Neck Wound: Please advise! (pic might be semi-graphic to some.)

[RAREROO]

Wow are you sure another duck did that ? Its your pen covered ? It looks like a hawk or an owl may have done that and the duck got lucky. Ive never had an owl attack, but Ive had plenty hawk attacks and they usually tear into the back of the head like that first. Ive had that happen to a baby duck before buts its been years ago and Im not sure how it happened or what I did to treat it, but it did live for a while and just had a bald spot where the wound was.

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

Awe poor thing. I've seen worse.. on a big dog though..

I worked at an emergency vet for a while and the doctor was a big fan of sugar and honey bandages. The bandages usually need to be flushed an re-wrapped every couple of days but once a new layer starts to form underneith you dont have to bandage them anymore. Please let me know if you want more info! I like this idea more then ointments on an open wound like that and she sugar draws out bacteria.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I was thinking it looks pretty bad for another duck to have inflicted that much damage so fast. I didn't think ducks were that mean to each other.

 

[TennesseeTruly]

Actually its a really big wound but a great natural antibiotic is honey. You've gotten some great advice here. Poor baby.

The shaking may be shock. I would suggest you let this baby bathe at least once a day to keep the wound clean. One of our ducks had a nasty wound from an owl and after 3 weeks you couldn't even tell that she ever had the wound. Our vet told us to make sure she took daily baths to keep the area clean.

Good luck!

Laurie

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Thanks everyone. I was also in shock that another duck could inflict this damage. I was in the process of integrating the 2 younger ducks with the 2 older ones. I was checking on them literally every 10 minutes out the kitchen door where they hang out. I looked out and they were fine, put my girls down for a nap, maybe 5 minutes... as I was walking back in the kitchen I heard Beaker peeping. That's when I looked outside and saw my adult on top of her doing this. So I KNOW it was the other duck, because I witness it. I couldn't believe it! It was a matter of minutes that this happened.

Thanks for the advice here. I would love some more information about the honey. Do I pour it directly on the wound? I was definitely going to let her get a bath today and see how she does. Here's the pic of what they did to her back. I didn't post this before because it's not that bad and no blood ect.. but I still can't believe it only took a few minutes for them to turn on her.

And I also know that none of this was inflicted from the day before.. because I have been watching for signs of them being picked on. And there was nothing that indicated anything.


Thanks for the advice everyone. We love this special duck.

 

[Amiga]

I'd like to hear more about the honey bandage as well. I had heard honey's a good antibacterial. How would it be applied to a wound?

Thanks!

Once the wound is closed, comfrey salve is good to speed healing. You might also soak a bandage with strong comfrey tea (cooled, of course), and dab it on the wound a few times a day. That would be less messy.

 

[jjthink]

Electrolytes for shock. A bit of Pedialtye or Gatorade will do in a pinch. I'm not experienced with ducks but would think same would be true for ducks as with chickens. A drop of two of Rescue Remedy (Back flower remedy available in health stores) in water for its possible calming effect. Keep injured one nice and warm and comfort a lot. Shock is the worst enemy. Keep her in comfy quiet calm surroundings - a bath may be too stressful at this point, especially if she's still shaking, but you know her better.
JJ

 

[QuackerJackFarms]

Thanks JJ. That's what I wondered about the bath. This morning she appears to be drinking very well. Last night... not so much. So I'll wait til this afternoon. She's eating a bit this morning, but nothing like normal obviously.

 

[jjthink]

Oh, and the aspirin mix for chickens anyway is 1 baby aspirin (81 mg) crushed in one cup drinking water or five 325 mg aspirins per gallon of water. If she does not drink readily given that she's hurting, you can dunk little bits of some favorite foods in the aspirin water and hand feed them and see if that begins to take the edge off the pain so she is able to begin eating and drinking on her own again. Fresh aspirin water batch twice daily. Also, given that aspirin is a blood thinner, if there is significant bleeding going on it could make things worse. If the blood was only surficial and you don't suspect internal bleeding then it will probably be okay. Pain relief is important for lifting their spirits and providing the will to keep going.
JJ

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
Just put honey on the wound and cover with gauze. You should change it at least every couple of days. The honey prevents the gauze from sticking to the wound, provides a moist healing environment and soothes the wound, reducing pain.

Try to use raw honey and not commercial honey which usually has been heated to prevent crystallization. Heating can destroy some of the antibacterial properties in the honey.

Here is a link to a lot of information on using honey for healing ~ Benefits of Honey