Hurt duck, please help

[Amrobblee]

Last night one of my females was grabbed through the fence by a dog, she was able to get away but a good chunk of feathers and skin were taken off of her. I called around and only 3 vets in my state will see her but I’m still waiting for return calls from all of them to see if they can get her in. She was very lethargic last night so I isolated her and checked this morning and she’s just huddled up next to the coop heater but way more alert and actually running when I try to grab her today but I still don’t know what to do while we wait to hear from the vet. How can I make her more comfortable while we wait? Is there anything I can do? I feel so awful

 

[lost-duckling]

put antibiotic ointment on it then when that has done its work spray that stuff that makes it heal faster by forming little golden crystals. they sell it at some feed stores. also what state are you in?

 

[Chicken Chat]

I'm so sorry about your duck! Poor baby, that looks awful! I had several roosters attacked by stray dogs a few years ago, the 3 that weren't killed were in rough shape, skinned backs and nasty. I couldn't find a vet that would treat so I did it myself and they healed. Clean it up with peroxide to get any infection out first then slather with triple antibiotic if you have it. If you have any nu-stock, even better. Wouldn't hurt to give sugar water or nutri-drench if shes in shock and keep her warm. It took a long time but my boys healed and feathered up.

 

[Isaac 0]

If you have not flushed the wound, you'll want to do so using saline, or an antiseptic such as chlorhexidine diluted down - a dish soap bottle, or large syringe can be used for lavaging. Additionally, I would keep her in a warm area ( 80F, watch for panting/wings held out), stress-free area with plenty of feed, and water/electrolytes provided. Here is some in-depth info on dealing with wounds:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24018471/

Hopefully, you can get to her a vet soon; if not you will likely need to collect supplies to be able to hydrate her efficiently, and consider antibiotics.

 

[Isaac 0]

I'm so sorry about your duck! Poor baby, that looks awful! I had several roosters attacked by stray dogs a few years ago, the 3 that weren't killed were in rough shape, skinned backs and nasty. I couldn't find a vet that would treat so I did it myself and they healed. Clean it up with peroxide to get any infection out first then slather with triple antibiotic if you have it. If you have any nu-stock, even better. Wouldn't hurt to give sugar water or nutri-drench if shes in shock and keep her warm. It took a long time but my boys healed and feathered up.

If Hydrogen peroxide is to be used, it should be diluted down properly as straight hydrogen peroxide will delay healing, and damage the tissue.

 

[Amrobblee]

put antibiotic ointment on it then when that has done its work spray that stuff that makes it heal faster by forming little golden crystals. they sell it at some feed stores. also what state are you in?

I’m in Colorado, my nearest feed store is big R so I will check there, thank you!

 

[Amrobblee]

If you have not flushed the wound, you'll want to do so using saline, or an antiseptic such as chlorhexidine diluted down - a dish soap bottle, or large syringe can be used for lavaging. Additionally, I would keep her in a warm area ( 80F, watch for panting/wings held out), stress-free area with plenty of feed, and water/electrolytes provided. Here is some in-depth info on dealing with wounds:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24018471/

Hopefully, you can get to her a vet soon; if not you will likely need to collect supplies to be able to hydrate her efficiently, and consider antibiotics.

I was able to find an emergency vet that will see her, hopefully they can prescribe something for her, I would much rather the vet take care of her. I’ve never had to deal with something like this before and she doesn’t want to eat or drink right now it is snowing here in CO and she has a coop heater but I don’t think it’s keeping the coop 80 degrees, should I keep her inside for the time being? She is panicking being away from the other ducks right now, I feel so awful

 

[KaleIAm]

I was able to find an emergency vet that will see her, hopefully they can prescribe something for her, I would much rather the vet take care of her. I’ve never had to deal with something like this before and she doesn’t want to eat or drink right now it is snowing here in CO and she has a coop heater but I don’t think it’s keeping the coop 80 degrees, should I keep her inside for the time being? She is panicking being away from the other ducks right now, I feel so awful

I'm very sorry to hear about your duck.

That's great an emergency vet will see her. I would bring her inside, and probably bring in a companion for her as well to help her remain calm. I would probably put them in my bathroom with towels on the floor and turn the lights off.

Personally I wouldn't use peroxide. It does delay healing as it damaged tissues.

"Though applying hydrogen peroxide to a wound can help kill off any bacteria, it also damages other exposed-but-still-healthy cells — and can slow healing altogether. If healing proceeds more slowly, that provides greater opportunity for infection to set in."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/elemental.medium.com/amp/p/2929794e732d

 

[Amrobblee]

I'm very sorry to hear about your duck.

That's great an emergency vet will see her. I would bring her inside, and probably bring in a companion for her as well to help her remain calm. I would probably put them in my bathroom with towels on the floor and turn the lights off.

Personally I wouldn't use peroxide. It does delay healing as it damaged tissues.

"Though applying hydrogen peroxide to a wound can help kill off any bacteria, it also damages other exposed-but-still-healthy cells — and can slow healing altogether. If healing proceeds more slowly, that provides greater opportunity for infection to set in."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/elemental.medium.com/amp/p/2929794e732d

The vet said despite the wound being so big she’s very stabilized and she was drinking water on her own while in there so he said she seems to have a pretty good chance at recovering. He’s going to prescribe some antibiotics and recommends me bringing her inside while she heals. Unfortunately nothing can be done about the wound and we have to let it heal on its own