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#1
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10-20-2013, 02:48 PM
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 ♚ Legacy Gold Member ♚ Poster Rank:34 Female Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 43,403
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Swan With Beak Injury
Many birds will suffer beak injuries during the course of their lives. The upper and lower mandible are vulnerable to trauma and will often fracture as a result. Non-orthopaedic wounds are often seen in waterfowl. The horny beak or bill (rhamphotheca) is a hard, tough, keratinised epidermal structure in birds of prey, as well as seed and grass eaters. In waterfowl, and swans in particular, the soft rhamphotheca is vulnerable to trauma and easily injured. Swans fly at speeds of 30-50 mph and have difficulty making sudden changes in direction. This is probably due to a number of factors including their size and weight, as well as their relatively poor forward vision. Collisions occur regularly and can result in beak injuries. The beak will heal by a process of granulation and epithelialisation, much as with any other epidermal tissue. However, there are practical problems in that the beak will be regularly immersed under water and into food bowls. The objective of any wound management plan should be to keep the wound clean and moist to facilitate the spread of granulation tissue over the exposed bone and protect the bone from dessication. The use of a waterproof dressing is indicated. Products such as the protective paste (Orabase) are resistant to water and can be used to pack the wound cavity. Hydrocolloid dressings can then be applied over the wound to provide further protection. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are indicated until a healthy bed of granulation tissue is established. In the case below the granulation bed was established in 20 days. Following this, epithelialisation progressed rapidly and within six days the wound was virtually healed.  An extensive wound to the tip of a mute swan's (Cygnus olor) bill has exposed a considerable amount of bone  Close up of the wound showing fresh bleeding from a small bed of granulation tissue at the wound's proximal margin  A protective paste (Orabase) was used to pack the wound  Several strips of a hydrocolloid dressing (Duoderm Extra Thin) were used to provide a protective barrier  Bed of granulation tissue was established 20 days following admission  Epithelialisation of the wound is almost complete (day 26) |
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#5
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10-21-2013, 06:23 PM
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 My Rank: CORPORAL Poster Rank:1713 Male Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 312 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 61 Post(s)
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Re: Swan With Beak Injury
That swan probably broke its beak beating someone to death. I'll just leave this here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17736292 |
