Cat Attacked Chicken Leaving Puncture Wound

[LittleBird123]

Yesterday one of my chickens was attacked by a large stray cat. I was able to scare the cat away, but now my chicken has a puncture wound in her right thigh. The wound is small, though it looks deep and goes down into the muscle, it is not bleeding. I immediately rinsed the wound with distilled water then poured a bit of hydrogen peroxide on it. I sprayed some Banixx Chixx spray on the wound and smeared some antibacterial ointment on as well. I used a small bandaid to pull the edges of the wound together a bit before bandaging the leg. This mourning I checked on her and she seems to be acting mostly normal, she has an appetite and is drinking and walking around. I changed the bandaid covering the wound and applied more Banixx and ointment. The wound does not appear to be swollen or inflamed, and it looks as if it is beginning to heal. I am going to get some Nutri-Drench and Vetericyn today for her and I will check on the wound again when I get home. Does anyone have experience with treating cat bite wounds in chickens? I know they can easily get infected so I am not sure if I should put her on antibiotics or not. I am not even sure what antibiotics would be good to use in chickens. Any suggestions on how I should treat the wound and care for her while she is injured would be very helpful.

I will provide pictures as soon as I am able.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Yesterday one of my chickens was attacked by a large stray cat. I was able to scare the cat away, but now my chicken has a puncture wound in her right thigh. The wound is small, though it looks deep and goes down into the muscle, it is not bleeding. I immediately rinsed the wound with distilled water then poured a bit of hydrogen peroxide on it. I sprayed some Banixx Chixx spray on the wound and smeared some antibacterial ointment on as well. I used a small bandaid to pull the edges of the wound together a bit before bandaging the leg. This mourning I checked on her and she seems to be acting mostly normal, she has an appetite and is drinking and walking around. I changed the bandaid covering the wound and applied more Banixx and ointment. The wound does not appear to be swollen or inflamed, and it looks as if it is beginning to heal. I am going to get some Nutri-Drench and Vetericyn today for her and I will check on the wound again when I get home. Does anyone have experience with treating cat bite wounds in chickens? I know they can easily get infected so I am not sure if I should put her on antibiotics or not. I am not even sure what antibiotics would be good to use in chickens. Any suggestions on how I should treat the wound and care for her while she is injured would be very helpful.

I will provide pictures as soon as I am able.

Pictures will definitely help. Try Vetericyn, you will probably be able to find it at your local farm store.

@casportpony
@Eggcessive
@Chick-N-Fun ?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not try to pull the sides of the wound together, but spray a disinfectant down into the wound, and apply the antibiotic ointment. Since cat wounds are dirty, I would let it close up on it’s own. Vetericyn, betadine, and chlorhexidene are good to use.

 

[LittleBird123]

I would not try to pull the sides of the wound together, but spray a disinfectant down into the wound, and apply the antibiotic ointment. Since cat wounds are dirty, I would let it close up on it’s own. Vetericyn, betadine, and chlorhexidene are good to use.

Would you recommend giving oral antibiotics, or should I only go that far if I begin to see signs of infection like swelling, redness, and discharge?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I wouldn’t recommend antibiotics....not unless signs of infection occur! Best of luck! I hope your sweet chicken makes a full recovery!

 

[Fishkeeper]

Don't cover it up, it needs to drain. Watch closely for signs of infection. Cat mouths are filthy, and their bites can cause fatal sepsis in small animals. That's why you should never let them near pet prey animals of any sort. Chickens are larger, though, and can generally cope okay with the pathogens. Give oral antibiotics at any sign of infection, but other than that, leave it alone.
Puncture wounds need to be left open so they can drain, especially animal bites. Un-bandage it, then wrap over it again, very loose so as not to press on it at all. You just need to guard it from infection from outside, and to change out the bandage if it starts to get dirty.

 

[Eggcessive]

Antibiotics may be needed if the wound abscesses. Just keep a close eye on it for the next 2 days in case it becomes closed, swollen, red, and painful.