Rooster attacked by dog :( Updated with pictures of his injuries

[ThreeLittleCritters]

I think that his wounds are mainly from feathers being pulled out. They had already scabbed over by the time I got home so I didn't see them when they were fresh. But there wasn't any noticeable blood loss. No blood on his feathers or on the dog.

I will start aspirin ASAP to see if that helps him. Thank you soooo much for all of your help!

 

[ThreeLittleCritters]

He didn't respond to the aspirin. No perking up or anything like that. I gave him a warm bath to try and soothe any pain as well as see his injuries better. The first picture is from the left side of his neck/back and the second is from his right side. The left side is definitely the worst of his injuries. I could see them more clearly after bathing him and they are worse than I thought they were. Still no bones/organs/muscles exposed but more scabs/puncture wounds that previously thought.

He will eat/drink if I put his beak into the food or water but he isn't going after any food or drink on his own. I will probably begin tube feeding tomorrow if he's still alive. It's so weird because he does perk up when I pick him up. He looks around. Cocks his head to the side. Looks like a normal rooster. But as soon as I set him down he goes back to drooping his head and looking like he's asleep. I'm really torn. I feel like he's suffering and part of me wants to end it for him. But I also don't want to result to that prematurely if he still has a chance. I don't know what to do.

 

[Chick Charm]

Sorry about your rooster. He likely has some damage around his neck. After an attack chickens will go motionless to recover from their wounds. This is my observation anyways. I lost 2 chickens last week to the neighbors 4 dogs. One made it till the next day before succumbing. It is here to say but he looks like he can make it.

Wish ya the best.

 

[ten chicks]

Keep treating him,i have seen injuries on this forum more severe. The wounds to his neck would be one reason he cannot hold up head for long,puncture wounds are nasty/painful. Keep up the aspirin,keep him warm,encourage eating. Flush out wounds daily.

Learning to tube feed is an excellent idea and often pulls them through illness/injury by keeping them hydrated and fed,reason being that birds become dehydrated very fast and their high metabolic bodies require a constant supply of food to fuel them. No food and they become lethargic.

 

[Sjisty]

Don't give up on your beautiful boy! He will probably be sore for a while, but the fact that he is still alive is a good sign. Does he have a favorite treat? How about some scrambled eggs or a little cooked ground beef? The extra protein will help with the healing. I have seen chickens heal from much worse looking wounds and go on to live long and happy lives.

This hen was attacked by a pit bull that was roaming the neighborhood. She had a patch under that wing about the size of my palm where there was absolutely no skin. You could see tendons and muscles! You can see the tip just above her wing where the "skinning" started. There was also a patch over her tail that had deep puncture wounds. That was last August. This picture was taken a couple of weeks later. I would not have thought she could possibly survive that attack. Now she has healed and is healthy and happy. You can still feel under the feathers where the skin didn't heal right and is kind of "rippled," but it is covered over with feathers. The only problem with her is she hasn't laid an egg since the attack, but she's a pet and we get plenty of eggs from the others. She earned her name after living through that attack. She is "Hope."



Moral of the story - Don't give up hope!

 

[ten chicks]

Sjisty,she is beautiful and her name Hope is very apropos to her. Yes, i agree never give up hope.

 

[ThreeLittleCritters]

Thank you everyone for the advice and words of encouragement! He seemed even better tonight. He ate some yogurt and drank a lot of water (not completely on his own. I had to dip his beak in it but I could hear him swallowing so I know he got some). Hopefully he will only get better from here on out!

 

[ThreeLittleCritters]

I wanted to update on Frank this morning. He ate some feed and drank some water all by himself. I didn't even have to dip his beak in it. He seems to fall asleep while eating. He will see the food and go to town eating but then he'll close his eyes and drift off to sleep. Then I'll move him a little and he'll wake up and start eating again. He has walked some and is VERY unsteady on his feet. But he hasn't even attempted to walk since the attack so I'm considering this an improvement. I found him perched on the edge of his box this morning. I think I'll move him to a dog crate with a roost since he's trying to do that now.

Lots of good news this morning but some bad news as well. I definitely think that he's starting to develop some wry neck. Which is unfortunate. But there's lots of info out there on wry neck so I have a fairly good idea on how to treat him.

Still hoping for the best for our sweet Frank!

 

[Sjisty]

Yay Frank - keep up the good work!

He might not be getting wry neck, maybe he's just too sore to straighten it.

 

[Sjisty]

How is Frank doing?