Help! Our Gloria is hurt.

[Epuckett]

I’m new here. Sorry for the short intro…
I’m a wife, mother of 3, an animal lover and a teacher.
We have two dogs, a cat and a duck.
Gloria is really hurt.
Something got in her pin last night.
Her wing is hanging. She is definitely in shock. No vet around here will take her.
I have her inside and have cleaned her up and worked on her wound.
But I’m not sure what else to do.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC. Sorry your duck is injured. Do any of the wing bones feel broken? Are there any other injuries?

 

[Jenbirdee]

I copied this from @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.

 

[casportpony]

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.

Good advice except for the amoxicillin dose. The correct amoxicillin dose is 57 to 69 mg per pound of body weight *twice* a day for seven to ten days.

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.

If the wing is broken it needs a splint, and I would advise against daily cleanings with a fracture.

If it is fractured, it needs to be debrided & cleaned with something like chlorhexidine, then wrapped.

 

[CCsGarden]

Welcome to BYC!!

Im so sorry! I hope someone can help you soon!

 

[Epuckett]

Welcome to BYC!!

Im so sorry! I hope someone can help you soon!

Me too

 

[casportpony]

I too was told twice per day, and hopefully my dosage I used on a silkie was correct as somewhere here I read 500 mg twice a day, so I gave her half that for a week. She just had come out of the coop with a horrible respiratory issue one morning that lingered for two days and I have no idea why she was the only one affected but this did the trick.

It should always be given by weight. This is why making blanket statements about doses can be so harmful. You were smart not to give 500mg.

When my vets have prescribed it, it's been 125 mg/kg (57 mg per pound), and all veterinary textbooks I have seen say 125-150 mg/kg.

 

[Epuckett]

This was very helpful! Thank you. We are sort of new to this.

I have it medicated. But I’m afraid that maybe I should clip some. We have a friend coming soon to check. I’ll keep you posted. Thank you again.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck with your duck.

 

[Epuckett]

She seems to be in better spirits today. We are keeping her inside but came out for fresh air. I have been treating her as you suggested. I cannot tell if anything is broken off. She is holding it up today.