DOG ATTACK! SERIOUS INJURY! HELP!

[lovelychickities]

A pitbull suddenly barged in my backyard along with another chihuahua and attacked my hens. Luckily one made it unscathed. But unfortunately, my other hen is suffering from a SEVERE bite. I tried to clean the wound as much as possible and wrapped her in a bandage. She is eating normally and everything. Her skin is hanging off and you can see a big hole in her flesh in the photo. A vet is not an option. I tried to call every single local vet clinic and none speacialize in birds. Can you give me some ways to treat a wound this severe? Do I stitch it?

 

[micstrachan]

Hi there,
Honestly, in the photo it doesn’t look too bad, but it may look worse in person. How is her behavior? How long ago did this happen? In my opinion, it’s most important to stay calm and not stress her out. Speak to her softly. Keep her inside where it is warm and quiet. The wounds will need to be cleaned. I would minimally flush with saline, and then apply antibiotic ointment. You can clean with betadine or chlorhexidine, as well. Or vetericine spray.

She needs rest, warmth, and fluids. You should also look her over thoroughly for other wounds.

 

[Jeninoz]

Oh no that’s awful. I just took my chicken to the vet - I had to call round the local vet who told me of a different vet that will look at chickens.
I’d use spray disinfectant meanwhile and keep her separated and safe.

 

[staceyj]

While it is a terrible wound, it can heal. Chickens are really remarkably healers.

She’ll need to be inside in a cage or crate and have the wound cleaned and treated daily while it heals as @micstrachan stated.

I’d snip away any feathers surrounding the wound to prevent them from contaminating the area.

Gently clean and pat dry then apply a layer of antibiotic ointment or spray with veterycin spray gel several times each day.
Many people have had great results using Manukah honey or medihoney on wounds such as this.

A key thing is not allowing the wound bed to dry out until the skin regrows because if it does, the tissue will become necrotic and die.
Provide high protein feed to encourage the building blocks for healing.

 

[lovelychickities]

@staceyj @Jeninoz @micstrachan thank you very much for your advices guys!

 

[Eggcessive]

Most chicken wounds will heal eventually with initial treatment with something like betadine, chlorhexidene, soap and water, or Vetericyn. Then use a plain antibiotic ointment with out pain relief twice a day after cleaning the wounds. The problem with a predator bite is that they can squeeze and shake, and cause internal injuries. Hopefully your chicken will recover. Keep her in a quiet dim area initially in case of shock, and offer food and water as she will take them. Watery chick feed and a little egg or tuna are things to tempt her to eat. Usually antibiotics are not necessary, but if the wound smells bad or has pus, clean out with betadine, and let us know.

 

[micstrachan]

How’s your girl doing?