Ol' Red Had A Run-in With Coyotes

[dlhunicorn]

bite wounds can cause systemic infection and from what I have read this is what has happened... you state you do not have any antibiotics on hand (amoxcillin is often used and advised as a general antibiotic and many have this on hand)
I believe you need antibiotics and earlier someone suggested you contact Peter Brown at firststatevetsupply for cipro (same family of drugs as enrofloxin/baytril) ... I too suggest this and hopefully it is not too late.
Leave a message here (you can leave a link to this thread with a short explanation:
http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/store/contact_us.php

send an email in addition to that here (put in subject line EMERGENCY > dlhunicorn referred me to you) here:
[email protected]


and also leave a message on his answering machine here:
800-950-8387 > He will call you back
(I have had this number for some years > if it is no longer correct please someone post the new one)

He will ship the meds overnite

I note that he is separated and such but I can not stress enough how important warmth and a stable draft free environment is!
Go to a petsotre (if you have no bait store to get mealworms from) and get some live or failing that dehydrated insect feed there for him... that will often tempt a bird who refuses to eat anything else. (Look in the reptile section)

 

[chickenzoo]

You can try to give him warm canned dog food too. If he won't eat on his own you could put a bit in his mouth and tempt him to swallow. I've had to tube feed some chickens, always makes me nervous. Hope he eats on his own.

 

[Sabrina]

Sent an email to the Chicken Doc and had an immediate response to call him. He said to tube feed him a mixture of hard-boiled egg, plain yogurt, his regular feed and an electrolyte supplement. It's too late to get electrolytes but we ran to the pet store and picked up aquarium tubing and a large syringe. Also stopped at the grocery store to get yogurt. Son was boiling the eggs while we were gone.

Doc said to give him enough that we could fill it in his craw, but not distend it. We gave him two syringe fulls, about 70 ml.

I usually keep first aid supplies for my animals, including antibiotics, but I haven't even had a dog for about 10 years so I have pretty much nothing right now. Doc isn't concerned about getting antibiotics in him right now. First concern is to get him nourished again.

As someone posted earlier, the bright green poo is bile and means he is not getting any nourishment. They usually die within 24 to 48 hours after you see the green. He has been holding on for almost a week. I guess he was barely getting enough with his "soup" I was preparing for him. That and he must be a fighter!

Thank you so much, dlhunicorn, for the information. You, and the Chicken Doc are a godsend!!

He is in the house with us, actually about three feet from me. He is under a light and I have been running an electric heater for him at night; we heat with wood so the temperature drops at night.

I'm just afraid that it is too late for him, but I'm not giving up yet; whether he likes it or not!

Thank you all for your suggestions, concern and caring. I am so glad I found this forum!

 

[Mahonri]

needs antibiotics. It's his only hope.

 

[Sabrina]

If he is alive in the morning I will make a run to the feed store for electrolyte supplement and antibiotics. Doc suggested amoxycillan, 250mg, 1 or 2 a day because he's a big boy.

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Sabrina,

So sorry for your economic situation. Ouch.

IM injections are not hard to do on a chicken, this is going to be the most effective way to get an antibiotic going for him. You can get 3 ml syringes and 22 gage needles cheaply. Get a bottle of antibiotic and read the instructions, it will tell you how many ml's per pound. Feel his breast muscle and stick the needle into the largest part. Don't hit the bones.

If I were near you I'd certainly help!

 

[hawtchick]

How is he this morning?? Where are you located?? I wish someone here could help you out.
Praying.......

 

[Sabrina]

I am feeling incredibly useless and inept right now. I was raised on a farm; we had horses, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, cats, and raised calves all through my childhood years. We did our own vet care and I thought I was relatively knowledgable.

My kids were raised pretty much the same way, but had only goats, chickens and pigeons. They were very active in 4-H with their birds and I was the county resource leader for the project.

Then came the divorce; everything had to be sold. I've just now started getting back into chickens ... some 10 years later.

I tell you this so you don't think I'm a stupid twit who knows nothing about animals ... but maybe in this case I am.

Ol' Red made it through the night but looked worse than yesterday morning. My husband and I fed him again this morning before hubby went to work. I just tried to feed him again and ended up killing him instead. I have never, in almost 50 years of living on this rock, been able to successfully tube feed an animal. The food got into his lungs and he died.

As I have said before, this forum, and all you wonderful folks have been so caring and helpful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It's rather ridiculous that his old country woman is crying like a baby of a silly chicken!!

Ol' Red ... Rest in peace, my dear friend, I'm so sorry I couldn't help you!

 

[chickenzoo]

So sorry. You did your best. He is no longer suffering and is at peace. We all cry with you.

 

[dancesWchickens]

I'm sure none of us who has been reading your ordeal thinks that you are

a stupid twit who knows nothing about animals

My heartfelt condolences; losing a pet, even a small one, can cut to the core. Don't be too hard on yourself: you did a herculean job trying to save him and he must have understood that you loved him.​