Dog attack on 4 of my chickens - 2 with extensive damage

[mikewags]

Hi all,

New to the forums, however I've been using other posts as a resource to deal with a recent dog attack which has left 4 of my chickens mamed, 2 of which have taken the worst of the damage.

So far I have started clipping away feathers near the wounds, spraying with betadine, and then following up with the purple anti-fly spray. I have Neosporin (regular kind, not with pain reliever) that I will start applying. I'm also using tetracycline powder (anti-infection) in their water (1 tbsp per gallon).

A rhode island red (Houdini) has taken the worst of the attack. He has open wounds under his left wing, and another gaping wound on his back.

Our other prized bantam (Petunia) was also attacked. She has similar damage that Houdini has under her left wing.

Houdini is surprisingly doing well, she is eating and drinking a lot - will eat just about anything you put in front of her.

Petunia on the other hand is pretty despondant. Got her to drink a bit yesterday and this morning, as well as eat a little bit of scrambled egg and over-ripe banana - she's more active than yesterday (when the attack occured) i'm just concerned she might still be in shock.

Fly larvae/eggs isn't an issue as of yet, i am keeping them both segregated inside our barn - it's been cool lately and there havent been many flies around, plus the barn keeps most flies out.

Any advice on treating these wounds or bring petunia out of her depression? This post is not only for information, but a way to track my progress for anyone else that experiences something like this. Photo links are below - they are a little gross, so just a warning.

Thanks,

-Mike

Damage to Petunia (under left wing - torn skin missing feathers)
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...Enoqutqs/w848-h636-no/IMG_20130802_114207.jpg

Houdini's back
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-...AxRWOImw/w477-h636-no/IMG_20130802_113918.jpg

Houdini's Side
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-...Xv3anK58/w477-h636-no/IMG_20130802_113453.jpg

 

[appps]

You could also try some watermelon to increase petunias water intake if you are worried she isn't getting quite enough. I also mix their pellets with hot water so it becomes a mash then cool to just warm. They seem to like it better warm and again it gets a bit more fluid in.
Good luck!

 

[mikewags]

I just got done flushing their wounds with 1:3 ratio of Hydrogen Peroxide (i wanted to dillute it as to not burn them much with the peroxide) - it still foamed up a bit and worked its magic. I then followed up with a healthy spritz of betadine on their wounds.

Appps - thank you so much for the suggestion. I was able to feed petunia the wet feed like you suggested, she went right for it. Afterwards she had at least 10 deep gulps of water from the anti-biotic laced water. Very happy about that! I used the rest of the mixture i made for the rest of the chickens, who devoured it quickly. They seem to like a warm pasty chicken feed much more than the regular pellet form.

I do have a question regarding a piece of skin flap on Houdini that is hanging off the edge of the wound. It's about a 1 1/2 - 2 inch flap. I don't see myself doing any sutering/stitches - i was wondering if this skin will eventually scab up and fall off - or if i need to trim it off. I'm hoping I can just leave it alone for the time being.

I will continue to update on the progress made, thanks for the attention.

(Petunia's wound under wing)

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_QyZerlAxNI/UfwvTEpDnXI/AAAAAAAAO2Y/TppGVY6oNrM/w775-h581-no/IMG_20130802_150035.jpg

 

[takethelead]

try to keep the wound dry maybe put a medical pad on the wounds and tape them down the best you can.

 

[GranmaEm]

I had wonderful success in nursing back a chicken mauled by a dog: My top ten tips are here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...a-dog-attack-the-polish-hen-some-graphic-pics

I suggest Vetericyn rather than peroxide: - it's less likely to harm healing tissue.