My first emergency...Have Questions....

[newchickenfamily]

Our Beagle attacked one of our 7 week old bantam Barred Rocks last night at about 7:00 p.m. Did alot of damage to her neck and chest. Ripped off feathers and skin around her neck. There was some blood, but not a lot. We brought her inside and have been keeping her under a light for warmth, but are keeping the box covered with a towel so it's a bit dark.

Thankfully she made it through the night.

I came on BYC briefly last night and did a search for dog attacks to see what others have done to treat their birds.

I went to the pharmacy and bought some wound spray cleaner, Iodine/Betadine and Neosporin. I sprayed the wound cleaner first, then dripped the Iodine on the wounds afterwards. I did not use the Neosporin because the wounds seem to "open" to try to spread cream on them. Also, I did NOT buy anything that had "pain reliever" in it, per what I read last night.

In my panic, I forgot to buy electrolytes. I have been able to get her to take several sips of water. I did add a little sugar to it. I will get the electrolytes today.

Here are my questions:

1. How often do I need to clean the wounds?

2. Should I get antibiotics to put in her water, or should I get her a shot at the vet instead?

3. Do I need to dilute the Betadine? I didn't when I used it last night.

4. How often should I be offering her sips of water? She isn't drinking on her own.

5. As far as electrolytes, how much do I add to the water or should she drink them straight???

Any help would be very much appreciated. Thank you!!

 

[newchickenfamily]

Anyone? I'd love some words of encouragement!

 

[Judy]

1. Just keep an eye on them, you will know, no more than necessary. You need to clean pus and dirt off but cleaning also removes some healing new cells.
2. Your choice, but systemic antibiotics are usually recommended for trauma to chickens on BYC.
3. YES. A lot. Betadine kills new skin cells and can be toxic. I'd do it about 20 parts water to one part Betadine. If you did not rinse the Betadine off, I would try squirting the wounds with water now. Actually I would probably clean them with the wound spray cleaner rather than the Betadine. Betadine is good for the first cleansing as it kills so many germs, but shouldn't be needed after that unless they really look full of pus or crud.
4. ??? Every 30 minutes or so? Depends how much she takes. Wonder how much water a chicken normally drinks in a day?
5. Hopefully the package will tell you. If you have a little Gatorade in the house, you could give a dilute version of it, maybe alternating with water. A little sugar at this point would not hurt.

I would also put the Neosporin on the wounds. Just kind of squirt it on, spread as gently as you can.

I'm certainly no vet but am a people nurse. Hardly makes me an expert,b but maybe this will help some.

 

[Chicken Girl]

I am sorry that that happend! I have no idea what to tell you. I hope she gets petter! Sorry!


Chicken Girl Good Luck!

 

[Judy]

I think you're wise to keep her in a quiet and somewhat darkened place. I know you feel badly about this; many here would say, yeah, this is how I goofed up.... including me....

Best of luck to you, and hope she makes it.

 

[newchickenfamily]

Thank you so much! That helped tons ddawn... Yep, you know it, I feel awful. My fault.

 

[Comet Mum]

I agree with what ddawn said. I'd certainly not use betadyne again unless the wound looks infected. You can use "normal saline" to clean wounds and it does not damage the healing tissue like betadyne can when used repeatedly. You can find a recipe on how to make it here: http://healthfieldmedicare.suite101.com/article.cfm/normal_saline_for_wound_care

I have not had a seriously injured bird, but in general, IMHO I'd hold off on oral antibiotics until there is evidence of infection. But, slather on the neosporin!

I'd encourage drinking water, sugar water or gatorade, anything to keep her hydrated.

Also, when I had a pecked on bird that I put in isolation, once she calmed down after a day or so, I added a little friend to her isolation area. Her attitude picked up with the addition of a buddy and she began eating/drinking better.

Best wishes!

 

[newchickenfamily]

Good idea about the buddy...I was thinking of adding our itty bitty Nankin in there with her soon. I won't use the Betadine again. I'll stick with the other stuff. Thanks guys. This all helps so much.

 

[Judy]

Comet Mum, I love the link on making saline, will save it! So much less painful than water for wound care. I'm personally a bit ambivalent about the systemic antibiotics, too, although they would most likely be prescribed to people with major wounds. And I'm also a great believer in Neosporin. Good idea about putting her with a friend as well. BTW, some find a stuffed animal or feather duster to be better than no friend at all. (Don't see why it couldn't be something like a sock stuffed in another one, for that matter.)