Duck was attacked

[dejjen]

Just found my Khaki Campbell hiding under the deck and she's hurt bad. I'm freaking out because I treat my chickens and ducks like family. I know the picture is graphic but figured if y'all saw it somebody could tell me what to do. It looks like her tail was pulled and the skin ripped. I don't know how to help her.

 

[DuckyDonna]

@Miss Lydia @casportpony

Can you clean it up at all? I know it's bad if flies lay eggs in a wound like that so you'll have to watch that. If you can wash it up with warm water and put on clear iodine on it maybe you can see how extensive the damage is. Is a vet an option?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I’d wash her wound out real good with betadine or warm soapy water. Get her quiet and warm more than likely she’s in shock. Keep her inside so flies can’t get in her injury and lay eggs maggots you don’t want,hopefully with some care she’ll heal they are pretty tough critters and doesn’t look like it’s around any vital organs. @casportpony maybe able to give more advise. Any idea what got her?

 

[dejjen]

Cleaned it up as much as I could with peroxide. There's a puncture mark in the center that's got blood in it, but it's not oozing or dripping blood. Looks pretty nasty but it looks like fatty tissue and she's eating and drinking still.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC! So sorry your duck is injured.
If mine i would check for more wounds, then flush all wounds with sterile saline, which you can make:
https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-saline-solution-608142

I might also flush with saline and chlorhexidine or saline and betadine.

 

[DuckyDonna]

Great! So no guts or vital organs in sight! I bet she'll be fine. Just get her inside like Miss Lydia said to keep the flys off her and keep her quiet and warm.

 

[dejjen]

I’d wash her wound out real good with betadine or warm soapy water. Get her quiet and warm more than likely she’s in shock. Keep her inside so flies can’t get in her injury and lay eggs maggots you don’t want,hopefully with some care she’ll heal they are pretty tough critters and doesn’t look like it’s around any vital organs. @casportpony maybe able to give more advise. Any idea what got her?

I let my dogs out. They've never bothered the chickens or ducks before. Ever. Not sure if it was the Bassett or the Yorkie, but they're both inside now and in a lot of trouble. They cornered her and the chickens under the deck. Chickens got out. Poor Sequoia (Quay Quay) wasn't so lucky. I feel horrible.

 

[Duckworth]

These things happen. Don’t beat yourself up. Just learn and take more effective protective measures in the future. My ducks were attacked by a raccoon a few months ago. Those it didn’t kill outright all recovered. I felt terrible that I hadn’t secured them better, but I thought my pen was secure enough and didn’t realize there was a very large and strong raccoon around, able to breach my pen. Like you, I thought my flock was safe. It’s not easy to anticipate and assess accurately every potential threat and we had gone more than a year without the slightest hint of danger. My husband teased me about over-engineering the pen and being too protective. It about killed me to see all of my girls injured and one killed. It was even worse for my husband.

I moved my injured ducks into one of our bathtubs and lined it with several layers of newspapers, adding more as it got wet or soiled. That kept them warm, safe, and from being exposed to flies. If you must keep your duck outside, consider putting her in a smaller dog crate or other enclosure that you can wrap in mosquito netting to keep insects out while her wounds heal.

I’m so sorry for your duck’s injuries and can really relate to your distress.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I let my dogs out. They've never bothered the chickens or ducks before. Ever. Not sure if it was the Bassett or the Yorkie, but they're both inside now and in a lot of trouble. They cornered her and the chickens under the deck. Chickens got out. Poor Sequoia (Quay Quay) wasn't so lucky. I feel horrible.

You never know what can set them off. Thankfully who ever it was didn’t kill her. Now you need to concentrate on getting her healed. And she should do fine as long as flies don’t get to that wound.

 

[dejjen]

I have her inside the house closed off in a spare bedroom in an old pack and play playpen with a few inches of pine shavings. I cleaned everything again with peroxide, and sprayed Blu-Kote on the injury. She's weak, but I think she's gonna pull through.