Help, chicken attacked by dog.

[mar]

Thanks. I think that’s a good plan. I think it was probably a bad idea to try and soak off the feathers. I think the combination of the moisture and then the neosporin made the skin/scab start to separate from her next layer. I’ve tried to trim as much of the feathers i can. She doesn’t act like the feathers near her eyes bother her. I did trim some but got nervous because she can move a lot. She shakes her head when i use the spray but i think that will be my best bet.

 

[mar]

What do you think of blu-kote? I have some of that as well.

 

[XanderWiFi]

No blue kote for this. Wound is too deep. Blue kote is for superficial wounds.

The dog has ripped the skin off. And I am so happy to see that her neck, esophagus, trachea, etc is still all intact in the front. Her alertness and willingness to eat/drink on her own are great signs.

The yellowish stuff you are seeing I believe is fatty tissue. The dog that attacked my bird completely degloved her neck exposing smooth shiny muscle and the bone at the base of the skull.

You were correct to try to get the old feathers etc off. You must keep this wound clean to prevent an infection and old dirty feathers is the same as throwing a turd into an OR room.

Mix some peroxide together with warm water, it looks pretty clean, but a good proper debridement washout is what this wound needs. Be sure to trim back feathers as well. At first, I did not think my girls wound was too bad until I trimmed and found the other tears and where her neck was hanging down.

After the debridement I would stick with a triple antibiotic ointment. Something that feels petroleum based. This will help protect from infection and will also keep the area moistened and prevent drying/scabbing that will pull and break any time she moves her head.

I would not recommend chlorhexidine or betadine for this wound.

Do not be surprised if you notice tissue sloughing off a little bit. It will be a slow recovery as the skin grows from the edges inward. I would keep it simple: cleaning with a simple soap (unscented) and water or saline/water washout and protection with ointment. If you begin noticing signs of infection, a trip to the vet for antibiotics.

 

[XanderWiFi]

The pictures have been great, you have been doing great so far. I would like to see a picture of the front of her neck if possible please. Preferably with her beak tilted up a little bit.

 

[getaclue]

Keep using the spray, and neosporin. If it dries out, and starts to scab too much, it will itch more, and she will scratch more, then it gets messy, and takes longer. Just keep doing what you're doing. I am not seeing any infection in the pictures, although pictures don't always show everything, like a live, close up inspection does. Again, healing takes time. Plan on caring for her for another couple weeks, at least. What you are doing, is working just fine. Don't try changing things yet.

 

[mar]

I have attached a front picture and another with her a little more dried out. It’s not fatty tissue. It’s whatever skin film that develops when your tissue dries out. But after that happened i added water to soak off the feathers and the neosporin trapped the moisture. Which has made the skin film bubble up and now she is shaking her head and it comes flying off or she is scratching it off. I read somewhere that putting band aids on their toes helps keep them from doing damage. What do you think?

 

[getaclue]

You can make her chicken boots. It won't be as easy as dealing with a chick, but should serve the purpose. Stand her on a piece of duct tape, large enough for her entire foot, and stick her foot to it, gently spreading the toes. Put a piece of duct tape on top, pressing gently between toes, and around the edges. If you need to, wrap it with a little vet wrap. I don't usually do the vet wrap, unless needed due to a chicken being able to remove the tape.

 

[getaclue]

With very clean hands, or wearing rubber gloves which is even better, you can gently rub the neosporin in a little better, with a finger, which should help reduce the trapped moisture.

 

[XanderWiFi]

Or a q-tip. The warmth from her body eventually melts the petroleum based neosporin helping with full and even coverage.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What do you think of blu-kote? I have some of that as well.

I have attached a front picture and another with her a little more dried out. It’s not fatty tissue. It’s whatever skin film that develops when your tissue dries out. But after that happened i added water to soak off the feathers and the neosporin trapped the moisture. Which has made the skin film bubble up and now she is shaking her head and it comes flying off or she is scratching it off. I read somewhere that putting band aids on their toes helps keep them from doing damage. What do you think?

I would not use BluKote at this time. Continue with the Vetericyn or a thin coating of Neosporin.

I also would not try to soak of the feathers, just leave them be, they will eventually come loose as she scabs over and she grows in new ones. I see a few pin feathers coming in already at the from of her neck, those can be itchy too.

I'm not quite understanding the question about putting bandaids on the toes? Is this for a small chick that needs curled toes corrected?

If you aren't already, she will benefit from poultry vitamins a couple of times a week along with some extra protein like egg, tuna or meat.

I agree with @getaclue the wounds look good to me from what I can see in the photos, time and patience is all you need. You are doing a great job taking care of her!