Injured duck please help

[airkat86]

One of my khakis was carried off by a neighbors dog this afternoon. I chased them down after my lovely Gander goose alerted me to trouble in the yard and even attempted to battle one of the dogs himself. She was walking but slower and after getting her safe and inside I found this wound.
I need advice on how to treat it best? I can get a few more clearer photos of it possibly. It looks deep but I haven't fully examined it yet. What can I put on it? Is there anything i can give her? It's bound to be painful. Unfortunately being Christmas Eve I'm limited as to what I already have in the house...
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[naivetefarm]

Oh boy - I am so sorry that happened to your duck!

I have never had a duck injured that badly, but when one of ours got a sore on her foot, we treated it with an iodine solution initially and then put Vetericyn Wound and Skin Care gel on it twice a day for about a week, and she healed up very nicely (this also did the trick for a chick who got a sore on her belly). If you can keep her indoors in a kennel or somewhere quiet, warm and separate for a while, that would be good so the other birds don't pick on her while she's recovering. I also recommend putting her on some electrolytes and antibiotics as one of her water choices, too.

Hopefully you'll get some more advice soon from folks who have been through this particular situation before! Sending lots of well-wishes your way!

 

[Miss Lydia]

@airkat86 Some good advise already, if you don't have iodine or betadine then make a saline solution with warm water and salt mixed till dissolved. then just pour over and rinse the wound out real good. then use If you don't have Veterycin [which by the way is a great product for wounds and infections]use Neomycin or triple antibiotic don't cover and don't use anything with pain med in it. Duck are amazing at how they can recover so keep her quite warm and away from the rest of them flock so she can recover from shock and begin to heal. If you have chickens dif keep her away from them they are very attracted to open wounds.
Hows your goose?
I would dif go have a talk with the neighbors you are entitled to compensation and also you are allowed to protect your animals from attack
The dog has had it's one chance. Did the dog breach fencing?

 

[Amiga]

I'll add to the good advice already given.

I would let the duck swim in a tub of lukewarm water so that the wound gets rinsed off, and so that you can examine the duck closely - look around the vent and under the wings for more puncture wounds.

Storey's Guide recommends clipping the feathers a half inch away from the edges of the wound.

You can find a saline solution recipe in WebMD, by the way.

You probably already do, but be sure to talk to the duck like you would an injured person. They are vocal, social creatures and the voice can really soothe them.

I don't know what the weather is like where you are, but if it's warm, there may be flies and you need to keep the duck in, away from flies because they will lay eggs in the wound. yuck, and dangerous.

Please keep us posted.

 

[airkat86]

Thank you all for the advice. We cleaned her up and was able to get a better look at it... Doesn't seem to be a puncture after all... More like skin being torn off where the feathers were torn. We put some cream on it so hopefully that helps. She hasn't eaten her peas yet. Hopefully tomorrow after a good night rest in our bathroom she will eat something.
Sadly I can't say the same for one of my poor chickens... She's in really bad shape only returning at bedtime I don't even know how she's still alive.. We also found one chicken in the coop at bed that seemed to just drop dead... Stress and heart attack my fiancé is guessing.
My Gander is tired after the excitement as well as the other two geese that were out of the pen because the dogs tore down part of the fence. But the rest of the flock ducks and chickens are all accounted for and well.
Scary afternoon for all! Thanks for the advice.
We haven't talked to the neighbors yet but I doubt much will come of it. We shall spend our Christmas reinforcing and adding more to our fences.
Thank you!

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you all for the advice. We cleaned her up and was able to get a better look at it... Doesn't seem to be a puncture after all... More like skin being torn off where the feathers were torn. We put some cream on it so hopefully that helps. She hasn't eaten her peas yet. Hopefully tomorrow after a good night rest in our bathroom she will eat something.
Sadly I can't say the same for one of my poor chickens... She's in really bad shape only returning at bedtime I don't even know how she's still alive.. We also found one chicken in the coop at bed that seemed to just drop dead... Stress and heart attack my fiancé is guessing.
My Gander is tired after the excitement as well as the other two geese that were out of the pen because the dogs tore down part of the fence. But the rest of the flock ducks and chickens are all accounted for and well.
Scary afternoon for all! Thanks for the advice.
We haven't talked to the neighbors yet but I doubt much will come of it. We shall spend our Christmas reinforcing and adding more to our fences.
Thank you!

Relieved to hear your duck looks better than first thought. I am very sorry about your chickens.
and your geese are okay too.
Yes reinforce your fencing and this is just me but I would not give those dogs another chance, animal control is there for a purpose.We have rights when it comes to protecting our animals. Give animal control or sheriffs dept a call and ask what your rights are as for protecting your livestock.

@airkat86 Welcome to BYC!!

 

[naivetefarm]

@airkat86 - So sorry to hear that your chickens are in bad shape. Glad to hear that your duck seems to be better than you thought, though. I will say that I'm with @Miss Lydia as far as the dog goes. We have dogs on our property and as their guardians (among several other animals), it's up to us to make sure that the dogs behave and don't meddle in things they aren't supposed to - especially when it comes to neighboring properties. It seems that your neighbor has a problem controlling their dog and perhaps they are uncomfortable fencing their dog when they aren't able to watch them. It might be worth recommending a wireless fence system for them. We have our dog trained to one when we are at home (we live in city limits and have just under an acre of property) and it's much less expensive than putting in actual fencing. Plus, I have the added benefit of never worrying that she will get harmed by running onto the road.

Here's a link if you're interested in passing the information along. Sometimes it helps to offer a solution that works for everyone, but really... in the end, it's their responsibility to make sure their dog stays on their property and is not destructive.
http://www.radiofence.com/petsafe-s...kufwOf22Pv632lMD8aKL6e-V2PUX1U5OXphoC7bjw_wcB

 

[airkat86]

Thank you everyone! Lil Khaki is doing so much better. The wound wasn't as bad as it looked. It's healing over nicely. She even laid an egg yesterday! I'm not letting her back with the flock until it's completely healed.
Thank you for the suggestions on the dogs as well.. Unfortunately our neighbors could really care less. So we have spent the holidays reenforcing and adding to our fencing. It's not very pretty but hopefully will help keep them safe.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Thank you everyone! Lil Khaki is doing so much better. The wound wasn't as bad as it looked. It's healing over nicely. She even laid an egg yesterday! I'm not letting her back with the flock until it's completely healed.
Thank you for the suggestions on the dogs as well.. Unfortunately our neighbors could really care less. So we have spent the holidays reenforcing and adding to our fencing. It's not very pretty but hopefully will help keep them safe.

Awesome news!! so happy that she is on the mend!!