Dog attack 1 week in and starting to worry

[kr112234]

I have been reading up as much as I can but it seems like when it comes to attacks, it's so different case by case. Long story short, my silkie was attacked last tuesday. She looked traumatized and her eyes were shut but otherwise didn't see any open cuts. (i should have turned her over and checked) Her eyes were shut for two days and I was just giving her water mixed with her normal food. By day three her eyes opened but whenever I picked her up I smelled something on my fingers. She had an infection cause maybe caused a cyst and as I had her on the floor in the kitchen, it must have opened and pinkish brown stuff came pouring out, it smelled like death and was horrifying! I started calling all the vets in the area and no one would help...read online that I could give her baytril for her wound. Finally found a dr two towns over that said I could come in and get some. Bless him. She is doing much better, infection wise, but now I'm worried she'll never fully recover. 1 wing looks like its in the wrong place and she won't open that one on her own. She won't eat and drink on her own. Her eyes are only halfway open. I noticed a weazing noise when I feed her. How much should I even be feeding her?? Also, her mouth hangs open and she won't shut it. I see her, very often, banging the side of her beak/face on the ground.

Is she braindead?! Ugh please help, any advice or similar story where she pulled through??!

Thanks!

 

[kr112234]

Wow so sorry about the long post... Even tried to make it short... :/

 

[GranmaEm]

From my own experience, keeping that wound clean and temporarily doubling up on the antibiotic would be a good idea. Also, when I gave my sick chick too much fluid at once, she wheezed a bit after. That was much better once I changed to not giving her more than a quarter teaspoon of fluid/food and just doing it more frequently.

Good luck!

 

[kr112234]

What I am most worried about is that her mouth is open, when she tries to eat she just bangs her beak into the food...without getting anything. And her tongue stays at the roof of her mouth.

Also, I have been feeding her by either pouring in her liquids or using a syringe with applesauce or soggy feed. I just read that I could be putting down the wrong pipe...since under her tongue goes to her lungs!! Have I been filling her lungs with liquid all this time?!!

 

[GranmaEm]

I don't think it's as much you putting down stuff in her windpipe as her probably being to weak to swallow. To me it sounds as if the infection could be giving her septicaemia. Do you have some antibiotics to give her?

 

[kr112234]

I am giving her one tab of Baytril twice a day! About half of it doesn't make it in her mouth since she hates taking anything :/

 

[Orps]

What I am most worried about is that her mouth is open, when she tries to eat she just bangs her beak into the food...without getting anything. And her tongue stays at the roof of her mouth.

Also, I have been feeding her by either pouring in her liquids or using a syringe with applesauce or soggy feed. I just read that I could be putting down the wrong pipe...since under her tongue goes to her lungs!! Have I been filling her lungs with liquid all this time?!!

Don't know about adult chickens but when I feed baby chick(finches) using a syringe I have to be very careful because if liquids get into their lungs they usually asphyxiate and die. And you know when there is liquid in their lung because you can hear a whizzing sound coming from them.

But as I said before, I don't know if it applies to chickens. Either way you can only do the best you can for her and hope she recovers.

And I hope she does. Good luck and I hope we hear good news.

 

[GranmaEm]

Sorry, missed the part about the Baytril in your original post. I know the feeling. That was the most difficult part for me, making sure she got the actual, full dose.
In the beginning I was mixing the antibiotic with food and am sure she wasn't getting enough. She looked very poorly and felt hot on the second day and I nearly drowned the poor thing by giving her like a teaspoon of liquid in one go.

What I did then was to crush up the tablet in some water but I'd use two to get a really high concentration and then give her the dose I needed in 0.5 cc of the mixture. I started off with a double dose. I lay her on her back in my lap and then gently squeeze her cheeks. She opens her mouth and I put the liquid on the front part of the tongue. That worked.

I also really looked thoroughly to find an abscess, in Chickadee's case there was one in the one corner of her wound and I flushed it out with saline (0.9% salt solution), twice a day until it wasn't smelly any more.

I guess if you're able to get hold of it, injecting Penicillin intramuscularly would be a certain way for her to get the antibiotic.

 

[kr112234]

I have called vets around here and no one sees chickens!!? It's crazy...I live in the semi country so I would think they would all! The baytril seems to be working though! The wound is closed up and no more putrid smell. I'm on the 5th day and have 5 days left.

As for hearing wheezing...I kind of do here is some times!! Not always but every once in a while (( Oh man I am so worried I screwed her up worse

She has started to poke her head in her red feeder...but wont actually pick anything up since her mouth stays open. And then she does this odd stretching of her neck. Stretching out and up, out and up....in between sticking her beak in the food.

Ugh poor little Bockies

 

[GranmaEm]

You pretty sure nothing's stuck in her throat? I saw some other threads her on BYC talking about poisonings that have those symptoms too. Perhaps worth a look?