Dog attack

[Unicornlife3316]

Well apparently the septic guy let my grandmothers dog out who ran straight to the barn for my chickens.

She managed to get ahold of Chik-fil-a - one of my production reds and one of the sweetest.

I have only found one minor cut under her wing but it seems the wing is broken as she can’t hold it up. Plus, she’s unable to stand, I’m thinking maybe she has a spinal injury? Her legs don’t work at all but no visible injuring to them.

She’s bright eyed, alert and talking to me every time I go to the bathroom where she is.

I have great feed stores so can get pretty much anything, but it won’t be until later this afternoon.

So please, any advice? What should I give her? I’ve got a little bowl of water but she doesn’t seem interested. I’ve tube fed cows before and rehabbed animals of all shapes and sizes over the years so I’m pretty familiar with emergencies BUT these are my first chicken and my first injured chicken, so any advice is appreciated.

I’d like to give her a shot at life, but if the time comes I’ll let her go peacefully.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Sorry about your chicken! If that were my dog that got my favorite chicken......he'd no longer be my dog.

Did you put an ointment of any kind on the wounds like Neosporin? Maybe if you gave her some vitamins, or a nutrient rich treat like scrambled egg(no salt added) and some oregano. However, @Eggcessive would probably have a better suggestion. Hello, @Eggcessive?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your injured chicken. Do you have any antiseptic (betadine, chlorhexidene, Vetericyn wound spray) for treating wounds? I would clean the wounds, look for any puncture wounds from teeth, and apply plain Neosporin or Triple Antibiotic Ointment twice a day after cleaning. She may be in shock for awhile, so keep her isolated in a quiet dim area near food and water. Poultry electrolytes or NutriDrench is good to use for a day or two. Fluids are are best at first. Chopped scrambled egg, tuna, and chicken feed made wet with water are usually taken well. A lot depends on her recovery, whether she was squeezed or shaken, where she could have suffered from internal injuries. Hopefully she will recover, but as long as she is not able to stand and walk, you may want to look into making her a chicken sling or chair. Here are some examples:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/versions-of-chick-chairs-please.1166308/

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Thanks for your advice.

She’s still alive and bright eyed.

I do have Vetericyn spray that I treated the wounds with. I’m thinking it’s something internal from being squeezed/shaken.

I’ll just keep an eye on her.

 

[Unicornlife3316]

Sorry about your chicken! If that were my dog that got my favorite chicken......he'd no longer be my dog.

Did you put an ointment of any kind on the wounds like Neosporin? Maybe if you gave her some vitamins, or a nutrient rich treat like scrambled egg(no salt added) and some oregano. However, @Eggcessive would probably have a better suggestion. Hello, @Eggcessive?

It’s not my dog.. it’s my grandmothers and unfortunately we know she’s not good around birds.. which is why we keep them away from each other but when a dumb*** comes in and doesn’t close a gate there isn’t much we can do.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

Great Pyrenees dogs are good with chickens if you want something to guard them.

 

[RhodeIslandRed5]

I knew Eggcessive would have better advice. He's smart and I'm a dunce. Just do the best you can to keep your chicken happy and comfy. Give her lots of hugs and love.

 

[pennyJo1960]

As you have been told chickens are pretty resilient, she is in shock is there a dog crate handy ? put her in it with some paper towels in the bottom

 

[Eggcessive]

We had a sweet golden retriever who would “play” with our pullets when they jumped into our yard over a 4 foot chainlink fence. He injured two and killed one over about a month. Trimming wing feathers on one or both wings did not help to keep them from jumping up onto and then over. We eventually got a shock collar and used it exactly twice to train him not to come near the chickens. Eventually we had a few in the yard chickens who roamed around, and he would not even look at those chickens. He also trained the new dogs to not go near them. We found that electric poultry netting (not turned on) would keep the chickens from flying over a fence, since they cannot jump up on it.

 

[Unicornlife3316]

We had a sweet golden retriever who would “play” with our pullets when they jumped into our yard over a 4 foot chainlink fence. He injured two and killed one over about a month. Trimming wing feathers on one or both wings did not help to keep them from jumping up onto and then over. We eventually got a shock collar and used it exactly twice to train him not to come near the chickens. Eventually we had a few in the yard chickens who roamed around, and he would not even look at those chickens. He also trained the new dogs to not go near them. We found that electric poultry netting (not turned on) would keep the chickens from flying over a fence, since they cannot jump up on it.

This NEVER happens. The chickens weren’t in her yard, she was let mistakenly out of the yard by a worker. Unfortunately his mistake caused my chicken to be injured. I don’t blame the dog, I blame the guy who went through a closed gate and didn’t think to close it behind him.

I’m not mad about the dog, it’s in her nature. That’s why I keep by birds out of the yard and her in the yard.

The chicken is still doing OK. I’ve looked her all over again and can’t find any death-causing injuries but she’s still in shock. I covered the wounds again in Vetericyn. I’ll grab some nutridench this afternoon and see how she feels about that.

I’ve managed to get her to drink a little. She’s in the bathtub with lots of soft towels and I’ve got her propped up so she’s not uncomfortable.