EMERGENCY!: duck was attacked by raccoon, feathers and skin ripped off of neck

[saaintdee]

Poor ducky! I hope he pulls through.

I hope so too, he already lost his mate a couple months ago

 

[saaintdee]

We had a turkey hen rippr


d up by a crazed Tom. Her gut

If you can cover the injury after cleaning (as suggested in other posts) it helps a lot. Exposed nerves and open wounds contribute to shock.
We used hen healer on our ripped open turkey hen to keep the wound covered.
Simulating "skin" over the wound.
Softened and applied with clean gauze.
Good luck.

so i should use the hen healer and cover with a bandage?

 

[saaintdee]

When giving anything by mouth be extremely careful and just small drops right inside his mouth. You don’t want the Vliquid to go down into his lungs. Saline to wash the wound is good then spray the heck out of it often with Veterycin plus TSC Carrie’s it. He needs to be kept in a semi dark area and warm till he’s out of shock. And while you are waiting make sure to reinforce how the raccoon got to him to begin with. He’ll be back.

I've been having trouble giving him drinks through the syringe since he won't even let me get near him with it. I don't want to pick him up and do by force because I'm afraid he will get more hurt. I let drops fall near his beak but he won't open so I can get the water inside. I know he's thirsty but he can't drink by himself Im heading to the store now to get some nutridrench and try to figure this out.

 

[Dottie the Chicken]

@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock

 

[Mrs J]

I've been having trouble giving him drinks through the syringe since he won't even let me get near him with it. I don't want to pick him up and do by force because I'm afraid he will get more hurt. I let drops fall near his beak but he won't open so I can get the water inside. I know he's thirsty but he can't drink by himself Im heading to the store now to get some nutridrench and try to figure this out.

You can tube feed water/food but I haven’t done this, hopefully one of our more experienced members will pick this up and advise.

 

[Mrs J]

@Lacy Duckwing can you advise

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

For added strength, you can give him water and sugar mixed together to drink for starters.

To clean the wound, make a Saline rinse: Boil 1 quart of water for 5-10 minutes then add 2 teaspoons of salt and stir until dissolved. Let completely cool before use. Once the Saline is completely cooled, gently pour it down his neck. (You can use Hydrogen Peroxide for the first time rinse only, but after that you'll have to use the Saline.)

Next, gently apply Neosporin (without pain reliever) or Bag Balm to the wound. You might want to use gloves if applying by hand, and gently pat it on lightly. (Be best if you have a Neosporin spray which you can get at Walmart.)

Keep him separated in as much darkness as possible to keep him calm while he heals. Keep his place as clean as possible at all times. Clean his neck with the Saline rinse twice a day with reapplying the Neosporin or Bag Balm afterwards. Make sure he has plenty of food and clean water that he can fully dip his beak in. Plus make sure no predators of any kind can get to him, and this is including small rodents.

As far as his eye, if you use the Hydrogen Peroxide on the first rinse, don't do it near his eye. You can use the Saline rinse. If he will allow, gently block his eye with a clean cloth. Tilting his head back so nothing runs into his eye, carefully pour on the Saline rinse in a way that it doesn't get in his eye, but cleans the wound around it. You can apply (though not really preferred) the Neosporin or Bag Balm as long as not near his eye or eye lids and will have no chance of running into his eye at any given time. Again, keep him in darkness. If he's lost his sight in that eye, it'd be best if no bright lights where bothering him in any way.

While you are working on him, if he doesn't calm down, cut off a knee to foot, or longer, long piece of yoga pants or sweatpants. Walk him through them until his head and neck is out the other side of them. With his feet securely against his body along with his wings, tie the top of the pants to the back as tightly as you can tie it, and at least double knot it. Make sure some of the pants leg is over his shoulders, if possible, so he can't push himself out. If done correctly, he shouldn't be able to move much if at all. Nothing should be sticking out except for his neck and head which is what you want to work on. This should keep him from moving too much and calm him.

Warning: his feathers most likely will never grow back again on his neck.

Keep in mind, your Drake also might go into shock. He might be in shock from anywhere from 12-24 hours to in rare cases, a week. So he might not be too active during those times. (Sorry I can't remember if light or darkness is good for a bird in shock. But someone else on here might know.)

I'm really sorry for what happened. I hope your drake has a speedy recovery.

~Lacy Duckwing

 

[Snakebiteholloway]

so i should use the hen healer and cover with a bandage?

I'm no vet, honestly, but our hen was laid open from wing\shoulder joint to thigh and we could see her guts thru the abdominal sac.
We figured she had it
But she lived and is currently brooding!
I was secondary MOS medic in the army, so all i know is decades old first aid.
We did cover her entire wound with a thick layer of hen healer.
I warmed it so it spread easily, layered it on thick.
No bandage.
I do know that the constant air on an open wound causes pain. Pain can lead to shock.
The salve seals like skin.
So it's only my opinion, but if it was my duck, i would sterilize with betadine water and cover with hen healer.
But I'm NOT a vet.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Where to get hen healer? @Snakebiteholloway[/USER
If he has open wounds on his neck I don’t know how you’d tube feed him. Since you have to hold him to do it.

 

[Mrs J]

Where to get hen healer? @Snakebiteholloway[/USER
If he has open wounds on his neck I don’t know how you’d tube feed him. Since you have to hold him to do it.

Good point