Peking has bite wound- how to treat?

[CarterCrazy]

One of my @#$%^ shih tzus got a hold of one of my ducks. Last time this happened, I didn't notice until the wound was infected, and I ended up losing a Muscovy. I had thought it might have been my dog that did it, but they don't have a prey drive for anything else in the yard, and I'd never witnessed any nonsense out there, but on the other hand, we really didn't know what did the damage since we didn't notice until later. Could have just as easily been a stray cat or wild life, who knows. It was on her chest under her feathers. The only reason I even noticed is because it looked like she had some goop on her chest and when I went to wipe it off, I noticed it wasn't just something that got on her, it was seeping from a wound that was infested with maggots. I googled and cleaned the wound based on info I read online, only to have her die on me two days later, so I don't want to repeat the same process this time. I don't know if she would still be here today if I had known sooner that she was hurt, but I also don't want to risk losing another baby and figure since this just happened, our chances are much better if we do the right thing. And yes....the dogs will no longer be allowed outside when the ducks are loose in the yard. Now that I have solid evidence of what they are capable of, there's not going to be opportunity for this to happen again! :'(

Back to the situation at hand. This wound is fresh, just happened today while I was inside on a meeting. Came out and saw the commotion. Took my duck inside, bathed him in clean water and assessed the damage. Looks like a chunk of meat is missing from his chest about the size of a quarter (or maybe it's just a tear in the skin? I can't tell. It almost looks like the dog tried to grab hold of him by his feathers and pulled out tuft of feathers with some meat still attached), and he's got a couple small punctures on the back of his head/neck. He's not bleeding, and his behavior is like nothing happened, but of course I'm sitting here beating myself up over it and overcome with emotion. Just looking for advice. Do I vet him for stitches and antibiotics? Go to Tractor Supply for antibiotics to administer myself? Keep him inside and clean? So far, like I said, I've bathed him, checked him over, and applied Vetericyn to his wounds. I've brought him out to the front yard to waddle, enjoy some supervised fresh air time in the sun, let him root around for bugs, and brought him back inside. He's currently hanging out in my bathroom.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you <3

 

[Amiga]

Oh, no.

You are doing well so far - if you can get a vet's help, I think that's best (presuming a good vet familiar with ducks)

Storey's Guide recommends clipping the feathers within half an inch of the wound so that you can get a better look at the edges, and keep the feathers from getting involved in the blood or fluids from the wound.

Ducks can survive awful things. And you are right, sometimes they don't.

Keep the duck away from flies (you know that now).

More from Storey's

"Wash the wound with warm water with a mild soap, and then thoroughly rinse with clear, warm water. Small pieces of shredded, loose skin that will not heal can be trimmed away.

To speed healing and to prevent infection, apply a medicated ointment (such as Neosporin) once or twice daily. ... If the bird has multiple or severe wounds, it can help to administer a broad-spectrum antibiotic, such as Eurofloxacin Baytril (available only by prescription), orally twice a day."

@CarterCrazy

 

[CarterCrazy]

Thank you for the help. You know, I think I actually HAVE that book you are referencing, LOL! Maybe I should go look through my pile. Not sure if I ordered it, or just thought about it, but pretty sure I did buy it on Amazon.

He's doing well today. The wounds look like they are closing up already, thank God. I've filled the tub a few times for him, and have brought him out late last night and early this morning for some supervised yard time. Have kept the wounds clean and a nice layer of Vetericyn applied several times a day since the incident.

Any early warning signs of infection I should be looking for? His bill seems to vary in temperature. It was warmer last night than it was this morning, for instance. I wouldn't think he would have an infection just an hour after the incident, so I'm probably just misreading that, but if there are any valid signs I should be looking for, please let me know. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I ever did order that book, and if I didn't, you can best bet I will be!

 

[Amiga]

Please keep us posted, thanks!