Help bear attack... should I euthanize?

[CCinVT]

I agree with you euthanize it, I grew up raising all our own animals for food and I learned early on a non-productive animal is not what you want. Had a lamb that continued to push after the baby was born and kept getting protracted uterus, had the vet put it back twice then she went to the butcher. My dog on the other hand is like my child, good to have been raised to have the distinction.

I have decided at this point to do what I can to help this animal heal. Besides your opinion to euthanize (which I was asking for to begin with) your comment is not particularly helpful. If this hen survives the bear attack she is more than welcome to live out her life at my home regardless how how much she produces.

 

[CCinVT]

It's looking better than it did yesterday -- I think the yellow is because of the infection.


Possibly, but since you're packing it I doubt that it's anything more than moisture, not full liquid -- the gauze should soak up most

I hope the yellow is just from infection too. She had one.poo this afternoon that was.watery and very dark... like dark coffee brown. It didn't smell strong but it seemed shocking. I was getting her set up to go outside so I just cleaned it up but maybe should have taken a picture. It hasn't happened again or I will take a picture. The area under her wing looks like its healing nicely to me. It amazes me how the areas under the skin where I'm packing look nice and health. The gash on her back though is just so gnarly.

Also, I can see where she's healing up!

If you feel you need to cut away the necrotic tissue, get a scalpel (or sharp pocket knife) and hold it over a lighter/flame until it turns reddish-orange. This will kill off any bacteria on it. Let it cool off back to normal temperature before SCRAPING at the necrotic tissue. Remember that less is better when you're scraping -- only remove the worst parts. It's better to miss a small area that can be saturated with antibiotics than to accidentally cut into healthy flesh.

The scraping will make it less uncomfortable for her, and it reduces the risk of accidentally cutting her (compared to forcibly cutting away the necrotic tissue, which can result in cutting tissue

It's amazing how fast the wounds are changing now! I'm glad you can see healing. The underside of the gash above the actual would is pretty gnarly. Her poor little tail nub seems super sensitive, and still warm. On the underside of it the skin was peeled with a small puncture that I was able to irrigate the first day or 2 but now is closed up. It's the
area above her vent/base of tail. Theres diffinatly chicken puss working it's way to the surface across this whole little area. I keep rubbing it with my vet soaked gauze and neosporin.
Your description of scraping is super helpful, and I obviously don't want to cause her any more pain that shes already in. I should clarify the only skin I've cut is super dry thin crunch that was along the edges of some of the skinned areas. Nothing even remotely alive. Otherwise I've been using a vetericyn soaked gauze pad and ,wiping. Each time I wipe those areas are changing. Just tonight the skinned under her wing did start to rub off some, and there were some chunks that came right off in the gash... other ones spots that look like they want to come off when I wipe the wounds.

@CCinVT, you might want to actually try syringe-feeding her with Oxbow's Critical Care for omnivores. It's a great way to make sure she's getting nutrients in her, and will help get her used to syringes so you can give her the antibiotics more easily as well.

I went to the website and just did a search for this stuff in my area and it doesnt come up. I will look a bit more tomorrow cause it does sound like a good thing to have on hand even. It would be good to know I'm getting some balanced nutrition into her. She does ok with the syringe which is why I'm annoyed I didnt think of it sooner. Shes just a fiesty girl to begin with. I think I was so focused on the wound part. On the topic of eatting though my daughter gave her a triangle of her veggie quesadilla while she was outside today and she went nuts for it! I should have been sneaking her veggies in a quesadilla just like I do my toddler! She also ate some grass/weeds in the yard and picked at her pellets, and rice. So she did ok today. Certainly not full crop eatting but enough that you can feel food in there. I've got some probiotics in her water today also.

 

[Gizabelle]

Its so good to hear that she's progressing!
I am amazed that she has been so cooperative with all the intensive wound care.
Maybe someone more experienced can chime in on the nutritional aspect here, but when I've had to have one of mine in medical lockdown, after a few days if things are looking better and I'm just trying to boost appetite, I run up to the bait store and buy a few crickets. Obviously, you don't want to give too many, but its good protein (and may have some small enrichment value since she can't be outside at present) Mine tend to perk up a bit expecting some from me everyday until I run through the basket.
Definitely get another opinion concerning her particular situation (and those abnormal poops) before trying it, but just wanted to throw that out there.

We're all rooting for you!

 

[Chicalina]

Cat food is also a good source of emergency protein when you need to boost them.

When I have a sick chicken I make a mash of oats, honey, live yogurt, garlic and peanut butter, moistened with water that has chicken vitamins dissolved in it. I do it in a crumbly moist texture if they can eat by themselves, or a wet porridge consistency if they can't eat and I need to syringe it into their beaks. They always seem to love it and it has protein, energy and prebiotics.

 

[Ascholten]

cat food is a good source of protein and if she doesn't make it, then food for the cat.

I am almost embarrassed to say this but... LONG night at work, over tired right now, seen the post above about honey and first thought, now why the hell would you want to smear honey on your chicken? The other's would tear it apart! The it dawned on me, oh FEED her honey. Yah, time for bed.

Glad she's doing so much better, and to be honest, if she's made it this far, I think the worst of your worries is really over. If you keep the infection out, which is seems you have, the rest of it is just closing up and getting back to what will be her new normal.

I keep seeing, syringe down the beak? Is there any special way you have to do that so they don't aspirate the food?

Aaron

 

[Chicalina]

cat food is a good source of protein and if she doesn't make it, then food for the cat.

I am almost embarrassed to say this but... LONG night at work, over tired right now, seen the post above about honey and first thought, now why the hell would you want to smear honey on your chicken? The other's would tear it apart! The it dawned on me, oh FEED her honey. Yah, time for bed.

Glad she's doing so much better, and to be honest, if she's made it this far, I think the worst of your worries is really over. If you keep the infection out, which is seems you have, the rest of it is just closing up and getting back to what will be her new normal.

I keep seeing, syringe down the beak? Is there any special way you have to do that so they don't aspirate the food?

Aaron

I was talking about honey on the wounds! But it is also good in their food when they are ill.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941901/

As for syringing food, you can properly tube feed down their throat but I've never done that. If the hen can swallow, you just push the syringe end (no needle obviously) at the side of their beak and squeeze some mush out. They then take the food into their beaks and swallow by themselves. That way you avoid it going down the wrong way. When a hen is sick and their appetite is gone, it's a good way of helping them eat.

 

[Ascholten]

TY for the info. That's what I was wondering yes if they eat you get it down the back of their throat but if they are at the point of being force fed, how to make sure you don't squirt in the wrong hole and choke them?

Honey on the wounds, I cant but help but think it'd be a horrible sticky mess that attracts flies, and all kinds of undesirables unless you got her in a cage in the house or somewhere you can isolate her from that. Not to mention the dirt and everything else that'd adhere to it. This also brings me to an earlier topic I posted in somewhere, bees WILL come and try to take their honey back too! They worked hard to make it, and if you leave it out, they will try to take it back to the nest.

Possibly spread and put gauze over it or some way of isolating it?

Aaron

 

[LaFleche]

Here is an article by @casportpony on how to safely administer oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Chicalina]

If you go on YouTube there are lots of videos showing how to tube feed chickens so it goes into their stomach not their lungs. I would be scared to try tbh, but that is just me.

Yes, you'd cover the wound to avoid flies etc, but they are attracted to the smell of rotting flesh anyway, so that is always something you have to guard against.

 

[KaseySnow]

Honey on the wounds, I cant but help but think it'd be a horrible sticky mess that attracts flies, and all kinds of undesirables unless you got her in a cage in the house or somewhere you can isolate her from that. Not to mention the dirt and everything else that'd adhere to it. This also brings me to an earlier topic I posted in somewhere, bees WILL come and try to take their honey back too! They worked hard to make it, and if you leave it out, they will try to take it back to the nest.

Possibly spread and put gauze over it or some way of isolating it?

Aaron

If you'd like to know more about applying medihoney for wound care, the thread I posted a bit earlier utilized this method later in the healing process for this severe injury (graphic pic warning): https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/graphic-pics-wing-amputation-advise.1246736/

Results seemed good. A few others pipped up in the thread about medical sugar wraps, lots of interesting info. I think the thread poster eventually wrote an article on BYC about it.