Hen attacked by dog day and a half ago

[Ranchwithaview]

Hello, our favorite hen (one year old) flew into our neighbor's field and was attacked by their German shepherd. It seems from her injuries that he might have just played with her, and was not trying to eat her. When I found her she was in shock and panting. When she calmed down, I looked for injuries. I only found one puncture wound, which I cleaned. I am new to chickens and attacks. I may have missed something. There was no dropping blood any where.

She is wobbly when she stands, and will try to balance with one wing more than the other. She lays down most of the day.

She eats and drinks a little.

I have her inside.

Today she started sounding bubbly when she breathes. She also had a kind of coughing fit for a few minutes. I thought that was the end for her. The coughing/choking stopped, and she is eating a little again.

I would like to help her. Is there something I should be doing for get that I might be missing?

Thank you.

 

[Eggcessive]

Where is the puncture wound? Does she have any injuries or wounds around her neck or back? Will she drink some water for you? I would offer some feed mixed with a lot of water and some cooked egg, and give her some water with electrolytes.

She may have been squeezed, and could have internal injuries. Clean the puncture with betadine, chlorhexidene, or Vetericyn and try to keep if open for a day or two by applying plain neosporin antibiotic ointment with a QTip.

 

[Shadrach]

Where on her body is the puncture wound?
Could you post a very clear picture of the wound?
I think it's very likely she has internal injuries. It doesn't take much jaw pressure from a dog to do considerable damage without breaking the skin.
Even with hawk attack here internal injuries is often what kills the chicken.
Unfortunately there isn't much you can do.
Clean the wound with Chlorhexidine or a veterinary wound cleaner. Don't use Hydrogen Peroxide.
Once the wound is clean, apply an anti biotic ointment.
A vitamin supplement such as Nutri Drench can be given.
If your hen is reluctant to eat then you can syringe feed her. In this instance I would not recommend tube feeding in case there is crop damage. A few drops at a time in the left hand side of her beak would be better.
She needs to be kept warm so bring her inside and if you have a pet carrier put her in that with some towels on the bottom.
To encourage her to eat, chopped tuna, scrambled egg, yogurt with a bit of honey mixed in are favorites here.
You can also make a wet mash of her normal food and this can be syringe fed with the right sized syringe.
Don't try to bandage the wound.
You can give half a junior aspirin once a day with food to help with the pain crushed and either mixed in with her food or dissolved in water.

 

[Ranchwithaview]

Thank you. I am having trouble loading pictures from my phone. The puncture wound is on her back about 1-2" from her tail. I cleaned it with saline the day of the attack and put triple antibiotic ointment on. Should I reapply daily?

She is breathing better now. I will try some of the foods suggested. Thank you again.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I’m so sorry about your sweet hen! Bear hugs!
I hope she makes a full recovery!

 

[Eggcessive]

Good to hear that she is breathing okay. I would watch for signs of infection. Clean the wound and use the triple antibiotic ointment twice a day until it heals.

 

[Ranchwithaview]

Update: surprisingly, she is still with us. She continues to eat, drink, and poop. She doesn't move much, so today I had to wash poop off. But, I am just glad she is hanging in there, and hopefully healing. I took her out for fresh air and she walked a bit.

 

[Eggcessive]

Will she get on a small perch, such as a small log or post set in her crate? Chicken slings are good to use to get them up and out of their dropping, but it sounds like she is able to walk okay. Glad to hear that she is haging in there. I would try to keep her part of her flock with visits or placing her crate inside the coop. Do you have any pictures of her or the wound?

 

[Ranchwithaview]

Will she get on a small perch, such as a small log or post set in her crate? Chicken slings are good to use to get them up and out of their dropping, but it sounds like she is able to walk okay. Glad to hear that she is haging in there. I would try to keep her part of her flock with visits or placing her crate inside the coop. Do you have any pictures of her or the wound?

Thank you. A perch is a good idea. I will try tomorrow. She spent a lot of time out today (supervised) with the other chickens. It's good to know I am on the right track.

 

[italian chick]

Hello, our favorite hen (one year old) flew into our neighbor's field and was attacked by their German shepherd. It seems from her injuries that he might have just played with her, and was not trying to eat her. When I found her she was in shock and panting. When she calmed down, I looked for injuries. I only found one puncture wound, which I cleaned. I am new to chickens and attacks. I may have missed something. There was no dropping blood any where.

She is wobbly when she stands, and will try to balance with one wing more than the other. She lays down most of the day.

She eats and drinks a little.

I have her inside.

Today she started sounding bubbly when she breathes. She also had a kind of coughing fit for a few minutes. I thought that was the end for her. The coughing/choking stopped, and she is eating a little again.

I would like to help her. Is there something I should be doing for get that I might be missing?

Thank you.