Coyote attack on Sebastopol Goose

[HerbanChickenLover]

So last night a coyote got my Sebastopol goose, (of course not one of the mean ganders) but thankfully the neighbors dog scared it away. They dropped her and ran off. I would love more than anything to take her to the vet, but we are still paying off a few thousand dollars that I’ve racked up with all of our animals, and my husband said no way. Thankfully the only wound that I can see is just her skin torn apart and the flesh looks in tact.

Last night you could see the tear in her skin and her flesh more clearly. I’ve sprayed it with Vetericyn wound care and that’s it so far. I know someone who is in vet school and is willing to come over in 4 hours to give her stitches, although I’m not so sure it is necessary.

What treatment would you recommend for this? Would you close it up with stitches? How do I prevent infection? Sorry I can’t seem to get very clear pictures. The last one is just so you can see her sweet face. Thank you in advance for any help, it’s very much appreciated!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

How big is the tear? You might be able to get away without stitches if it isn't too big. Clean the wound with Hydrogen Peroxide for the first cleaning, then clean it with a Saline rinse twice a day. Put Neosporin on her wound after each cleaning. Could you trim the feathers away from her wound? (Careful not to accidentally cut her.) That might help you get to the wound (and possibly get better pictures if you want). How this is a bite, I would search for two wounds (top teeth, bottom teeth), though because her feathers are so thick, they may have protected her from a worst injury.

Please keep in mind that after a predator has attacked, it is highly likely that it will return. Until the pack has been killed off, I suggest keeping your gaggle locked up in a predator proof coop.

 

[HerbanChickenLover]

I’m sorry I should have specified this in the post above. I do lock up all of my animals in predator proof housing at night, but they free range during the day. We have a lot of predators here, coyotes, raccoons, etc. A year ago, coyotes took two of my ducks in the middle of the day which was horrible. Unfortunately, it’s just something that can happen here, and is a known risk with free ranging.

My animals are so much happier when they can roam around vs being locked up all of the time. I’m definitely going to try to start locking them up earlier before it’s getting dark. My chickens are easy, but my ducks and geese just want to party and not go to bed! Although last night they all marched right in without any hesitation.

This occurred right around dusk while I was finishing up dinner. My husband was walking our dogs down the road and saw two coyotes running from our house. He came inside and said that he didn’t see them carrying anyone, but we needed to go check on everyone immediately and lock them up. Normally my ganders are so loud when they see my husband, and last night they were completely quiet. That’s when I knew something was wrong.

I found her scared down by the neighbors behind a shed. Their dog was out and used to live on a farm in Texas with a lot of animals. I’m sure he was protecting her and is what scared them away.

I lost one of my favorite roosters to a dog attack from having hidden puncture wounds. He lived for a week after the attack and by the time I found the wound it was too late. It was absolutely horrible, especially knowing that he might have lived had I found the wound and treated it promptly.

That situation happening again is what concerns me the most here. I’ll try to trim back some feathers and see if I can get better pictures.

 

[HerbanChickenLover]

The tear is 3-4 fingers long. It’s like her skin just split open. I can’t see any other wounds, which is worrisome since I’m assuming there should be another if the coyote was carrying her in its mouth.

Does anyone know if the skin will grow back together or if stitches are the only way?

 

[HowIsItDone]

Bump for advice. That's scary.

 

[HowIsItDone]

Bump for advice. That's scary.

Is this helpful? https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-had-her-wing-ripped-off-by-a-coyote.1609852/

 

[Eggcessive]

I would trim the feathers away from the wound to see it better. Most times we don’t stitch a dirty wound, but clean it out initially with Betadine or Chlorhexidene/Hibiclens, and rinse with water. After the first time, use saline 2 tsp of salt in 1 quart/liter of water. Follow that by Neosporin ointment on the wound twice a day.

Good advice to look for punctures from fangs, since an abscess can occur in a couple of days. Yes, most wounds will eventually fill in without stitches. A vet who disinfects the wound very well could stitch it up successfully. We lost 3 older hens from a bobcat at 2 in the afternoon here, so I agree that free ranging is worth it although always a risk. Good luck on healing. Let us know how she gets along.

 

[HerbanChickenLover]

I wanted to update this post in case anyone ever has a similar situation. It’s been almost two months and she is doing amazing.

I kept her completely separate for 1-2 weeks. Then I had her out during the day, but separated from the boys so there wouldn’t be any mating. By one month she was back to normal with everyone.

All I did was a really good cleaning in the beginning with hibiclens, followed up by 2-3x day wound spray and antibiotic ointment. I’m sure it would’ve healed way faster with stitches, but it closed up on its own.

It’s amazing how resilient they are! Kind of sad that I won’t have any babies from her this year, but I’m so grateful that she is still here!

 

[afrod]

I wanted to update this post in case anyone ever has a similar situation. It’s been almost two months and she is doing amazing.

I kept her completely separate for 1-2 weeks. Then I had her out during the day, but separated from the boys so there wouldn’t be any mating. By one month she was back to normal with everyone.

All I did was a really good cleaning in the beginning with hibiclens, followed up by 2-3x day wound spray and antibiotic ointment. I’m sure it would’ve healed way faster with stitches, but it closed up on its own.

It’s amazing how resilient they are! Kind of sad that I won’t have any babies from her this year, but I’m so grateful that she is still here!

What kind of spray did you use? My hen was just attacked similarly by a coyote.

 

[HerbanChickenLover]

What kind of spray did you use? My hen was just attacked similarly by a coyote.

I just used Vetericyn wound spray. Good luck with your hen, I hope she recovers well.