Fox Attack

[elc0711]

Hi, all -
I had a fox come after my girls yesterday. Everyone was accounted for, but she did get a pretty good hold on one of my Orpingtons. There is a puncture wound above her right wing that I have clipped and been treating with Vetericyn, but I'm more worried about her breathing. She sounds very congested, and feels quite soft/squishy below her left wing. I'm wondering if this is a possible ruptured air sac or collapsed lung? If so, which, and will she recover or should I be looking to cull?
Thank you in advance for any replies/advice.

 

[Newclucker91]

Well right now I imagine she's in shock so some electrolytes couldn't hurt. Can you post a picture of the bites? Depending on the severity and time of attack she would already be gone if a lung ruptured bad.

 

[Saveria]

How does she look? Will she eat or drink? Is her comb a normal color?

You may just have to try your best to treat her and see how she rides it out. It is hard to know exactly what injuries she sustained without a vet visit, so you just have to keep dressing the wound and feeding electrolytes and water and watch her closely. If the puncture is really deep you may want to look into antibiotics. If she doesn't improve in a couple days and appears to be suffering, that's when culling is the best option.

Keep us posted as she stabilizes or if anything changes.

 

[elc0711]

Well right now I imagine she's in shock so some electrolytes couldn't hurt. Can you post a picture of the bites? Depending on the severity and time of attack she would already be gone if a lung ruptured bad.

There's only one puncture that I can find, and it's on the opposite side of where she feels squishy. I do have electrolytes in her water, and offered her scrambled eggs, but she doesn't seem interested yet. She was pretty floppy when I found her yesterday, but she sat up after another hour, and was on her feet this morning. She just sounds absolutely terrible and gurgly.
I tried to attach a picture as best as I could...it's hard to get a good look because it's tucked right in above her "shoulder". It's the smaller spot right beneath my finger. It looks deep, and I do think there is bone present, but it's also in an area of typically thin, stretched skin. But it looks clean, and relatively healthy for what it is.

 

[elc0711]

How does she look? Will she eat or drink? Is her comb a normal color?

You may just have to try your best to treat her and see how she rides it out. It is hard to know exactly what injuries she sustained without a vet visit, so you just have to keep dressing the wound and feeding electrolytes and water and watch her closely. If the puncture is really deep you may want to look into antibiotics. If she doesn't improve in a couple days and appears to be suffering, that's when culling is the best option.

Keep us posted as she stabilizes or if anything changes.

Thank you for your input. She was pretty floppy when I found her yesterday, but sat up on her own within an hour or so, and was on her feet by this morning. She's not interested in eating or drinking right now, but we're still in the first 24 hours post-incident. Her comb is a normal color, but her face is pale. I attached a photo of the puncture in another reply. It's not a great picture, because the wound is tucked up in by her "shoulder". I think there is visible bone, but for what it is, it looks clean otherwise. I know internally, it's hard to speculate without imaging, I just wasn't sure if anyone else had any experience with a similar injury. The puncture is on the right, but the soft area is on the left. It begins where a crop would be (if crops were on the left), and extends the length of her keel.

 

[Saveria]

Wow, that is bigger that I imagined. I'm going to tag some folks who know more than I do. I know you will probably need antibiotics, this one is good for wounds.

https://www.chewy.com/midland-vet-services-aqua-mox/dp/344724

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous

 

[Saveria]

They might advise a different antibiotic/medicine, but that stuff is good to have on hand for anyone who owns chickens (I have told three people about it today alone).

You can decide if you want to wait to hear from them or not. Chewy can get it to you quickly, or you can find it at an aquarium/pet supply store.

 

[Saveria]

I'll be praying for your girl

 

[azygous]

Here's what you do in the event of a predator attack to treat the survivor.

1. Treat for shock as the number one step. Give warm Gatoraid or mix a half teaspoon of sugar into a fourth of a cup of warm water with a pinch of salt and baking soda. Have the patient drink it all or syringe it into the beak.

2. Flush the wound well with saline. This is better than soap and water as it maintains the PH of the tissues. But warm soap and water will do. You need to wash away the bacteria from the wound.

3. Inspect the wound carefully. If it has a skin flap dangling, keep that. Do not cut it off. Look for bite, tear or puncture marks indicating a puncture wound. If you see this, the patient will need an oral antibiotic such as amoxicillin. Bacteria from the predator’s mouth can be injected deep into tissue and can kill in as little as 24 to 48 hours. You can order this https://www.kvsupply.com/item/aqua-mox-250mg-capsules-100-count/P06184/250mg once a day for ten days. Or you may be able to find this or something similar at TSC or a pet store.

4. Spray with Vetericyn wound treament and let dry. Use a topical antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin or a generic without pain killer in it to coat the wound. If there's a skin flap, lay it across the wound that has just been coated with the ointment. Then smooth on a generous amount over the top of the skin flap to hold it in place.

5. It's useless to try to stitch a wound on a chicken. Don't even try. It's also useless to try to bandage a wound other than on the feet. The chicken will not tolerate it. It will be pulled off faster than you can blink an eye.

6. Clean the wound every day following the above steps. Keep the wound covered with the ointment. Never allow the wound to get dried out or it will not heal.

 

[elc0711]

Wow, that is bigger that I imagined. I'm going to tag some folks who know more than I do. I know you will probably need antibiotics, this one is good for wounds.

https://www.chewy.com/midland-vet-services-aqua-mox/dp/344724

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous

Thank you for bringing their attention to the issue. I'll check out the links and read through their advice and try to apply it as best as I can. The wound itself actually isn't big - the large "hole" near the center of the photo is actually just shadow where her wing lays against her body. The wound is the smaller, almost triangular bit toward the top of the photo, right beneath my gloved finger.
I'll see if I can get my hands on some oral abx regardless, and thank you again