4 month white silkie mauled by 3 terrier puppies. HELP! Pictures...

[kmakani]

It's been two days since we found our white silkie "Tofu" on the side of our yard. She was mauled and ripped by 3 terrier puppies we are puppy sitting. Our big dog pushed open our patio door to get in while the 3 ran down the yard. She's pretty messed up, but my husband stitched her up the best he could. We've been giving her antibiotics, and she's eating and pooping pretty good. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything possible for her. She still doesn't want to use her leg (the skin was torn under her wing down her thigh. I hoping it's just sore and not that the skin it stretched too much for her to use it now.

PLEASE let me know if there is anything else I can do. The reason we were puppy sitting was to see if the puppies would get along with all the animals (dogs, cats, chickens). Does anyone have terrier that can hang out with chickens or do terriers and chicken not mix ever? I'm just not sure whether I can train these 3 month old pups to leave the chickens alone..not now after this...

 

[kmakani]

If she can't walk...what to do....

 

[sundance]

I have a yorkie now about 6 years old, when we first got our baby chicks, he stayed right beside me when I took care of the babies, any action on his part not acceptable to the health of the chicken was handled with a strong NO . now he ignores the hens, but I have hatched some new babies so the training starts over. He is really good with the older chickens and will be with the new ones.what kind of terriers do you have, a jack Russell I don't think could ever be trained for anything ( no offense to JR owners,) but they are so hyper, I wouldn't even try. good luck marrie

 

[Trish up North]

I have a Schnauzer terrier that I've trained quite well not to mess with any of our other animals so I think it can be done. He's pretty hyper and loves to chase all things small and moving, but he knows that the birds are completely off limits. In fact, I have a quail that roams the house and my dog does everything he can to stay waaay out of the bird's way. I have video of the quail chasing the dog!

All I did was from the time they hatched, anytime he came close enough to even sniff them, I gave him a sharp loud "No!" Terriers are pretty smart dogs and as long as you can train them for basic obedience commands (and I mean truly train them), you should be fine. But I will say that having three of them together could be part of the problem. They get that pack mentality and hype each other up even more so than the would be on their own. I doubt I would leave 3 terriers alone with any of my birds unless they were very, very well trained. 3 months old is a great time to start trying though.

As for Tofu, I would think if she survives any infection, she will be fine. I've had a turkey mauled to the brink of death, all his feathers and skin ripped from his back, and was nest-bound in our kitchen for over 2 months, but he lived a long happy life afterwards. I'm certainly no expert, but keep her clean and warm and she very well could survive. Best of luck to her.

 

[KellyHM]

I have a long-haired Jack Russell pup that my husband picked up off the side of the road when he was about 6 weeks old. He does fine with the chickens, but he kind of grew up with them. He has occasionally tried to "play" with them, but I'm always right there to tell him no...and he's smart enough to listen.

 

[Wynette]

I think you're doing all you can; nutrition and hydration are imperative. Make sure you offer yogurt during and after the antibiotic course. Also, you've got her propped up, and that's important as well. I think you've got it well in hand, and I'm so sorry for the issue!

 

[crtrlovr]

It could be that she's still quite sore; give her some time. It's apparent you're giving her excellent care and lots of TLC, and that does as much good as anything else!

 

[kmakani]

Tofu will just stay laying down, which causes the area to get hot and moist. She's eating REALLY good (shredded pork, papaya, and shredded cheese are her favorites). Not wanting the scratch much (I wouldn't either if given the human food.) I worried about her not using the leg. How much time do you think she should be the the hospital by herself? The "hospital" is my son's room. I have her on his bed to get good air flow, at night in a box on the floor.

If she can't walk? ..................

I have just 2 of the terriers now (they are actually Fox terrier, Ihasa Apso, Chihuahua mixes). I've had them on leash, letting them roam with the big dogs and they don't care to chase the chickens YET. I'm worried about when I'm gone and the dogs acccidently get out. Maybe puppies aren't a good idea right now (or maybe just this breed).

Cross your fingers Tofu pulls through this and can walk. My main concern

 

[gretchenhau]

after our alstrolop was hauled off and dropped by a large owl, it took her 5 days to use her leg. She healed up well, (a few misaligned feathers but she did great after 5 days. Keep the good vibes going.

 

[tstoikes]

It sounds like you are doing fine. Just think of yourself - if you had similar injures you wouldn't want to be walking around much either.
Just give her TLC and watch for infection.
As for the dogs I agree about the pack mentality. One you might be able to have. I have a 100 pound chocolate lab. Most of the chickens are leary of her (I would too if something that big was walking around me) But some of the chickens climb on her, scratch and even roost on her. I even had a silkie hen steal a bone right out of her mouth.
Did take a bit of NO when I first got her (she was a city dog) but she learned very quickly.
Good luck