Is she a goner?

[Carpediem0881]

So my lovely puppy got a hold of one of our barred rocks... Huge neck wound, just took a peak to find a big cut. Not sure if stitching it up will work. Any thoughts? And sorry no vet trips for chickens for me. Love em, but limited funds.

Was muscles and tendons seem ok, just wide open wound, is the tissue dying already?

 

[dawg53]

Flush the wound with betadine, then liberally apply neosporin ointment. Apply neosporin as needed until healed.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is the chicken alert and active, or in shock? Is she moving wings and legs? I would clean it with diluted Betadine, Chlorhexadrene (Hibiclens,) or only once with hydrogen peroxide. Apply plain neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment to the wound twice a day. Don't clean it any more unless it looks goopy or infected, or you want to use some plain saline. Watch for signs of infection--redness, puss, or a foul odor. The wound should close up in a few weeks if kept clean and free of flies. Encourage her to eat her regular feed with some scrambled egg or a small amount of canned tuna for a treat high in protein. Taking enough fluids right now is more important than eating.

 

[Carpediem0881]

So i successfully stitched her up. That wounds was about 2 inches long and had a tear similar to this -I. I stitched it up with about 8 stitches and then cleaned it up, used some new skin to help keep it closed too. I will post pics of the results soon. She is moved into the basement brooder where we keep our chicks and will give her plenty of fluids and mixed in some electrolytes.

Thanks for all the input, will get her some food in the am and try tuna for some proteins.

One thing she is doing is opening her mouth and leaving it open for a couple seconds. any thoughts?

 

[Carpediem0881]

 

[Eggcessive]

With a dirty wound such as a dog bite, I normally would not stitch it up, but sometimes vets will do this after thoroughly cleaning the wound with betadine. Watch carefully for signs of an abscess about day 2 or 3--the signs would be puffiness, and redness at the suture line. Antibiotics probably wouldn't hurt now. Clavamox, amoxicillin, Keflex, and others would be some to use, but those come from a vet. Good luck with her, ad I hope she recovers well.

I just saw your pictures, and good job on the sutures. She may be too warm or gasping a bit with the beak opening. She is lucky that you got to her in time.

 

[mymilliefleur]

I had a hen like that once, she was attacked by a fox and disappeared, I fond her three days later, with her back and side torn open. I didn't think she would make it, but I washed her wounds with hydrogen peroxide, and then covered them with nustock (the stuff stinks, but it is great for wound dressing.) My hen didn't eat much for the next three weeks, but she gradually got better, and made a full recovery.

 

[Carpediem0881]

Thanks Eggcessive, just got amox out of fridge that our dog needed a little while back and did some calculations and gave her some in a dropper. will continue for 7 days twice a day. Thanks for everyones input. and we will see how she progresses.

 

[Eggcessive]

Chickens usually get 250mg of Amoxicillin daily by mouth, in 2 divided doses. That sounds like a lot, but it's what Plumb's Veterinary Handbook recommends.