Ltygress
New member
- Jan 6, 2015
- 49
- 0
- Parrots
- Blue and Gold Macaw named Stewie, Blue and Gold Macaw named Bazinga, Male Eclectus named Nicholas, Unknown Severe Macaw named Zander
I asked this on the general health forum, but haven't received any answers.
Does anyone here have experience with a cockatoo getting a skin graft? I have a rescued moluccan that was stabbed about thirteen years ago. They suggested a skin graft then, but her owner at the time couldn't afford it. She came to us the week before Christmas, and I'm noticing problems caused by that issue. First, although not as serious, is that she has no left ear hole. It doesn't seem like there is a proper ear under the thin layer of skin either.
The skin on the right side of her head isn't as thick as it should be, but it does have an ear hole. Almost no feathers even try to grow there, and either her eyelid muscles were damaged, or the skin is too stretch, because the eye can't close completely. The inner eyelid seems fine, but the eyeball itself dries and scabs over until the inner eyelid can no longer pass over it. But I know she is already totally blind in that eye because there is absolutely NO reaction to anything with that eye.
And the left eye has a lot of super thick skin AND feathers sagging around it. The result is the skin and feathers covering about 3/4 of her eye so she has extremely limited vision there. I can actually see the bones to her eye socket BEHIND the saggingpart, by the super-thin healed skin. This problem could PROBABLY be fixed by literally pinning a corner of the skin back, because I grab one of the feathers that hang in the way and pull to give her a wider view. If it could be HELD there, she could keep that wide range.
But my actual question deals with feather growth. I've dealt with injuries aand huge wounds, but never requiring a skin graft. Do they completely lose the ability to grow feathers in that area? Or does that return somehow? She does have bald spots where the skin actually healed itself over. But it's such a paper thin skin, I can actually see individual muscles and tendons under there. So even if it could grow them, I doubt it could support feather shafts!
We're about two weeks out from reconstructive surgeries right now. And I know I could just wait and ask the vet. But I thought I would see if anyone here has experience with it.
The good news is, despite all of her issues, she is an absolute baby! She has never even tried to bite me, and cuddles up into my neck everytime she is near me! I can't wait to get at least some of her vision back!
Does anyone here have experience with a cockatoo getting a skin graft? I have a rescued moluccan that was stabbed about thirteen years ago. They suggested a skin graft then, but her owner at the time couldn't afford it. She came to us the week before Christmas, and I'm noticing problems caused by that issue. First, although not as serious, is that she has no left ear hole. It doesn't seem like there is a proper ear under the thin layer of skin either.
The skin on the right side of her head isn't as thick as it should be, but it does have an ear hole. Almost no feathers even try to grow there, and either her eyelid muscles were damaged, or the skin is too stretch, because the eye can't close completely. The inner eyelid seems fine, but the eyeball itself dries and scabs over until the inner eyelid can no longer pass over it. But I know she is already totally blind in that eye because there is absolutely NO reaction to anything with that eye.
And the left eye has a lot of super thick skin AND feathers sagging around it. The result is the skin and feathers covering about 3/4 of her eye so she has extremely limited vision there. I can actually see the bones to her eye socket BEHIND the saggingpart, by the super-thin healed skin. This problem could PROBABLY be fixed by literally pinning a corner of the skin back, because I grab one of the feathers that hang in the way and pull to give her a wider view. If it could be HELD there, she could keep that wide range.
But my actual question deals with feather growth. I've dealt with injuries aand huge wounds, but never requiring a skin graft. Do they completely lose the ability to grow feathers in that area? Or does that return somehow? She does have bald spots where the skin actually healed itself over. But it's such a paper thin skin, I can actually see individual muscles and tendons under there. So even if it could grow them, I doubt it could support feather shafts!
We're about two weeks out from reconstructive surgeries right now. And I know I could just wait and ask the vet. But I thought I would see if anyone here has experience with it.
The good news is, despite all of her issues, she is an absolute baby! She has never even tried to bite me, and cuddles up into my neck everytime she is near me! I can't wait to get at least some of her vision back!
