EEEK! Chicken attacked by cat-- Vet bill scary too!

[arwmommy]

Well, the title says it all! Heard a noise in the backyard where the girls were freeranging (remember, we are total residential development-- 6' high fence between neighbors on small lots), and I hear screaming from the girls.

I am right by the door and run out screaming "HEY!" , swearing it is our neighbors Jack Russell Terrier who always tries to dig under the fence to get to us, and I see a BIG cat with one of our chickens in his mouth! I am making such a commotion, the cat drops her and scrambles over the fence!

Eunice (the chicken) walks away as if nothing has happened

but is heading straight for the coop! I get her, look her over and see NOTHING (is that possible?). I put all of them in the run and leave her alone for about an hour to regain her composure. Go out and check on her again and lo and behold, a puncture mark oozing blood that I had somehow missed.

Off to the vet! They said they don't close puncture marks, because it "traps the bacteria" and will just give her antibiotics. I say, great (because truthfully, she looks fine, but I think the antibiotics are a good thing in this case!) Also, there are 4 puncture marks, not just one.

The bill? $84

Now, I am NOT a cheap person. I am very extravagant with my animals (as my husband, who thankfully is traveling on business, will sadly tell you), however, that seems like a crapload of money for NO stitches, no surgery, JUST antibiotics.

*sigh* Well, any animal that comes to my house knows that they get taken care of FOR LIFE , regardless of cost, but STILL! I guess I need to remember that that is for an emergency visit, an injection of antibiotics, and a week of antibiotics at home. Now it doesn't seem so bad!

*This from the mom whose son was just over 5 million dollars his first year!*

ANYWAY-- Good news is the vet sexed her and she is a GIRL! We thought she started crowing (I swear she was trying!), her comb is more developed by a bit than the other girls (nothing MAJOR, but it is redder), and she is VERY dominant and protective of the others-- we thought we would have to find her a new home since she was acting so "roo-ish"

see this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11953


So at least we got some good news!

Here is the photo of the survivor-- and GIRL!

 

[rosyposyosy]

thats great!! you spend 5 million bucks on your son his first year?!

 

[arwmommy]

Let me clarify....

My son had 2 open heart surgeries and was in Intensive Care for the first year. His medical costs were just over 5 million dollars ( he came out on a ventilator, with a tracheostomy, a surgically placed feeding tube, on oxygen, with a 4 monitors and a nurse in our home 24 hours a day for the SECOND year!)

So it is not like I spent 5 mil at Baby Gap and FAO Schwartz!

He is doing great now, but we still have lots of medical battles and always will. We are just grateful he is here with us and leading a relatively normal life.

*very blessed*

 

[rosyposyosy]

oh thats good that hes better! wow that must've been scary! lucky you!

 

[wegotchickens]

Good that you got your girl on antibiotics. She'd probably have died eventually if you hadn't. A vet told me once how toxic cat scratches and bites can be. And then I had to go to the ER after my wrist swelled up from a cat bite... And had mega antibiotics shot into my 'hip'. TOTALLY UNFUN!!

 

[CarriBrown]

I'm so glad she's ok!!! Also glad that she is a SHE!!!

I know what you mean about the vet bills. We spend $100 on Chicken Hawk and she was gone hours later.

But I can't say I didn't try.

 

[arwmommy]

That's the deal with our animals--- I don't ever want money to come before a life. We have health insurance on our dog (they can have HUGE bills, and I don't ever even want it to be a *factor* in the decision!) and my DH and I have different views on what constitutes adequate care--- so this way we avoid the discussion about it!

He is not horrible (more like "is it worth it? Do they have a lot of years left? Do I want to spend $2000 on the dog?"), but I am much more like "whatever it takes to fix them, do it!" That is why I was so shocked by my reaction today to the bill-- I guess I was just thinking it would be like $30 and it wasn't--- but that is fine.... she is doing well and my children know she will get better and that is WAY worth it!

She is a bit more sluggish than usual, but whatever happens, I know I did everything I could do to help her.

DH still laughs that we are the only ones he knows that have had surgery on their Russian Dwarf Hamster (about the size of a mouse!) But animals in our house know they will get whatever it takes in my power to have a long, happy, healthy life!

 

[rosyposyosy]

your dwarf hamster had surgery? why?

 

[4myHennyPenny]

Quote:
Glad to hear she is going to be fine!

A couple of years ago, our dog received a similar wound to his neck when he was bitten by a neighbor's dog. Same thing, emergency vet (the weekend, of course!) and puncture wounds that they wouldn't close because of the risk of trapping the infection. In his case, they had to keep him a day for observation and put in a tube to help with drainage. In the end, cost us over $800. So I gotta tell ya, $84 sounds like a bargain!

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

Please correct me if I am wrong. BUT, from all of my reading and researching, I have learned that if you have all hens... no roo's... one of you hens will become the dominate and take on the role of a roo... except for the "fertilizing part". Could this be why she is more dominant than the others???