Juvenile Chicken hurt by Dog

[Xlyinia]

Hello All,

I have a 3 month old gal named Camilla that got out of the coop enclosure last night and was picked up and tossed by a dog. I immediately was able to get her and clean her off and check her out. Her wings extended fine, as did her legs. I checked for breaks and nothing was apparent. I put her in the coop and her flock nuzzled her and stayed on the floor with her all night instead of roosting.

This morning she was out and laying on the ground pecking near her head. Her eyes are clear and she is eating and drinking but she has a severe limp, so bad she just takes a few steps and lays down. I have a feeling it is a sprain or torn muscle since it seems to only cause her pain when she applies pressure (all my pulling, squeezing and checking don't get any reaction other than puzzlement).

Can I give her baby aspirin? How much? If I could afford a vet visit I would, but right now it isn't in the cards. Any help or recommendation would be very appreciated.


Erin

 

[lightchick]

You could try wrapping up her leg with bandage wrap.

 

[Eggcessive]

She could take a low dose 80 mg aspirin twice a day. Examine her leg and foot to look for any bruises or swelling, and feel for a break. Force her to rest the leg for a few days, inside a cage in the coop and run with friends. If you suspect a break, vet wrap and a finger splint or padded popsicle sticks make good leg splints. Sprained legs can take a month or so to completely heal.

 

[Xlyinia]

Thank you so much, I'm going to try to splint her tonight and also figure out how to get her to eat an aspirin!