PLEASE HELP!! Silkie chick attacked by dog!

[Silkiechickie13]

Hi everyone, I have been looking through BYC for advice for a while now and finally decided to sign up. My small flock of silkie chicks got attacked by my dogs who forced their way into the coop. I had 4 and only one survived the attack. We brought her/him (I think it is a pullet) inside and she seemed perfectly fine although it looked like her wing feathers had been bitten. I checked her over and she seemed fine. The next morning she was lying on her side and could not stand or walk. It has been 4 days and I thought she was getting better but she seems worse today. Yesterday she put weight on her leg was eating and drinking. I mostly mouth feed her because she can not move. Today she ate very little and drank some water and Gatorade. She sleeps a lot and will not wake up if I try to wake her. The only way to wake her is water. :/ I have read about making a sling so she can stand properly. I will look into that. I have also used a warm cloth to improve circulation in her leg and she was able to stand on it for a while after I did that. She feels very stiff when I pick her up. I have her with a couple younger chicks so she will not be lonely. Does anyone have any guesses as to what is wrong or remedies? Thank you!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My guess would be there may be something internally wrong. Generally you should see improvements by a week or two after an attack. I don't think you can do much else but to wait and see how it goes.

 

[Silkiechickie13]

My guess would be there may be something internally wrong. Generally you should see improvements by a week or two after an attack. I don't think you can do much else but to wait and see how it goes.

Thank you for your reply! I think there is something internally wrong as well since there is no visible wound.

 

[dennisma1]

Hi everyone, I have been looking through BYC for advice for a while now and finally decided to sign up. My small flock of silkie chicks got attacked by my dogs who forced their way into the coop. I had 4 and only one survived the attack. We brought her/him (I think it is a pullet) inside and she seemed perfectly fine although it looked like her wing feathers had been bitten. I checked her over and she seemed fine. The next morning she was lying on her side and could not stand or walk. It has been 4 days and I thought she was getting better but she seems worse today. Yesterday she put weight on her leg was eating and drinking. I mostly mouth feed her because she can not move. Today she ate very little and drank some water and Gatorade. She sleeps a lot and will not wake up if I try to wake her. The only way to wake her is water. :/ I have read about making a sling so she can stand properly. I will look into that. I have also used a warm cloth to improve circulation in her leg and she was able to stand on it for a while after I did that. She feels very stiff when I pick her up. I have her with a couple younger chicks so she will not be lonely. Does anyone have any guesses as to what is wrong or remedies? Thank you!

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It sounds like your doing everything you can. I'm always surprised how tough chickens are. I had a chicken that had a stroke 5 years ago, and also survived a possum attack, she is blind in one eye and she walks funny, but is still alive at 9 years old. Chickens do have heart attacks, if she feels weak and legs have no strength and is floppping over, there isn't much you can do that your not already doing, keep her safe and make sure she gets water via a dropper. good luck

 

[HeidiEmbrey]

Hi everyone, I have been looking through BYC for advice for a while now and finally decided to sign up. My small flock of silkie chicks got attacked by my dogs who forced their way into the coop. I had 4 and only one survived the attack. We brought her/him (I think it is a pullet) inside and she seemed perfectly fine although it looked like her wing feathers had been bitten. I checked her over and she seemed fine. The next morning she was lying on her side and could not stand or walk. It has been 4 days and I thought she was getting better but she seems worse today. Yesterday she put weight on her leg was eating and drinking. I mostly mouth feed her because she can not move. Today she ate very little and drank some water and Gatorade. She sleeps a lot and will not wake up if I try to wake her. The only way to wake her is water. :/ I have read about making a sling so she can stand properly. I will look into that. I have also used a warm cloth to improve circulation in her leg and she was able to stand on it for a while after I did that. She feels very stiff when I pick her up. I have her with a couple younger chicks so she will not be lonely. Does anyone have any guesses as to what is wrong or remedies? Thank you!

So sorry about this.. I'm a newbie to chickens but my first thought is that she is in shock because the stiffness but I think that would be getting better not worse..is she open mouth breathing? for shock keep her warm and hydrated and hopefully in a few days shell be ok..
My second thought would be infection, that can cause stiffness too.. Does she have any broken or swollen places on her skin at all? Is her skin hot? Dogs saliva is full of bacteria and stuff and maybe she got sick from it. If there are any broken places disinfect them for sure ..
She could have internal damage as well.. These are just guesses..I hope you're taking special care of yourself too after what must have been a traumatic experience, Good luck with your chick <3

 

[FirstTimeClucky]

I strongly suspect she was crushed between a dog's jaws, because that's how dogs attack their prey. She probably has internal damage and possibly broken bones (vertebrae and/or ribs). I'd take her to a vet if possible. If not, first I'd keep her under a brooder lamp if you have one. Warmth can help speed healing. If she can't move around, do not place her directly under the lamp. If you don't have a brooder lamp you can use a heating pad wrapped in a thick towel.

Secondly, get some Kaytee Exact handfeeding formula, most pet stores including Petsmart carry it. It's made for baby parrots but it's fine for chickens. It's full of vitamins and probiotics. Follow the package directions to make a thin paste, and feed it to her with a teaspoon. Since it contains water you won't need to give her additional water. Keep the powder in the freezer so it lasts longer, it's great to have on hand for sick birds. Try to feed her every 3 hours or so if you can. Even if she eats a tiny bit it's good. If she starts eating more as she gets better, you can make the mixture a bit thicker. If you can't get the Exact, a second choice would be soaking her feed in warm electrolyte formula. You can get electrolyte (Pedialyte) at the drug store, or feed stores carry a product called Sav-A-Chick that does the same thing. Gatorade is a bad idea because it's full of sugar and chemicals.

Keep an eye on her poop and watch for any blood or discharge from her nostrils, eyes, mouth or vent. Discharge means she could be bleeding internally or have an internal rupture. Another sign of internal bleeding or rupture is a swollen belly. In that case, I'm afraid her chances won't be good unless you take her to a vet.

Hopefully she is just bruised and traumatized, and will get better within the next few days. They're remarkably tough, and I've seen birds heal from horrific looking injuries (like when my quail scalp each other).

 

[FishMtFarm]

Just try to keep food and water in her and maybe some poly vi sol vitamins for babies just to give her a boost. She may just be very bruised and sore too and babies dont handle that sort of thing well. Love, lots of love and fingers crossed her insides are ok. Please keep us posted.

 

[ThenNotSoChickenMaster]

Hmm, not sure. Most silkies have vaulted skulls. Might have injured her head and now feels woozy. More info here: http://chickenjunkie.com/chicken-breeds/silkie-chicken/vaulted-skulls/vaulted-skulls-in-silkies/

Besides that, not sure.

Of course, don't give up yet, it could also be that she/he is in shock. Keep at it, you're doing great!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Just try to keep food and water in her and maybe some poly vi sol vitamins for babies just to give her a boost. She may just be very bruised and sore too and babies dont handle that sort of thing well. Love, lots of love and fingers crossed her insides are ok. Please keep us posted.

Poly Visol without iron! Best wishes

 

[Silkiechickie13]

She is actually about 4 months old. No blood discharge or broken skin as far as I can tell. I will try and stop by the feed store today to see if they have poly vi sol without iron. My local PetSmart is a little further and I would not be able to get the Kaytee Extract until later this week. Good news she was a lot better last night she attempted to walk, she fell over because she went too fast but it still counts! This morning she seems very alert and is eating and drinking. I suspect she was just bruised and traumatized. Her legs are no longer stiff and she can move them although she can not get up when she falls. She is also in a brooder which should keep her warm. All the babies think she is their momma it is really cute! Thank you everyone for your replies! I will keep you updated!