Need help with chicken wound

[Sneakyturtle]

Hi,

My chicken got out of its pen a few days ago and my dog bit it. I didn’t realize she was hurt at first but the next day she started acting lethargic and she slowly got worse and now she isn’t walking. It’s like she has lost control of the entire right side of her body. I gave her an epsom salt bath tonight and as I was drying her I noticed she has a small puncture wound around her thigh/hock area. Around it is all green and blue so I’m assuming it’s infected. Is there anything I can do for her at this point?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The green is bruising.
Do you see any other puncture wounds or abrasions to the skin, legs, etc. that you may have missed?

Clean affected wounds with Chlorhexidine.

An oral antibiotic would be good to give. Amoxicillin if you have it.

 

[Sneakyturtle]

The green is bruising.
Do you see any other puncture wounds or abrasions to the skin, legs, etc. that you may have missed?

Clean affected wounds with Chlorhexidine.

An oral antibiotic would be good to give. Amoxicillin if you have it.

Okay good to know, thank you. I looked her over pretty closely and didn’t see anything else, just that one wound.

She is also having very runny poo, it’s mostly white but sometimes white liquid with green solids. I’m not sure if it’s just stress related to being bit by the dog or if something else is causing it.

 

[Sneakyturtle]

The green is bruising.
Do you see any other puncture wounds or abrasions to the skin, legs, etc. that you may have missed?

Clean affected wounds with Chlorhexidine.

An oral antibiotic would be good to give. Amoxicillin if you have it.

How much amoxicillin should we give? I found some we had left over but the pills are 500 mg so I’m sure I’d have to break them up.

 

[Eggcessive]

Amoxicillin dosage is 50 mg per pound given orally twice a day for 7-14 days. If she is close to 5 pounds, I would split the tablets and given her half in the morning, and half at night. You can give it whole or crush it in some yogurt, cream cheese, canned cat food, or egg.

Is she still not walking? Is she eating or drinking? Does she have any air under the skin near the puncture wound? Hopefully, she doesn’t have any internal injuries.

 

[Sneakyturtle]

Amoxicillin dosage is 50 mg per pound given orally twice a day for 7-14 days. If she is close to 5 pounds, I would split the tablets and given her half in the morning, and half at night. You can give it whole or crush it in some yogurt, cream cheese, canned cat food, or egg.

Is she still not walking? Is she eating or drinking? Does she have any air under the skin near the puncture wound? Hopefully, she doesn’t have any internal injuries.

She’s still not walking, but I have food and water in front of her and she’s eating and drinking a little. I’m not seeing any air under the skin near the wound. She acts like she can’t use her leg that is under the wound. She’s rolling over on that side a lot and has trouble staying upright. She won’t stand on it. It’s splayed out behind her a lot.

 

[SmiYa0126]

It looks like a huge bruise, she's limping because of that most likely. Can you elevate her on towels, see if she stays.... elevate her food and water, give her raw yolk to see if that sparks her appetite. Also, sweeten her water, that's can also help spark an appetite.

 

[Tonyroo]

You know a dog bite can break chicken bone and tear ligaments. You might want to run your fingers pressing firmly as you check her leg and joints.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Okay good to know, thank you. I looked her over pretty closely and didn’t see anything else, just that one wound.

She is also having very runny poo, it’s mostly white but sometimes white liquid with green solids. I’m not sure if it’s just stress related to being bit by the dog or if something else is causing it.

She’s still not walking, but I have food and water in front of her and she’s eating and drinking a little. I’m not seeing any air under the skin near the wound. She acts like she can’t use her leg that is under the wound. She’s rolling over on that side a lot and has trouble staying upright. She won’t stand on it. It’s splayed out behind her a lot.

Good advice from @Eggcessive
I'd give the antibiotics and see if those help.

White poop with green solids is likely due to dehydration and not eating.
I'd focus on getting fluids into her. Electrolytes for a couple of hours each day, then switch to plain fresh water.
Once she's hydrated, see if she will eat her normal nutritionally balanced feed, you can try it both wet or dry. Bits of scrambled egg, a little tuna/fish/sardines often adds some interest if she's not inclined to eat.

With the swelling and bruising, she may have some difficulty moving about until that goes down. Do your best to keep her comfy. A rolled up towel for her to lean against may be something to try.
Do check her crop to see that it's emptying. Often with swelling in the body the digestive system slows down.

Keep us posted on how she's doing.

Amoxicillin dosage is 50 mg per pound given orally twice a day for 7-14 days. If she is close to 5 pounds, I would split the tablets and given her half in the morning, and half at night. You can give it whole or crush it in some yogurt, cream cheese, canned cat food, or egg.

Is she still not walking? Is she eating or drinking? Does she have any air under the skin near the puncture wound? Hopefully, she doesn’t have any internal injuries.

 

[Sneakyturtle]

She’s still doing about the same. She will eat and drink, but she pants a lot and still falls over when she tries to stand up. I’ll probably make an appointment at the avian vet in my town if she isn’t showing signs of improvement by next week.