Dog bite, do i treat the wound?

[eyerene75]

The neighbor’s dog got through the fence and into our run. One bird was killed. This one has a large chunk out of her back. The vet is full and can’t see her for a week. She’s pretty calm. I didn’t even know she was hurt until I inspected her and moved her feathers.
It’s such a large gouge with the skin fully removed. I sprayed it with Vetericyn but when I tried to flush it with saline, the saline pooled in the wound and then drained into her bdy cavity. Will it heal? She’s so fluffy the feathers cover it so i let her return to her sisters.

 

[azygous]

You need to get her started on an oral antibiotic immediately. Assume because of the deep bit wound that there is bacteria inside her body cavity that no amount of cleansing will remove.

Here's my wound care protocol following a predator attack.


1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

 

[Eggcessive]

Be sure to secure your chickens so the dog cannot get to them again. Good advice by azygous. Her lungs are up in the back of the body. Hopefully nothing was injured internally, but also look for any hidden punctures or other wounds under wings and elsewhere. Hopefully, she will heal in a few weeks. Keep her separated in a dog crate with food and water so the others do not peck her wound. Good luck.

 

[Eggcessive]

How is your chicken doing?