Eggstatic1727
Chirping
Yesterday my 1 year old Olive Egger was free ranging in my backyard, I was out with her and her 2 sisters and an Australian Shepherd was running loose in the field behind my house. Well, my chickens where out by my chain link fence and the dog was able to tear into the fence and grab my Olive Egger, Sniffles.
The dog took off with it and it was at least 4-5 minutes before we were able to catch the dog and get her back, we surely thought she was dead. But somehow she was alive and trying to walk. She is missing about 50% of her feathers and has puncture wounds all over her back end and a pretty bad gaping wound on the back side of her neck. This is the stuff of nightmares people, it was one of the most terrifying experiences to know she went through all of that and was still standing afterward.
There is one wound on her back that possibly could use stitches, but with it being a Sunday that this happened there were no emergency vets that saw birds open at the time. My boyfriend and I put her in a box and took her home, we put her in our bathroom and doctored her wounds with peroxide and Neosporin, then covered her backside with an antibacterial wound covering. I checked her wings and legs to see if I could tell if anything was broken, it did not seem like it. We let her rest and I was checking on her throughout the night.
For the first 3 hours she was laying down with her beak to the floor, not eating or drinking. Figured she was in shock. I had very low hopes of her recovering, each time I would check on her I knew I would see my Sniffles dead in the box. At about 2am Monday morning, I couldn't believe it but she was standing. She seemed to be coming out of her stupor a little. And then by 6am this morning I go to open the box and she was alert and even greeted me with a coo and by trying to leap out of the box.
I don't think she is ready to give up! Don't be fooled though, she has severe wounds, but she ate some scrambled egg and drank some electrolyte water I made up for her. So it was very encouraging.
Her wounds looked only the slightest amount better after the cleaning and ointment, so I think we are headed in the right direction.
IF YOU GUYS CAN GIVE ME AS MUCH ADVICE AS POSSIBLE, about where to go from here. I plan on keeping her in the box for now, and cleaning her wounds maybe 2-3 times daily? Should I take her to the vet? Should I just call the vet and inquire about what to do next? I don't want to stress her out anymore by exposing her to traveling to the vet, then the visit itself.
I believe she may need antibiotics, considering the bites from the dog, is there something I can pick up at tractor supply? Also should I get vitamins for her water? Is there something I can be using that's better than Neosporin? Any and all advice is so appreciated. She is actually my pet and not just some farm animal and I want to give her the best chance I can to make it through this.
Also encouraging words are welcomed during this terrible time. Thanks, this is a great community I am glad I can rely on. Sorry for the long post.
The dog took off with it and it was at least 4-5 minutes before we were able to catch the dog and get her back, we surely thought she was dead. But somehow she was alive and trying to walk. She is missing about 50% of her feathers and has puncture wounds all over her back end and a pretty bad gaping wound on the back side of her neck. This is the stuff of nightmares people, it was one of the most terrifying experiences to know she went through all of that and was still standing afterward.
There is one wound on her back that possibly could use stitches, but with it being a Sunday that this happened there were no emergency vets that saw birds open at the time. My boyfriend and I put her in a box and took her home, we put her in our bathroom and doctored her wounds with peroxide and Neosporin, then covered her backside with an antibacterial wound covering. I checked her wings and legs to see if I could tell if anything was broken, it did not seem like it. We let her rest and I was checking on her throughout the night.
For the first 3 hours she was laying down with her beak to the floor, not eating or drinking. Figured she was in shock. I had very low hopes of her recovering, each time I would check on her I knew I would see my Sniffles dead in the box. At about 2am Monday morning, I couldn't believe it but she was standing. She seemed to be coming out of her stupor a little. And then by 6am this morning I go to open the box and she was alert and even greeted me with a coo and by trying to leap out of the box.
I don't think she is ready to give up! Don't be fooled though, she has severe wounds, but she ate some scrambled egg and drank some electrolyte water I made up for her. So it was very encouraging.
Her wounds looked only the slightest amount better after the cleaning and ointment, so I think we are headed in the right direction.
IF YOU GUYS CAN GIVE ME AS MUCH ADVICE AS POSSIBLE, about where to go from here. I plan on keeping her in the box for now, and cleaning her wounds maybe 2-3 times daily? Should I take her to the vet? Should I just call the vet and inquire about what to do next? I don't want to stress her out anymore by exposing her to traveling to the vet, then the visit itself.
I believe she may need antibiotics, considering the bites from the dog, is there something I can pick up at tractor supply? Also should I get vitamins for her water? Is there something I can be using that's better than Neosporin? Any and all advice is so appreciated. She is actually my pet and not just some farm animal and I want to give her the best chance I can to make it through this.
Also encouraging words are welcomed during this terrible time. Thanks, this is a great community I am glad I can rely on. Sorry for the long post.
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