Dog attack/Grab

[WhiskeyTheRedd]

One of my hens got in with a large dog down the road after her daring escape from the run today. He grabbed her and ripped her out of my arms as i caught her. He ran off with her and i though she was dead when he carried her away, but she got back up. He bit her again but at this point the owner was on us, and i was able to get her in my arms. her leg is weak and shes limping pretty badly, and just wanting to lay down in her box. She ate some and drank a little bit.
She seems okay just a bit shaken, and there was no blood or anything just some wet feathers and a limping leg. The leg didnt seem bent or anything, just sensitive.

Im thinking it might be a sprain or a dislocation.. Not sure what the steps are with that ive never had a chickens survive an attack like that with no huge wounds.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Start by giving her some sugar water for shock and keep her in a dark quiet area overnight. Check under her wings carefully for injuries. Watch the leg for bruising over the next couple of days, chickens bruise green. She'll be sore but hopefully will be okay. Keep us posted and good luck!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

One of my hens got in with a large dog down the road after her daring escape from the run today. He grabbed her and ripped her out of my arms as i caught her. He ran off with her and i though she was dead when he carried her away, but she got back up. He bit her again but at this point the owner was on us, and i was able to get her in my arms. her leg is weak and shes limping pretty badly, and just wanting to lay down in her box. She ate some and drank a little bit.
She seems okay just a bit shaken, and there was no blood or anything just some wet feathers and a limping leg. The leg didnt seem bent or anything, just sensitive.

Im thinking it might be a sprain or a dislocation.. Not sure what the steps are with that ive never had a chickens survive an attack like that with no huge wounds.

Can you post photos?

You see no wounds? You mention he bit her. Look through her feathers for any puncture wound, ripped out feathers, torn skin, etc.

First work her through shock, she may seem o.k. but chickens hide a lot of things. Sugar water is good to give, 1tsp sugar to 1cup of water or if you have electrolytes, you can give those instead.

Once she's drinking, then offer food.

Trim feathers away from any wound and clean the wounds really well with saline, chlorhexidine or similar. Apply triple antibiotic ointment to the wounds.

As for the legs and limping, it may take some time to feel a bit better. Dogs bite and squeeze which will result in punctures, bruising and possible internal bruising and injury. Most of the time, they will self limit movements when things hurt, but will work through it just like we do when we are injured.

 

[WhiskeyTheRedd]

Ive brought her inside (last nigh we didnt have any cages we could get inside in the downpooring rain and darkness, so i isolated her in Rooster jail instead (dog cage outside in the run). I got a kennel inside and brought her in this morning. ill post the photos here shortly as iget some good ones.

she seems to be trying to walk, mostly on the joint where the leg meets the feathers, The following photo: The blue circle is where shes using to walk, or move and support her weight, not the actual foot.
The red circle shows where she was grabbed and the feathers were falling off.

Ivev carefully gone through her entire body, and checkd for any wounds, and only found a small scrape to the body, not bleeding, or very deep at all.
She seems to get realllly painful when i touch this red circled area, and it appears to be slightly swollen there, and she seems a bit warm. Shes barely 19 weeks old and hasnt even started laying yet... Im hopeful she will fight through and make it, but im concerned this leg wont ever heal...

 

[WhiskeyTheRedd]

also would like to find some pain relief for her if possible. I cant afford a vet bill right now, we just dumped EVERYTHING we have into a house, and are scraping by with pennies.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hen. Aspirin 1/2 tablet of an 81 mg low dose aspirin can be given orally once or twice a day for 2-3 days for pain. Is she able to stand or move her self around, and get to food and water? Walking or standing on her hock may be a sign of nerve damage. Pictures of any wounds can be helpful. Puncture wounds if hidden can fester and abscess. A bad odor or drainage would be warning signs. Hopefully she will be okay. When I have one helpless or not able to walk, I will feed them watery chicken feed plus egg, tuna, or canned cat food for interest. Hold a small can or cup right up to the beak. Tube feeding can be done and can be quicker if they refuse to eat. Fluids are most important in the beginning. It sounds like she is very sore and injured so keep us posted on how she is doing.

 

[WhiskeyTheRedd]

as of now, ive been picking her up and giving her love, but also inspecting her and looking if ive missed ANYTHING. so far, not a single exterior wound that has actually drawn more than a scratch, she lots a chunk of down feathers and fluff. I have not seen any bruising. (shes black with black legs and dark comb etc shes FULLY black what color is her bruising???)

I checked on her she seemed to be TRYING at least to walk, with a good limp, she was out of her box this morning walkin, and she is going for the food. Ive seen her standing but mostly supporting her weight with one leg or waddling using her hock to support her weight. i've made it so she has a towel rolled up to lay on and use to help her have a good grip on the ground and not slip. the water and food is less than a few inches away so she doesn't have to go far if even get up at all. She has since not moved for a few hours.

Shes responsive and alert, peeps and cirps at me when i come to see her

 

[WhiskeyTheRedd]

Ill get some photos and a video of how she walks if she allows me. Keep in mind there arent ANY visible wounds to her body so i have no way of knowing if shes hurt worse than she appears

EDIT: I thought i found some serious punctures, Turns out it was just some bleeding from a group of feathers that was pulled out and it was pretty nasty, dried and gross. Cleaned it well and rised it off, plus patted dry and ensured it stopped bleeding. so far all wounds seem to be pulled feathers with blood

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like she is okay at this point, and just having trouble with that leg. We never know if they have internal injuries or not.
I had a hen attacked and chased by a dog with missing feathers, abrasions, and trouble walking the first day. She recovered, went into a stress molt, and stopped laying for several months. Later, when she started laying again, her eggs never had hard shells again. So, she had some internal injury that affected her oviduct. She died prematurely of egg yolk peritonitis.

 

[WhiskeyTheRedd]

This morning shes eating wet feed, and not realllly drinking still, but seems to be alot happier, shes standing and taking a few steps at a time. I was sittin with her for a while last night and she actually used the leg to scratch her face!!! she was stretching it and moving it in repetitive motions, as if she was working it out. Im soooo thankful the dog was more so holding her and not actually full on MAULING her.

She hasnt started laying yet, but the other hens her age are displaying the submissive squat (not Chickpea, the hen of the post) and are being bred by our 16 week old Turken Rooster. How long should i let her recover inside before it would be safe to put her with him again? Should I remove The Roo to rooster jail for time being?