One month old Khaki Campbell pullet attacked by a raccoon and in need of aid

I have twelve khaki Campbell pullets. One of them yesterday sustained an apparently superficial leg injury that has already begun to heal. However, this same duck was attacked by a raccoon last night. There are two wounds. One looks like the only damage is removed skin about the size of a nickel on the back of the neck at the base of the head. The other might be more serious. The placement of this second wound is the back of the cheek, I think at the edge of the jaw. I'm worried that the wounds will become infected, but a more immediate worry is that I haven't noticed the duck eat all day. I have her inside my house in a bathtub lined with towels. She has a dish of food and access to water. I have been treating the wounds topically with colloidal silver to prevent infection. Is there anything else that I can or should do? Do you suggest antibiotics? If so, what kind? This duck has recently surfaced as my favorite and I had hoped to keep her as a layer for many long years. Her name is Jemima.

Neosporin without pain reliever is good for open wounds. Quiet and isolated until it starts to scab over and heal will be good. dog crates make good hospital wards. You can let get bath once or twice a day and keep food and water in the cage with her.

You need to secure the rest in a predator proof house or the raccoons will return and next time you may have dead ducks, not just injured.

I had thought that a wire rabbit hutch was protection enough, especially with the man of the house sleeping outside near the ducks. We already lost two of this flock to the ol' stripey masked thief.

Do you have any ideas for enticing her to eat? Do you think that she might starve, or that she might be unable to eat?

No, but when in pain and shock she won't want to eat. You can make her oatmeal (unflavored) and bit on the runny side. Hardboiled egg mashed up is a usual favorite too. Peas, watermelon, Cantaloup are good options too.

Raccoons can reach through opening that are 1.5" across. They will tug and pull bit by bit unfortunately.

I would use oral antibiotic as well, with that wound I would expect some infection from that wound near the jaw.

Don't want to fret you, but a friend recently lost a drake with a jaw wound. His jaw was detached from the skull, though I could not see that at first when I looked at him. The vet examined him and pointed that out.

Be sure no flies get near her . . . maggots are a difficult problem on top of the injuries.

Her pain may be keeping her from eating. CelticOaksFarm has good advice on the food.

So sad for you. Prayers for all. And get those ducks somewhere really safe. The raccoons will likely be back soon to finish their "job."

I think the local tractor supply has antibiotics. Do you know what I could do for the pain? I think she's hungry but it looks like she doesn't want to open her bill very wide because of the pain. I offered her soft rice and tomato (usually a favorite with my flock), but she wouldn't touch it. She wouldn't drink any milk either. All she will take is water. A friend suggested half a baby Tylenol for the pain. Have any of you heard of using that for poultry?

Would brandy or whiskey be good for her?

I don't think alcohol would help.

Soak some oats in water and see if she will take that. Add just a little sugar to it, too, for calories.

I don't know what would be good for pain for her. Sometimes human painkillers are toxic to ducks.

There is something called metacam, but I don't know anything about it.

Is a vet an option?

When my duck, Lucy, was attacked by a raccoon, I had head wounds to deal with, too. No jaw damage but she had a bite taken from the edge of her bill.

I put her on homeopathic for bites and vitamins at first, but homeopathics take a long time to work, so after a week on that (and an infection starting in the leg wound that I had missed) I switched her to Duramycin (got at Tractor Supply). Add 1/4 teaspoon to 20 oz of water (2 1/2 CUPS). Only mix up what you will use immediately and store the rest of the powder in a clean, dry jar. You will want to keep a measuring spoon in the jar just for the Duramycin. If you won't be using the entire 20 oz right away, put the extra in the refrigerator until you need it, but do not keep it for longer than 1 day. I have seen funk grow in it if kept longer than that. Lucy got her water in a 20 oz travel mug 2x a day.

After her first day of not eating, she only wanted cooked, mashed peas for 2 weeks. She refused anything else, so keep tempting your duck with things she loves to eat. You may have to use a syringe and squirt some liquified food into her bill to get her to eat. which means you will ahve to take some food and puree it in the blender and add enough water to make it liquidy. Lucy's bill was very sore and I had to mash her peas so she could eat them.

Examine your duck carefully to locate all the woulds you can find. Trim away feathers from the wounds so you can treat them effectively. Don't be afraid to trim away all her feathers if you think you need to to examine her. You can dress her in newborn t-shirts until her feathers grow back. If you keep her in a dim, quiet room, she will heal faster, and eventually start to molt. At least, that's what Lucy did.

Use saline to rinse out the wounds every day. Use a q-tip to pack the open wounds with antibiotic ointment.

If there is a puncture wound (which includes bites), you will need to debride it daily with a gauze pad. That means put peroxide on a gauze pad and scrub the scab off the puncture wound and scrub it enough to keep it open so it can drain. Punctures must heal from the inside out, or they get infected. Pack the punctures with antibiotic ointment, too.

Since you can't wrap a head wound on a duck, just let her wash her head at will. The only wound I wrapped on Lucy was her leg wound while it had Ichthammol on it to pull out the infection.

Let her rest and check on her every few hours. Change her towels at least 2x a day, or get those incontinence pads you put in a patient's bed and put one of those on top of the towel. Easy cleanup and less laundry. I got mine at Wal Mart.

I did not have the money for a vet visit, but if you do, I highly suggest taking her in.