very injured duck in need of help

i have a duck that was attacked (not sure on this but it was the neighbors dog, could have been trying to play rather then kill but thats besides the point) and is injured but alive. posted here (https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/940370/injured-bird-please-help#post_14426386) but was suggested to post here as well. no vet around so just about any care needs to be done by me.

basic info:
wound about 1/3 the length of her neck going from left back to halfway around the right side (across the back of the neck) skin is missing but no other visible damage there. jugular and crop are fully exposed (have an oak leaf stuck to the membrane of the crop and doesnt want to come loose).

have sprayed the wound down and cleaned it best i could with plain water. neck wound is covered with a large pad slathered with neosporin (and petroleum jelly along the edges to make sure it doesnt stick) and is wrapped with athletic type self adhesive bandage.

she is also missing quite a few wing feathers and some tail feathers but no other signs of injury. checked for broken bones and such but except for one wing being a bit sore when extended thats all the damage.

she has full control of her wings, legs, and neck still and is able to move without any sign of trouble. she is conscious and acting mostly normal (a bit lethargic, but thats expected from shock).

she is indoors, in a box with towels. so she is warm, dry, and there is nothing to get in the wound.

how likely is she to survive? anything else i need to do? i know i need to get that leaf out, but im going to see if the neosporin/jelly helps loosen it so i dont do more damage removing it. will the skin regrow over her neck? im not concerned about the feathers, just that the wound closes up.

Hi, I posted over on emergencies, and looks like casportpony did, also. I think she does have a chance, and that if the wound site can be kept clean enough, and she has a quiet safe place, TLC and good nutrition, she may make it. Ducks can recover from some very serious injuries if given the opportunity.

Sounds like you have all the bases covered, well done. You have described a terrible wound, if she survives the first 24hrs she has a fighting chance. Let us know how it goes.

just checked on her and she's still alive. gave her water with a vitamin mix and some yogurt as suggested over night, she ended up laying in the yogurt rather then eating it but did have some water. found another patch of missing feathers when i did a final check on her last night. with the wound placement she cant sleep normally, had to prop her head on the edge of the box since she doesnt want to turn her head/neck. ill be changing/checking the bandage once i either find some more neosporin or get some, used the last of my small tube on the first bandage.

is there anything i can give her to reduce the obvious pain a bit? i know the pain will keep her from moving too much which would help with the healing, but she's constantly shaking (like shivering) from it now that the shock has worn on at least a bit and if i touch her just about anywhere it gets a lot worse. something that i can safely give to either dull the pain so i can look her over without stressing her too much or even partway sedate her (i know thats getting into vet territory though) or at least something i can do or give her to make re-bandaging and checking her over less painful and stressful for her.

KaziCritter said:

just checked on her and she's still alive. gave her water with a vitamin mix and some yogurt as suggested over night, she ended up laying in the yogurt rather then eating it but did have some water. found another patch of missing feathers when i did a final check on her last night. with the wound placement she cant sleep normally, had to prop her head on the edge of the box since she doesn't want to turn her head/neck. ill be changing/checking the bandage once i either find some more neosporin or get some, used the last of my small tube on the first bandage.

is there anything i can give her to reduce the obvious pain a bit? i know the pain will keep her from moving too much which would help with the healing, but she's constantly shaking (like shivering) from it now that the shock has worn on at least a bit and if i touch her just about anywhere it gets a lot worse. something that i can safely give to either dull the pain so i can look her over without stressing her too much or even partway sedate her (i know thats getting into vet territory though) or at least something i can do or give her to make re-bandaging and checking her over less painful and stressful for her.

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I don't think there is anything you can give for pain other than Metacam and you'd need a vet for that, and can't use anything with pain relief in it topically either. Someone said baby aspirin but I read and now can't find it that aspirin is hard on the kidneys of water fowl. You can clip the feathers back on her wounds so your able to clean them better and make sure none get caught in the wound as it begins to heal. If you can get to a TSC they carry a product called Veterycin spray for infections and wounds it's great stuff. She maybe still suffering for shock which will also make them shiver along with pain. warm salt water or watered down betadine[iodine] can be used to wash out her wounds too. use some towels rolled up or fluffed up for her to put her head on to rest and sleep. As long as you've delt with the wounds you might just let her rest but make sure she has plenty of fresh water and feed close by especially water to keep her hydrated.I sure hope she makes it. Ducks are truly amazing though as to how they can come back from such horrendous attacks.Make sure she is kept warm but not hot very important when dealing with shock.

Duck Pain Relief from hennible
201409

A note on pain killers for ducks. Straight from the vets mouth, ducks can have Advil.
For ducks 6-8 lbs 25-40mg twice daily adult tablets cut up or children's liquid Advil 1.5ml twice daily, orally.

(Amiga's arithmetic – 8 pounds 40 mg is 5 mg per pound
6 pounds 25 mg, is just over 4 mg per pound

so, 4 to 5 mg per pound of duck)

thanks for the info. ill see if i have some advil or equivelent generic, if not then ill look into getting some. going to be getting more neospirin (spray type might work better then ointment i think since it can be painlessly applied to the entire wound rather then to the bandage for application) and the Veterycin (have it at a local feed store but its about twice the price as on amazon, just had a tsc open nearby but hadnt seen it there).

why use salt water for the wounds? doesnt wound + salt typically equal pain or is that just for humans? sorry if thats a silly question but this is my first actual wound (not counting some brooder pecking that got a bit bloody early this year), only other thing close was a cat who bit his side up bad due to a spontaneous flea allergy but that was a trip to the vet (cat/dog only vet unfortunately) and was almost a decade ago.

A high concentration of salt would be painful. But animal blood has salinity - without the right concentration of salt, plain water can be painful. I learned this when I used plain water in my neti pot once. Oh, have mercy, that was awful!

Anyway, a mild saline solution kills germs and ought not to hurt, seems to me.

I did not know you could give advil to water fowl, Thanks for that info and dosage.
Veterycin is pricey but it is such a good product. Doesn't take much just sprayed on the wound.
another suppose to be excellent.. Dakin solution. http://www.virginia.edu/uvaprint/HSC/pdf/09024.pdf

ill change out the plain water in my spray bottle for a salt water mix then. just finished moving her to a better box (she decided she wanted to move around and the other one wasnt really big enough for that) with a bit of room to turn around and stretch out if wanted and sides high enough to cover it without her head constantly hitting the top. shes a bit traumatized, but not sure just how much. responding well (relaxing a bit) to a calm voice and gentle petting (her head is about the only place that seems mostly painfree), but got spooked when my cat decided to see what she was doing inside (he used to spend time in the brooder with her). got a little panicky when my pup wanted to see too (birds all got acclimated to him from the day i got them and the dog to them, and is very well behaved with them. was the neighbors dog that did the injuries not mine), pup backed off as soon as she started and she calmed down quickly.

have her covered now with some fresh yogurt with a little advil in there (estimated the dosage, only put about a pinhead (metal flat head size not the ball type) of a crushed 200mg tablet) doubt she will eat all or even much of it since she is showing no interest in it. might try making up some warm soupy mush from feed pellets later and trying that.