Dog attaked chicken stitched back together *graphic pics*

[Farmer Kitty]

Well, no need to put a tree topper on the tree if Stitches wants the job!

I hope she sits well for her re-stitching.

 

[Lunachick]

Alleyoops - great job on your chicken! She looks happy and healthy. I too would also like to know your stitching methods. It sounds like a good thing in a pinch. Again, good job!

 

[Smitty's Farm]

Alleyoops,
I just found this thread. You are so brave! You did a great job. How is your chicken doing?

The past few days it has been heavy on my mind about having pultry first aid items on hand. I have bought a few to start a kit. One of my chicken books had a whole page dedicated to what to put in the first aid kit. I really need to follow through and complete the list. I will have to check our TSC to see if they carry the stitches.

Please keep us posted on your little chicken's pprogress.

 

[Alleyoops25]

Well the hen is still doing well despite the fact that the stitches she pulled out were a lot more than I thought. I felt bad for her, becuase once I got busy cleaning her out I had to freshen the wound. I called my uncle the vet and he told me inorder for me to redo the stitches right I had to freshen the wound. Meaning I had to make he bleed, especially around the edges where I was going to bring togather. Once I did that I took pictures of the steps on stitching so maybe it will come of use to someone some day. By no means am I a vet, but just a chicken lover who couldnt stand wathing one of my fav. hens bleed to death. Anyway here are the steps I took in stitching up the hen.

#1 gather the supplies you will be using. Neosporin, vaselin, asprin, towls, freezer paper, gauge, medical tape, stitches (cat gut), tweezers, rubbing alchol, peroxide, hot water (for sterlizing the neddle) rubber gloves (optional) medicine sryinge, GAtor aid, or pedia light.
#1 1/2 give the hen 1/4 of the asprin, that way while you are getting everything else ready the pain med will be setting in. This will also help calm her down, making her easier to handle, this no doubt is painful and stressful to then chicken.
Get a clean flat surface made for holding the hen on. (I used my kitchen counter) place the freezer paper glossy side up on the counter. tape it down, and then with a clean rag whip it down with rubbing alchol. Clean and sterilize the needl that is being used, along with the tweezers. get it all organized out on your sygery center.
#2 get the hen and place her in the sink. using the srayer head and clean out all wounds as much as passible. You may need to use the tweezers to remove any dirt, bedding, or other objects the mey be in the wound. Using the tweezers pluck out any feathers that are around or in the wound. I think this was the biggest thing my hen liked because well they like to keep the feathers. after this part is done wrap her in the towel and blot her dry. (dont rub).
#3 now it's time to stitch her up. This should be a two person job. one to do the stitches and the other to hold the chicken down.

push the needle through both sides of the wound. Mke suer you get enough skin that the stitches wontget ripped out if it swells or gets caught on something. but dont get so much that you have the skin in between all bunched up. once you have the needle through both side pull the wound together, tight enough that the edges of the wound are together. you wil wrap the thread looping once and tighting it down at the top of the wound

repeat this making a double knot. Use a pair of small sissors, to clip the rest of the thread. You should have some of the stitch remaining above the knot so that you can easily get ahold of it and clip it when its time to remove them.

repeat these steps until the wound is back together. Then take a little bit if neosrorin, and put a little clear acrossed the surface of the wound. Top that with the vaseline. Ther reason for the vaseline is to get a good protective barrier between the wound and any bacteria that might get into it. You will need to give them shots of penicillin from now, until the stitchesare ready to come out. everyday clean the wound with peroxide and repeat the neosporin, and vaselin. If it is possible keep the chicken in doors until she's healed. Other chickens may peck at stitches or wounds. And there no way to know how much bacteria is in the coop, that might cause a infection.
Anyway I hope that this will work for some one. I dont think I would have ever done this if I could have gotten into a vet clinic. But what I never thaught of before is that chickens do not have thick skin, and usually any cuts to a chickens body can go right to the muscle. they need to be treated as quick as possible. The longer you leave a wound open, the more risk you have of loosing the chicken. I dont think that wether or not the chicken is treated as a pet or not should be taken in consideration to wether you decide to step up and stitch em back together. I think i would have done the same if it was a cocky rooster. I put a lot of time and money into them just to walk out and see that the chicken is all tore up and then not do anything to try and keep alive.
We also shot the dog that ripped this hen apart last Saturday. He and a buddy were souting along the chicken wire and getting ready to hop the fence. WE have our gun and the video camera together for these types of occausions. I video taped the dog hopping the fence and no sooner the he touched the ground and went after another one of oput chckens we drop him in our tracts. We called the nieghbor and told themn to come and get there dog. And we had the police called as well. When they all got here, they watched the vidoe tape. The sheriff's fined the owners of the dog, with dog at large more than three times. We could have pressed more charges on her but it think it was e nough punishment to have your dog shot and then get to watch it. So anyway I hope that this might help some one to save their chickens when no one else is around to.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Great job at discribing how to do the stitching! I have stitched many cattle up (usually after an episiotomy) and would agree on your method.

 

[SandraChick]

Quote:
Now that's thinking!!!!!
I wish I would have video taped my neighbors dog at large over and over again. Animal control couldn't catch it...but had I had a video of the repeated offences, I probably could have had him brought up on repreated dog at large charges!

Oh...and good job on the stitches!
Sandra

 

[Alleyoops25]

Thanks guys, it's good to know that what i was doing was pretty much the right method. I have had stitches done on myself, and watched several people and one dog get stitches. So I thought what I was doing was about right.
Stithes is still improving the wounds are clean and it looks like she is almost recovered from it. I let her out with the rest of the chickens for a day and did pretty good. I brought her back in because that night we got over a foot of snow, and i knew that she wasnt ready for a freezing night after spending so much time in the house near a fire. We are working her slowly back to tolerating the cold. I have her in the kitchen now were she isnt so warm, then we will put her in the garage with a heat lamp and then put her back into the chicken coop with the others. I dont want to push it to fast, I have brought her a long way to just throw her out to freeze to death. Anyway I will post any changes.
Oh ya Sandra chick (thats right?) we learned to keep the gun with the vidoe cam because we lost a lot of chickens, and we talked to the police and they told us to do this. I am very glad we did that way we had our proof that the dog was "damaging our property" and we didnt have to worry about the nirghbors pressing charges for us shooting the dog." without cause" So it all worked out quikly in the end.

 

[Alleyoops25]

We finally got all the stitches out of the hen. I am pretty proud of the way she has healed, there is only a very small and thin line through the wound areas left. So there is minimal scaring. the stitches came out very easy she never acted once like it hurt her. The only thing that she had going wrong was two ingrown feathers that were trying to grow back. Neither of the feathers were near the wounds, but about in the middle of her back. She is at a full recovery, she is back out in the chicken coop, I got her adjusted to the temperature, and just for good measure i have ran a heat lamp in there that way I know she will be alright. ( have gone to far to have her fall over dead from the cold). Again thank you all for your support, and I hope that maybe it might help some one else down the road.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Congrats on a job well done!

 

[Alleyoops25]

Need a smiley for bowing here