Dog Mauling

[JorjaRhayne]

Hey, I have 2 dogs unfortunately both bird dogs, grown lab and 5 mth boykin spaniel. I let them out this am to potty and Beethoven my roo started raising hell. My chickens are locked up at night so I didn't think too much about it at first, but after about 20 secs my hens started raising alarm too, so I investigated to find my lab running my birds around and around the coop (she on the outside of course) stir ring them up. Called her down and then called the pup which was about 10 feet away from the coop apparently eating on something. I investigated to find my only young chicken mauled by him. She is still alive but missing a good bit of feathers, she had positioned herself in between a few large container drums keeping her head safe. I cannot find any open wounds or bleeding but when she cries or breathes you can hear bubbling around her gut. She is also very wobbly on her feet. she is probably around 4.5 to 5 months old standard size bird. I believe she may have gotten out in the run area which is 6ft high chainlink that is not covered, although I have her clipped I think she climbed/flapped up the side being the lightest and most agile of the flock. I know my puppy has yet to get soft mouth retrieving training, and can play pretty rough I truly don't think he meant to hurt her. Any thoughts on things to do to help this hen would be appreciated. I am separating her from the group to avoid pecking.

 

[UrbanviewFarm]

Hi, I had a local dog whose owner wasnt feeding her munch some of my own pullets last year. It was very hard to go through, lost 2 in one night and caught the dog with an Americuana pulletbetween the dogs paws. She had the back end of the chicken in her mouth!!

I did end up saving this poor girl, who ended up living on my woodstove for most of the summer while her feathers grew back. She didn't lay for a good long time and right about the time I decided she was never going to, she started right up. She finally laid at a year old, I'm guessing it was stress.
I'm concerned with the noise you hear while breathing, I never experienced this part and wouldn't know what to do, myself.

 

[JorjaRhayne]

Well, so far Willow is still here, the gurgling I believe is from a punctured lung. Her whole right side is swollen up tight as a balloon. I cut a pinhole in the skin and air whooshed out this seemed to help. When the air is out she can walk well but as soon as she is scared she swells right back up with air. and you have to squeeze the air back out. She is nibbling at food and drinking a little. Seems very content to live in my flower garden. My plans are to wait and see if she makes it. I paid $2 for her at auction very recently so I fortunately have not gotten as attached to her as some of my others. Still hate to see her hurt tho.

 

[UrbanviewFarm]

If she's alive, eating and drinking it's really all you could ask for with an injury like this. I don't know too much about chickens' lungs but birds don't breathe the same way that mammals do at all. The whole process is a bit complicated to explain but the air goes through in a one-way loop, as opposed to being inhaled and then exhaled. 2 chicken respirations is one person respiration...
Which leads me to (unfortunately) ask: would this be twice as hard on the chicken than it would be on the person?

 

[Malibu99]

Quote: This is from Yahoo Answers. Hope it helps.

 

[JorjaRhayne]

So far Willow is pulling trough strong. She was much more alert this morning, drinking and eating well, still very happy and content to live/hide in the flower garden. My garden is fortunately potted so she is like a little person creeping around the giant's house the large planters protect her from the dogs and she has access to under the porch to get out of any weather. When I got home today her "air" filled area was no longer swollen up and she was chatting to me and walking straight but still not venturing far from the pots and she seems to hide from the flock when they are free-ranging, which btw currently is showing signs of a resp. thing so I plan to treat everyone with an antibiotic and I think that may be good for her too just as a safety since the injury even tho she is not currently in the coop with the others. She will be welcome to live in the garden until she feels comfortable joining the coop on her own accord again.

 

[Malibu99]

Yay Willow! Glad she's getting better!

 

[JorjaRhayne]

Just an update, Willow is still here!! breathing a little labored but it was kinda warm today. She seems content

 

[madi99]

yay! i hope she pulls through! i have a 170 pound bullmastiff who i'm definitely going to have to watch around the chickens! he would never intentionally hurt them but he's so big and his playing could be really dangerous to a chicken that's so much smaller than he is!

 

[JorjaRhayne]

Well, Willow took a turn for the worst this morning. She had very labored breathing and just acting as though she didn't generally feel good. She did drink and nibble a bit of eggs. When I got home from work Willow had unfortunately passed on. I wasn't attached to her at first but was kinda growing fond of her rooting for her to pull through but alas she is now in a better place and feeling forever better.