hen attacked by neighbor's dog - any hope?

[chickenpiedpiper]

If you really cared about your animal, and what pain she might be going thru, you would take her to a vet, and stop seeking comfort and advice

 

[hankshens]

Quote:
If you live in an area where vets will work on chickens, all we have is the advice of each other. I found a vet in my area who said he could work on chickens, and guess what, he spent more time on the internet looking stuff up like we do to help her. I paid him for no reason. I wish there were more vets who would work on chickens, but most people dont care enough about their chickens to take them to a vet. I love my chickens and would do anything for them. If that means taking advice from people on a forum and trying to save their life, than thats what I'll do. The people on BYC know more than any vet I've talked to!

Dont get me wrong. If he had been able to help her then it would have been worth the money. I went to his office with the understanding that he works on chickens. It wasnt until he examined her that I was told that they have never worked on a chicken. However, I thought that since he was a vet I could atleast get good medication for her. Well, I had to go to TSC to buy her meds over the counter. So in my case the vet wasnt worth the money.

 

[mypicklebird]

A good vet who is willing to look up info on chickens, even if they do not know much about them, is still invaluable. They have access to medications (pain meds, antibiotics, antiparasite) you cannot buy from the feed store or on line. They also have anesthesia equipment, sterile tools, and they have experience handling tissues. I think a vet who is willing to see your pet, and is willing to do some research on your behalf, is not a waste of money. They do this all the time (look things up), and this is NOT a bad thing. A vet who knows little about a specific species, is still a vet, who has a trained mind & hands, and has access to a vast online and book library. The more you encourage your vet to learn about chickens in general, the more helpful they will be down the road. I see people complain all the time on this forum that they cannot find a local vet to help them- If you have found one who is willing to touch the bird, and is humble enough to admit they do not know everything- and is willing to look it up! great! encourage them with your patronage (at least if you liked the person, even if you were disappointed by their lack of upfront expertise). This hospital would at least be a good place to have fecals run... round worm eggs and coccidia look very similar under a microscope across species.

 

[what was i thinking]

my dog got one of my pullets. i was livid. it was one of my bo, i have four. everybody was hiding for awhile after the chase. but when they came back i could bearly tell you got it. then i saw on limping. section on her back looked like it was plucked(covered by other feathers) and a small, about an inch, punture wound between her body and leg. if she wasn't limping i would have never known. took her in, on the kitchen counter, cleaned her up, little anti cream, cat carrier for a day and out she went with the rest. just today i checked her. no sign of wound on leg and back has new feathers. i realize mine is nothing to comparison to yours, but the do get better. good luck. give her extra hugs.

 

[crtrlovr]

Quote:
In a perfect world, that would be a good solution. In the world in which we live, there aren't always vets around or on emergency call that can or will deal with poultry. There is also the financial issue. (It is my strong belief that if you have an animal, you are responsible for its entire well being, including vet visits when appropriate or necessary; yet I realize not everyone is in a position to take their livestock to a vet). I am fortunate to have vets willing to at least try, but in some areas vets flatly refuse to even examine poultry, let alone try to treat an illness or injury. Better (IMO) to seek advice (and yes, comfort too) through this forum than to give up altogether.

ETA: not trying to stir up trouble or negativity, but your post was less than helpful. I realize you (and everyone else on this forum) has strong opinions concerning animals and their care, but unless you are aware of the ENTIRE set of circumstances in a given situation (meaning in this case, unless you know the OP PERSONALLY and know of ALL their business), the value of your post was negligible.

 

[Cetawin]

I agree about the vets. I had two working on my Lilly's situation yesterday.

One who knows notta about birds was doing the fecal float tst for me. He had books out laid around in case he found something that was not a roundworm, tapeworm or something he was used to seeing in dogs and cats.

The second one works on farm animals, mainly horses, cattle and birds, and he did a house call to examine her body (she died before he arrived), examined my other girls, the coop, their food, their water.

They were both were what I paid them. $15 to vet one for the test and $10 to vet two for the house call. He normally charges $25 for a house call and he would not charge me that because Lilly has died already.

If I did not have either of them around, I would have done the same thing I did when she got ill on Sunday...everything I could and everything I find out here.

Do you have pics of your hen?

 

[Appytaz]

I had a similar situation with a goat. NO ONE would see him. It was a Friday afternoon and there was not a vet in our entire county that would see a goat. I even tried our emergency clinic and they refused him. He ended up passing because I could not get a vet to call a Vitamin B injection into the pharmacy. So, sometimes this is the only place for advice and support. Don't be so fast to judge others - you usually do not have all the facts to do something like that!

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Quote:

I am aware that my post was strong, I had given a gentler post earlier, however to see continued updates with out a person being proactive not only about the health of the particular bird but also the rest of the flock, as a springer spaniel is absolutely going to return! is frustrating. Shooting the dog and spray are only going to make issues with the neighbor worse. however making them pay a 200.00 vet bill is non lethal, legal and EFFECTIVE! The courts WILL side with the land owner over dog damage vs livestock. EVERYTIME. There is no need not to pursue this course. We do not have a local chicken vet, we have to take our birds to a vet almost an hour away. We are not wealthy, (by any means) however I can not tolerate to see anything suffer, and knowing that birds hide illness and injuries right up to the point where they keel over dead, I can only imagine the unbelievable suffering of that tiny mind. Would you ask your children or pet cat/dog to sit around and wait while that heals. rub a little cream on it?

not likely

The vet we go to works primarily on exotics. parrots etc. but he is willing, and researched for us, and didnt even charge us when he tried to save a chick with crossbill. He saw the opportunity as a chance to hone his skills even tho the poor little girl passed away. At the very least they can evaluate the wounds, and offer a quick and humane release from a prolonged suffering death. We are not a third world country, take photos, document collect the vet bills, (most vets will even wait for payment) and submit them to the neighbor! Or continue to watch your birds get picked off.

The dog pound was a step in the right direction, good job on that one.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Quote:
You own animals, and do not have information on a vet that will take care of them? Who does your shots and vaccines? If you can buy feed locally, chances are good other people own the same animals, are you still with out a vet for your remaining animals?