Dog attack

[kbev]

Okay so it's been a week. She's still doing good. Stopped laying for 2 days and then started laying again yesterday. We're going to put her back in the coop tomorrow. Any further advice?

 

[WindingRoad]

One of my hens was attacked by my pup yesterday. My wife quickly intervened but he got a good chunk of feathers from her rear side. We separated her from the other girls keeping her inside in a dog crate. We cleaned her wound, put poultry aid on it (TSC recommended). She is eating normal-ish and drinking (added hydrohen to her water). Shes acting normal-ish considering everything. We have not started her on antibiotics yet, not sure if we should since she's not really showing any signs of infection yet. One thing we noticed is she is packing off her feather around the area of the wound, is this normal?

I just hope we're doing right by her. Open to any suggestions.

Picture attached of her injury.View attachment 2338965

Dogs don't usually eat chickens. But the sure to like to attack and chase them. Dogs will chase anything thing that runs away from them. Instinct. They are hunters.

JMHO but I would clean it good, maybe a nice soak in Epsom salts. I am an RN and we stopped using betadine and iodine long ago. Both kill good granulating skin. We stopped shaving operative sites because we were making micro nicks on the skin and and see would infections.
Now back to the beginning of my alway too long post. Get some BAG BALM. If it keeps the infection down in the teats/udder of a cow, who BTW alway lays in mature. it should and will kill most every thing. We alway had a can in the bathroom. Any time we had a cut on the farm first thing we did was clean it with soap and water and put BB on it I sill have a can, Use qtips so you don't contaminate the BB.. Sore cuts healed over night. LOL.

I also wouldn't dress it. Mother Nature makes the best scab/barrier out there. In the wild birds don't have antibiotics. BTW BB has sulfa in it. There is a bag balm website just .com after the name. They are making soap now and lip balm. Good luck. Isolate her so the others don't peck.

 

[lyleg5895]

This might sound odd but honey makes a very good wound ointment. It has natural antibacterial properties but doesn't have as big an impact on overall flora of the bird. Bacteria simply doesn't grow in it so it will keep the wound from drying and keep bacteria out. Sounds like you're through the worst part but this might help in the future if this happens again. Our pup has attacked more than a few birds in the past so I feel your pain.