead and lance straight vertical through the middle. That way it drains, but at the same time allows you to treat properly as well. I would also put whatever antibiotic directly on the wound itself, and commit to a treatment plan IM. 3 days. You can also start vitamin B to keep appetite up.

Keep an eye on her if you don't plan to separate. She'll likely get picked on.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

I had a silkie with a lump on her face as well, this was a year or so ago it ended up going down on its own but then she drown in a pool. Go figure. I searched and searched and never did find a answer to what it was. Personally I was to grossed out to lance it but your chicken has a much larger lump. If you have it in you I would do as the other suggested. yuck!


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## Energyvet (Jul 25, 2012)

So from what I can see (and that's not much) I can't tell if its her nasal passages, her ear, or like a foreign body wound in her face or throat. Ears can get plugged up with a chunky, smelly cheese like discharge. You can use a touch of hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab into the ear canal and then gently remove the discharge. The peroxide will bubble out the cheesy stuff. After that, Dr Harvey's healing cream on a cotton swab to address the infection. Do this maybe twice a week until ear is normal again. 

A nasal issue could be addressed similarly. Dr. Harvey's healing cream can be ingested in small amounts without ill effect. Of course you would be going into the nares (nostril) on that side (right side from the photos.)

I have also seen amazing results from homeopathic Calendula. Great healer of all wounds and also used to treat cancers. I have personally treated goats, dogs and other species with Calendula to open abscesses, treat non-healing masses resistant to antibiotics with great success. It will move the healing forward and allow the body to address the issue using the immune system. Health food stores carry homeopathic remedies. Get 200 c if you can get that high a dose. You can dose with pellets or dissolve in water to put in beak. 

The problem with antibiotics and abscesses is that they don't get into the areas. The body is making an attempt at protecting itself by walling off the diseased place and so antibiotics carried in the bloodstream don't have access. Also bacteria that cause these things are often anaerobic and so are resistant to many pharmaceuticals. 

If its soft and squishy - fluid filled - then lancing might make sense. However, if its a solid firm mass, then opening it up will likely cause more problems and secondary infections and increase the need to heal an already non healing lesion.

I'm not there and this animal is not in my hands. If there is a reliable vet that would see this bird, I'd suggest doing that. If this was my bird, I'd try the calendula if it wasn't something I could identify easily.
Calendula is broad treatment when you don't have enough information to treat specifically. It's very safe and a bird is a great candidate as little vaccine history or previous medical treatment. 

My two cents. Good luck!


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## eqstrnathlete (Dec 9, 2012)

I just treated my guinea pig with the same issue. I lanced the abscess, gave oral antibiotics, and then with a needless syringe I would flush it with bactine and pack it with antibiotic ointment. Healed in about a week. Oh and I did all this twice a day until it healed from the inside out.


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## ChickenAddiction (Sep 10, 2012)

eqstrnathlete said:


> I just treated my guinea pig with the same issue. I lanced the abscess, gave oral antibiotics, and then with a needless syringe I would flush it with bactine and pack it with antibiotic ointment. Healed in about a week. Oh and I did all this twice a day until it healed from the inside out.


Wow! I have never seen a hairless guinea pig before  That would be great for some who are allergic to critters but love them too much not to have any at all!

I did end up lancing it and I was able to get A LOT of the yellow cheesy stuff out of it, but couldn't get it all. I was just going to go with the homeopathic route, but was going to go ahead and get some penicillin in her until my order came in when I noticed that even though she has been eating, she was very thin and I was having trouble finding ANY breast muscle for the IM shot. So, I decided that I needed to get some of that nasty mess out of her so she could swallow her food better. I'll take some pics tomorrow after her daily wound cleaning and post them. She does look much better, but I still can't tell if she has lost her eye or not. With all of the unimaginable pressure from that nasty mess, I wouldn't think the eye could withstand it, but I'm still hopeful of a good surprise ending to this long new journey with her. Thank you for all of your support and advice and I'll post back tomorrow with updated pictures of her.


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## ChickenAddiction (Sep 10, 2012)

I did end up lancing it and I was able to get A LOT of the yellow cheesy stuff out of it, but couldn't get it all. She seemed to be getting weak and I didn't want to push her too far and lose her. I was just going to go with the homeopathic route, but was going to go ahead and get some penicillin in her until my order came in when I noticed that even though she has been eating, she was very thin and I was having trouble finding ANY breast muscle for the IM shot. So, I decided that I needed to get some of that nasty mess out of her so she could swallow her food better. I had to trim her head feathers because they kept getting "gunked up" with the drainage coming from the wound. She does look much better, but I still can't tell if she has lost her eye or not. With all of the unimaginable pressure from that nasty mess, I wouldn't think the eye could withstand it, but I'm still hopeful of a good surprise ending to this long new painful journey with her. I have treated her with penicillin orally as well as on/inside the opening. Am now treating her with homeopathic Calendula as suggested by our Oh Sooo Helpful *Energyvet! *(Thank you so much for all of your help that you have given us here. You are so appreciated by so many for all of your time and efforts for suggesting other alternatives when taking our loved ones to a vet isn't an option.) Here I can't tell if it was from the sinuses, ear issues or eye issues. Hopefully, she is on her way to good health and I'll try to remember to take some pictures of her when she is all healed up. Thank you for all of your support.


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