Help! Dog attack bite wounds *graphic images

[RaesChicks]

My chicken was attacked yesterday by a loose Australian shepherd. All we could find were feathers. She came back but has bite wounds on her tail. What do I do, there aren’t vets who see chickens within two hours of us.

 

[nuthatched]

Treat like a normal wound, rinse with saline or soapy water, apply wound ointment or spray and monitor

 

[casportpony]

Very true, unfortunately…

In your experience, would you give a hen Antibiotics at this point? She’s not showing any signs as of yet. Would you give anyway due to the nature and extent of the wounds?

Probably not, but I might. Here's one of mine that I gave antibiotics to for three days:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...c-pictures-happy-ending.1554557/post-26306150

 

[nuthatched]

These are picture after the bathing.

She's looking more alert,that's good.
Can you get amoxicillin for fish?

 

[Birdsonghill]

Yes! This sounds like sound advice. You don’t want too much humidity/“water” around a wound… It will only keep it too moist, it won’t heal up and will just attract bad bacteria, fungi, etc.

Thing is about wounds tho…(I’m a retired RN) It’s gonna take a lot of your own assessment skills varying on what it is you’re seeing, just trust your gut.Just remember: You want to keep a happy medium —“Not too moist and not too dry”
If you notice that the wound starts to get too dry as it begins to heal, around the edges usually, you can mix a bit of Lavender oil with Coconut oil and dab sparingly. You’ll find it provides easily absorbed moisture, increased blood flow to the tissues and has pain relief qualities too.

I have used Emu oil for keeping severe dog attack wounds on sheep and chickens soft and healing with good success. Antibiotics as a preventative is often advisable with dog or coyote attacks on sheep, and horses and likely is on chickens too. Of course eggs should not be used for a period. I always gave my sheep or horse a tetanus shot as well. Antibiotics might be a life saver if infection begins. saying this, I recently had a rooster survive a bad attack by a bobcat with a couple bad bite wounds with nothing but a washing with surgical soap, and providing vitamins and electrolytes and isolation.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

As if you don't already have enough assistants and advisors, I'd like to chime in with what DH and I did for a hen with a much more severe dog bite last year, who recovered perfectly. Her injury was on her back and was so bad I thought we were going to have to put her down. She had a large abrasion (no skin) and a deep hole as big as a quarter at least. I could see her organs! But we washed her thoroughly and trimmed her feathers, and slathered her with original Neosporin. In order not to have to scrub her daily we sprayed her wound with sterile saline twice daily to cleanse the wound, lightly patted her dry, and reapplied the Neosporin. Then we sprayed the area with Veterycin and left her alone. In three weeks she was completely healed. That's all.

 

[jBabychickn]

As if you don't already have enough assistants and advisors, I'd like to chime in with what DH and I did for a hen with a much more severe dog bite last year, who recovered perfectly. Her injury was on her back and was so bad I thought we were going to have to put her down. She had a large abrasion (no skin) and a deep hole as big as a quarter at least. I could see her organs! But we washed her thoroughly and trimmed her feathers, and slathered her with original Neosporin. In order not to have to scrub her daily we sprayed her wound with sterile saline twice daily to cleanse the wound, lightly patted her dry, and reapplied the Neosporin. Then we sprayed the area with Veterycin and left her alone. In three weeks she was completely healed. That's all.

Did you at any time notice any “hardness” in her back, perhaps along the wound line, in the skin & in her muscles that surrounded her wounds …

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Good luck with her, I'm out for the night.

 

[Birdsonghill]

One of my roosters is currently recovering from a severe bobcat attack that left him tailless, with a skinned back of the head and deep bite wounds on his posterior. He had stiffness for about two weeks in his back skin. It went away without me doing anything. I think it might of been caused by the trauma of the feathers being ripped out of his tail end and the bites. I washed his wounds with surgical soap, and provided vitamins, electrolytes and isolation, nothing more. His wounds were deep punctures. He is doing well and is going to make it fine. If it was hard and dry I would use something like glycerin or emu oil or coconut oil to soften the skin and aid healing. His skin was not dry just stiff.

 

[RaesChicks]

Found a vet that works Saturdays at a clinic nearby that will see chickens. Sage is on antibiotics for the next 10 days and has chicken strength pain reliever for the next two days. She should make a full recovery. Vet bill $95
Bannixx $28
Poultry Cell $23
antibiotic ointment $6
Puppy pads (donated by a concerned neighbor)
Time dedicated to role of chicken nurse 6.5 hours

Cost of chicken $4