Dog attack

[Mklein176]

Hi all! 2 days ago my father in law accidentally let our dog into the chicken run and she bit one of our pullets. We used a saline wash and neosporin twice the first day and then Vetericyn arrived and we’ve been applying that 3x daily with neosporin. As of last night it seemed to be healing quite well, but this morning it looked quite oozy and green. I’ve noticed this morning that she was pecking at her wound.

I have aqua mox and blue kote coming in 2 days. In the meantime I’ve been applying cornstarch over the Vetericyn and neosporin to prevent her from pecking herself but I’m not sure how effective this is. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

Are you close to a drug store or Walmart where you can get some Hibiclens Chlorhexidene? That is a good disinfectant to use if you think it may be infected? Does it smell bad? The green is bruising and common. If you don’t think it is oozing pus, then continue using saline twice a day, and apply the Neosporin. Stop the cornstarch—that is not necessary. BluKote is only for when it scabs over and to prevent pecking once she goes back with the flock. It is intended for scrapes and mild wounds.

 

[Mklein176]

Is there anything you’d recommend to do to stop her pecking at it while it’s still open like this? Or should I not be too concerned?

 

[Eggcessive]

Is there anything you’d recommend to do to stop her pecking at it while it’s still open like this? Or should I not be too concerned?

Where exactly is the wound? Is it on the lower back? You could take an old TShirt and cut out a 7x9 or 10 inch piece, then cut 2 slits for wings, slide the wings through to hold it on, and make a hen saddle as in this link:
http://www.linnacresfarm.com/2014/04/how-to-make-simple-hen-saddleapron.html

If that is too complicated, you could loosely wrap a section of TShirt around her back, and secure it with vet wrap or self adhesive bandage.

 

[Mklein176]

Where exactly is the wound? Is it on the lower back? You could take an old TShirt and cut out a 7x9 or 10 inch piece, then cut 2 slits for wings, slide the wings through to hold it on, and make a hen saddle as in this link:
http://www.linnacresfarm.com/2014/04/how-to-make-simple-hen-saddleapron.html

If that is too complicated, you could loosely wrap a section of TShirt around her back, and secure it with vet wrap or self adhesive bandage.

Thank you for the advice, truly! I’m so stressed about this poor girl and really want her to make it. The wound is right in between her wings and she mainly seems to peck at it right after I treat it and then stops about 30 mins or so later. I imagine it is hurting her. Im having a difficult time determining whether or not it is infected. It seems like it is swollen a bit and oozy but the green bruising is throwing me off. It doesn’t smell at all so I suppose that is a good sign. I will give the tshirt wrap a try and hope for the best.

 

[Mklein176]

Updated photos from this evening.

 

[Cockadoodle-dude]

Hi all! 2 days ago my father in law accidentally let our dog into the chicken run and she bit one of our pullets. We used a saline wash and neosporin twice the first day and then Vetericyn arrived and we’ve been applying that 3x daily with neosporin. As of last night it seemed to be healing quite well, but this morning it looked quite oozy and green. I’ve noticed this morning that she was pecking at her wound.

I have aqua mox and blue kote coming in 2 days. In the meantime I’ve been applying cornstarch over the Vetericyn and neosporin to prevent her from pecking herself but I’m not sure how effective this is. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Similar things with my hen except I didn’t see her pecking and all of a sudden half of her skin is gone. MAGGOTS submerge her in water. They will drown but keep her inside and away from other chickens. The discoloration is just bruising. They bruise terribly but they are fighters

 

[Mklein176]

Update! Our hen seems to be doing very well. We haven’t had to use antibiotics but now have them on hand in our chicken first aid kit. I just used Vetericyn and neosporin 3x daily after the initial saline wash. We kept her separate until everything scabbed properly and now she is reintegrated and healing quite nicely. She pecked at her wound but with close supervision didn’t seem to do any damage so we didn’t end up wrapping or using a saddle.

Thanks to everyone who gave advice on this thread and all the already existing advice from the community at large.

 

[Lor]

Glad to hear she is healing well.