!!! Flock attacked by a dog. Three dead, two VERY injured. Help!!

[EggDropSoup]

Hi all--

So...I learned a very hard lesson about gates this morning.

I keep my dozen chickens at my best friend's house (she lives down the street and has a yard, whereas I do not). She has a large dog who likes to kill chickens, but she has both a fenced front yard and a fenced backyard. Last night, I didn't shut the door to the chicken's run, because you can look out the back window and see them running around in the yard, and whenever they're out, my friend puts her dog in the front yard.

Well..she apparently let the dog out in the middle of the night. And she let him into the backyard.

The scene this morning was absolutely horrific. Three of my hens were dead and two--a salmon favorelle and a dominique--were very, very injured. I found the faverolle on her back. When she saw me, she started kicking and clucking. The dominique was lying under a shrub.

The other chickens made it into the henhouse and were very shaken up, but otherwise okay.

I knew both injured chickens were in shock, so I immediately wrapped them in towels and took them inside where I put them next to a space heater. I worked for a vet at an animal shelter for 8 years, so thankfully, I know some things about emergency medicine for animals. The favorelle immediately started to perk up as she got warmer, but the dominique had her eyes closed and was obviously struggling. I mixed up some electrolytes and also ran home and got a bag of lactated ringer's solution (thank GOD I had some on hand). Then, I went to the feed store and got some antiseptic wound spray. I cleaned the wounds (more on those in a second) and administered 1/2 cc of penicillin for each hen, making sure to inject the medicine as close to the largest wounds as possible.

I spent the morning giving both hens fluids subcutaneously and using a syringe to get them to take electrolyte water. The favorelle is now standing up, walking around, and eating from a pan of grain. The dominique is in much more serious condition, but has perked up considerably. She has her eyes opened and seems much more alert. I have found her standing a couple of times, though she seems weak, and lies back down quickly.

As for the wounds...the chickens didn't seem to sustain any bites to their vital parts (THANK GOD), but both have considerable wounds on their backs, with multiple layers of skin torn away. The favorelle has a deep puncture on the back of her neck. I packed the wounds with neosporin and will continue to do so several times a day. I am continuing to administer sub q fluids to the dominique, since she seems to be the most seriously injured, and I will continue giving injections of penicillin.

Both hens are in the spare bathroom now, each in her own box, with the space heater on low (it's quite warm in there). I gave them some egg yolk while ago. The favorelle ate it voraciously and the dominique did eat some of it, as well. She also ate some chickweed that I put in her box and a bit of greek yogurt.

So here's what I really need to know: Is there anything else I can do?? I'm a bit worried about the Dominique because I'm afraid she might have aspirated a bit of the electrolyte solution. Her breathing sounds "wet" and every so often, she coughs. I don't think it's a result of her injuries, because she wasn't doing it until AFTER I had given her the electrolytes. I know she runs the risk of getting pneumonia. Will the penicillin injections help stave that off??

Both chickens have pooped (a lot!). The faverolles poo looks quite normal, while the dominiques is a bit watery (probably from all the fluids). I'm checking on them every two hours, and it's nice to see improvements rather than decline.

I know wounds like this can be quite serious, and honestly, I was prepared to humanely put them down...but they seem to be fighting to live, and as long as they're improving, I'd like to at least try and save them.

Please let me know if you think there's anything else I should do/offer them. I'm making sure they get as much nutrition as possible and making sure they stay hydrated, whether via injected fluids or electrolyte water.

Thanks everyone. It's been a terrible day.

 

[dawg53]

You've done an outstanding job treating your injured hens. There's really not much else you can do, continue with supportive care as you're doing. Your Dominique hen may be on the fence as to which way she goes as far as aspiration. If she develops pneumonia, the penicillin should help. Keep in mind there's a possibility that she might have unseen internal injuries from the dog attack which may complicate her recovery. It sounds like your Faverolle is well on her way to a full recovery.

 

[realsis]

your doing a excellent job! may I ask how are you injecting fluids? I am curious. you mean administering it orally? or other?

 

[chickenoverlord]

I reccomend that you blu kote all the surface wounds, and continue packing with neosporin. Blu kote has saved many of my hens from severe dog attacks. On the Dominique, it sounds like she might have a punctured lung. The wound would not have to be big, or bloody. Check her over VERY carefully, other than that, great job, and I hope thy get well!

 

[EggDropSoup]

Thanks friends, for your encouraging words and advice. Realsis, I'm injecting the fluids under the skin (under the wing). They're the same kind of fluids you find in an IV bag for humans.

Chickenoverlord, I plan on getting some Blue Kote, especially when it's time to move the salmon faverolle back outside (which will hopefully be sooner than later...she's SO LOUD).

As an update: I just checked on the hens for the last time tonight (they're at my friends' house, and it's time for them to be sleeping!). The salmon favorelle ate some eggs and had clearly been drinking her electrolytes. She clucked VERY loudly for about five minutes (she has a habit of doing that even when absolutely nothing is wrong), so I do think she feels good, even if she looks terrible.

The Dominique is definitely concerning me. She was breathing with her mouth open for a few minutes, and her breaths were rattling/gurgling. She was coughing/sneezing as though trying to get something up. I had a tiny kitten I was bottle feeding once who was doing something very similar, and I turned her (the kitten) upside down and shook her very gently, at which point she proceeded to cough up tons of crud from her lungs (probably kitten formula). With that in mind, I did something similar for my hen, and she proceeded to gack up a rather large amount of clear-yellowish fluid. It didn't smell bad--it hardly had a smell at all--so I'm not sure it was from her crop. I'm not even sure if a chicken can aspirate the same way as a kitten...but her breathing eased up after that, though she still definitely seems to be struggling with it.

Having looked at a photo of a chicken's anatomy, I realize now that the lungs are up near hen's back/shoulders, rather than on the chest. It is VERY possible, then, that she has a punctured lung, as she has a large puncture wound sort of between her shoulder blades--where it looks like her lung could be (at least according to the chart I'm viewing).

If it IS a punctured lung, would that cause her to cough up crap?? Is it okay to help her get that crap out (like I did while ago) if she seems to be having trouble, or am I doing more harm than good?? What can I do for a chicken with a punctured lung? I'm guessing antibiotics and tlc are about it.

Thanks again, everyone, for your advice and support. I really, really hope the dominique makes it. She's my favorite hen--so sweet and docile. I'm pretty certain the favorelle will be just fine!

 

[Suzierd]

I have read not to make them throw up it can kill them so I would be very careful doing that. Best of luck with them.

 

[chickenoverlord]

I'm sorry about your hen, if it's a punctured lung she will die. It seems that she might have ruptured something, I'm not sure what. The stuff she coughed up might be from her crop, or it might be plasma. If the faverolle can drink, don't inject fluids and DO NOT over dose the electrolytes on either of them, as it can cause more harm than good. The hen might also have simply vomited the water she has been drinking as well. If it helps, then continue to do it, but I'm not sure on that one.

 

[EggDropSoup]

Update!

Both hens made it through the night (though I had no doubts about the faverolle). The dominique seems much brighter and more alert this morning, and she ate some egg yolk, chickweed, and warm oatmeal. She also ate some crushed up eggshell (she really, really seemed to want it, so I gave it to her). She still doesn't seem too interested in drinking on her own, but I added water to the yolk/oatmeal mixture and gave her some more sub q fluids.

Both chickens' wounds look much better, after only 24 hours. The minor abrasions already seem to be scabbing over. The dominique's wheezing seems to have abated, so maybe she did just need to cough up some aspirated water yesterday. I'm going to offer her more yolk later. I left some oatmeal and chickweed in her crate for her, since she seems to enjoy picking at that.

I saw the faverolle take some bites of oatmeal and layer feed and take a sip of water, so I'm pretty sure she's doing okay on her own in the food/water department.

Both got another shot of penicillin.

Should I worry about their egg laying? Most of my chickens lay an egg a day. Can trauma delay ovulation/egg laying? I don't want them to become egg bound in addition to everything else they're going through!!

 

[dawg53]

Any kind of stress will slow or stop egg laying. They'll lay when they are good and ready. Give them time.

 

[EggDropSoup]

The dominique actually laid an egg today!!

I sat with her this afternoon and she ate an egg yolk, some mealworms, some crackers, and some chickweed. I also saw her drink water for the first time, and she drank a lot of it. I took her outside so she could get some fresh air and she sat in the grass and ate weeds and really seemed to enjoy being outside. I really think she might pull through!

The faverolle is also eating and drinking well, and I let her roam around outside as well (not with the other hens).

I just wanted to update everyone. I'm so happy the dominique is eating/drinking on her own now. She even had a few sips of sweet tea.