55. Treatment of Injuries
a. Cuts and wounds. Pigeons have marvelous powers of healing their own tissues, perhaps because of their high body temperature and rapid rate of body processes. The following are aids to healing.
(1) Clean solid or contaminated wounds with boric acid solution or some very mild antiseptic. Strong disinfectants burn the exposed tissues and delay wound healing.
(2) Stitch or suture large tears in the skin to make them relatively smaller. Avoid placing suture in such a way that a pocket is formed for this often results in an abscess formation. Use white silk or cotton thread.
(3) Remove excessively rough edges or hanging flaps of skin with sharp scissors.
b. Fractures. (1) Broken bones in the extremities of the legs usually respond readily to treatment; those involving the large bones present a more complicated problem.
(2) The type of fracture governs the seriousness of the injury.
(a) Simple fractures are those in which there is no break in the skin in the region of the fracture.
(b) Compound fractures are those in which there is a break in the skin over the bone injury.
(c) Partial fractures are those in which the bone is cracked but not completely separated.