I apologize in advance if this question has already been asked and answered. I'm heartbroken. An opossum got into my henhouse night before last and killed one of my hens. Yesterday, I found that another hen, Florentine, had been wounded in the attack. A largish flap of skin ( about the size of half a teacup) was hanging underneath her left wing. She's favoring the left leg, but it doesn't appear to be damaged or broken. The wound was relatively clean - very little bleeding. Her tissue is visible, but not injured. My daughter (who is in nursing school) and I brought her inside, carefully disinfected the wound and skin and sealed the skin back with Dermabond. Florentine is resting comfortably, and is eating and drinking well. My question is, should I give her oral antibiotics? I have fish tetracycline, 250 mg capsulis. If so, what dosage? I thought I might scramble up an egg and mix the powder in it. I would take her to the vet, but have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and face huge medical bills. Also, I just finished paying off a $500 vet bill from a previous attack Thank you so much in advance for any guidance you can provide. ~Sally
Antibiotics are not always necessary for wounds after they have been cleaned. Veteicyn spray or Neosporin ointment is good to use on the wounds. Usually for a dirty wound that a vet does not suture, I would not close, but since your daughter knows about aseptic technique, it may be fine. Just watch for any signs of infections--pus or other drainage, redness, or a fowl odor in the wound. Wounds like these tend to heal pretty well. Just make sure that she is eating and drinking normally, and give her a little egg or tuna for some extra protein. Id you want to treat with tetracycline, most people use Duramycin 10 or oxyteracycline in the water.
