Dog attack. Open back wound

[Silling]

My hen was attacked by a dog which pulled out all her tail feathers and left a nasty gash on her back. So far I am going to clean her off and wash the wounds with peroxide and cover with triple antibiotic ointment and cover with gauze. Is this the right thing to do? Will this heal?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would not use peroxide, which can damage tissue. Use saline, which is 2 tsp of table salt in a liter or quart of water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer for 15 minutes. Store in a clean jar. Saline is gentle to use twice a day, and then apply some plain antibiotic ointment twice daily. Those wounds can heal fine if there is no internal injury. Leave it uncovered, and you can use a puppy pad or clean towel for bedding. Isolate her in a dog crate with food and water. She might be in shock for some time, but keep her in a quiet room.

 

[coach723]

I was going to say exactly what @Eggcessive did!

 

[Silling]

Ok thank you! How long do you think before the wound starts to heal?

 

[coach723]

It varies depending on depth and severity of injuries. It could be a couple of months before it really looks good, just depends. Keep it covered in ointment, as said above, until it's well healed. Keeping it moist will help it heal better. This thread has some pictures of wounds during healing, may help to know what to expect.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wounds-pictures-of-how-they-heal.1325817/#post-21627607

 

[Silling]

It varies depending on depth and severity of injuries. It could be a couple of months before it really looks good, just depends. Keep it covered in ointment, as said above, until it's well healed. Keeping it moist will help it heal better. This thread has some pictures of wounds during healing, may help to know what to expect.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wounds-pictures-of-how-they-heal.1325817/#post-21627607

Thanks

 

[Silling]

Her poop now looks like this. I worried that the pink indicates internal damage.

 

[Silling]

So Michelle is doing well so far. No infection yet. She is eating and drinking a lot. No internal damage. She is very active inside her cage. Her poop is mostly normal with the occasionally watery poo in the mornings. He keeps trying to preen her remaining feathers around the wound which makes me nervous. Per vet instructions we are washing the wound with soapy water and covering with triple antibiotic ointment 2 times a day and administering .6 cc of pen g. The wounds on her bum are starting to form scabs but her back wound is still open. All swelling has gone down though and bruising is starting to show.