chicken got attacked on neck and is now snoring

[bloomytoondy]

Neosporin will only treat bacteria that is on the surface of her wound. A puncture wound has bacteria deep inside, injected by the teeth of the predator that bit her. It's why she needs an antibiotic on the inside of her body. The bacteria is likely already circulating in her bloodstream.

we have some minocycline that is supposed to be taken by mouth

 

[hysales]

A vet would probably use a stethoscope to listen to your chickee's breath sounds and determine extent of a possible airway injury. My GUESS is that an external bite did not puncture the airway (she'd probably be dead already) but did cause it to swell, making breathing more difficult. If she doesn't seem to get worse, I'd keep an eye on her and if she shows signs of more difficulty breathing then I'd get professional help. Antibiotics can help with an infection, but it's a traumatic injury that is making her snore, not an infection (yet). Neosporin is fine for the wound but is only for minor external wounds and should not be applied to deep (internal) wounds.
Breathing is priority #1. After that, worry about infections, lacerations, etc.

 

[bloomytoondy]

A vet would probably use a stethoscope to listen to your chickee's breath sounds and determine extent of a possible airway injury. My GUESS is that an external bite did not puncture the airway (she'd probably be dead already) but did cause it to swell, making breathing more difficult. If she doesn't seem to get worse, I'd keep an eye on her and if she shows signs of more difficulty breathing then I'd get professional help. Antibiotics can help with an infection, but it's a traumatic injury that is making her snore, not an infection (yet). Neosporin is fine for the wound but is only for minor external wounds and should not be applied to deep (internal) wounds.
Breathing is priority #1. After that, worry about infections, lacerations, etc.

should i just keep an eye on her for now then? thanks

 

[azygous]

Minocycline is mainly for skin infections like acne. It probably wouldn't be very effective on the hundreds of bacteria that would be in saliva of a wild animal or a pet dog.

If you cannot order a proper antibiotic, and amoxicillin or Cipro might be the best choices, then clean the wound as best you can and use the Neosporin on it every day.

 

[hysales]

should i just keep an eye on her for now then? thanks

That's what I would do. However, the best advice is always to see a vet. My main concern would be that she has swelling that could worsen, making breathing more difficult. If it happened one hour ago, I'd be more worried. Since it's already been overnight, I suspect most of the swelling is already at its worst.
Things that I would panic over would be if her breath sounds worsened. For instance, if she started wheezing or you heard other strange breath sounds (crackling, gurgling), or if you see bloody vomit/poo or 'coffee grounds' black poo (Any of those would be a warning of an internal injury/bleeding that could be fatal).
Also I'd keep her locked up where she can't get a workout so she won't have to breathe hard or exacerbate any injuries.

 

[bloomytoondy]

That's what I would do. However, the best advice is always to see a vet. My main concern would be that she has swelling that could worsen, making breathing more difficult. If it happened one hour ago, I'd be more worried. Since it's already been overnight, I suspect most of the swelling is already at its worst.
Things that I would panic over would be if her breath sounds worsened. For instance, if she started wheezing or you heard other strange breath sounds (crackling, gurgling), or if you see bloody vomit/poo or 'coffee grounds' black poo (Any of those would be a warning of an internal injury/bleeding that could be fatal).
Also I'd keep her locked up where she can't get a workout so she won't have to breathe hard or exacerbate any injuries.

thank u so much! my parents don’t want to take her to a vet and i cant drive so ive been looking for other solutions, ill keep an eye on her for now

 

[hysales]

This is the "snoring" medical explanation:

rhon·chus​

, sonorous rhonchus , sibilant rhonchus, pl. rhonchi (rong'kŭs, sonŏr-ŭs, sibi-lănt, rongkī)
Added sound with musical pitch occurring during inspiration or expiration, heard on chest auscultation and caused by air passing through bronchi narrowed by inflammation, spasm of smooth muscle, or presence of mucus in lumen.
[L. fr. G. rhenchos, a snoring]

basically, the tube that goes from the lungs to the throat got hurt and is swollen/inflamed and has released extra mucus to protect itself. So, that stuff gets in the way of airflow and makes noise during inhale and/or exhale.

Antibiotics (internal) will have no effect on the snoring/airway but should still absolutely be used because of a likely infection from the puncture wound.

Normal treatment for the bite injury would be to examine the wound (spread it open) and check how deep it is. If it's mostly superficial/not deep, then clean it with soap and water to remove any dirt/debris. Dry it and apply topical antibiotic like neosporin. Deep wounds often require a vet because they may need sutures or other advanced medical treatments. If anything (dirt) gets into a deep injury, even if it "heals" it'll become infected.

 

[bloomytoondy]

This is the "snoring" medical explanation:

rhon·chus​

, sonorous rhonchus , sibilant rhonchus, pl. rhonchi (rong'kŭs, sonŏr-ŭs, sibi-lănt, rongkī)
Added sound with musical pitch occurring during inspiration or expiration, heard on chest auscultation and caused by air passing through bronchi narrowed by inflammation, spasm of smooth muscle, or presence of mucus in lumen.
[L. fr. G. rhenchos, a snoring]

basically, the tube that goes from the lungs to the throat got hurt and is swollen/inflamed and has released extra mucus to protect itself. So, that stuff gets in the way of airflow and makes noise during inhale and/or exhale.

Antibiotics (internal) will have no effect on the snoring/airway but should still absolutely be used because of a likely infection from the puncture wound.

Normal treatment for the bite injury would be to examine the wound (spread it open) and check how deep it is. If it's mostly superficial/not deep, then clean it with soap and water to remove any dirt/debris. Dry it and apply topical antibiotic like neosporin. Deep wounds often require a vet because they may need sutures or other advanced medical treatments. If anything (dirt) gets into a deep injury, even if it "heals" it'll become infected.

looks like just a shallow wound, bleeding isn’t very thick either, how often should i clean it? just cleaned + used neosporin ~3 hrs ago. would a triple antibiotic cream help too? i can get some from my local pharmacy.

also is there anything i can do for the inflammation or will it go on its own?

 

[hysales]

looks like just a shallow wound, bleeding isn’t very thick either, how often should i clean it? just cleaned + used neosporin ~3 hrs ago. would a triple antibiotic cream help too? i can get some from my local pharmacy.

also is there anything i can do for the inflammation or will it go on its own?

Neosporin and triple antibiotic are basically the same. A layer of of neosporin will also help keep it clean. The inflammation (assuming it isn't worsening) should go down on its own. Technically there are anti-inflammatories (like ibuprofen), but I have zero knowledge related to their use with chickens. If your hen isn't getting dirty, I wouldn't worry about re-cleaning the wound more than once a day. Just like if you had a cut on yourself, might only have to clean it once then let it scab up.

 

[bloomytoondy]

Neosporin and triple antibiotic are basically the same. A layer of of neosporin will also help keep it clean. The inflammation (assuming it isn't worsening) should go down on its own. Technically there are anti-inflammatories (like ibuprofen), but I have zero knowledge related to their use with chickens. If your hen isn't getting dirty, I wouldn't worry about re-cleaning the wound more than once a day. Just like if you had a cut on yourself, might only have to clean it once then let it scab up.

thank you so much for the advice!!