Possum attack. Damaged neck.

[willem82]

Hello,

Last night we had a possum attack. I fell asleep and let the coop door open. I woke up and heard the screetching. We only have four chickens. When I got there, three were at on end of the run, and Flo, the Barred rock was missing. I then saw her lifeless body in the doorway of the coop. I reached in a started to pick her up when I heard the hissing. I dropped Flo (thought she was dead) and soon after eliminated the possum. After disposing of the possum, I went back to deal with what I thought was a dead chicken. Then I heard her breathing. I still figured she was going to have to be killed. After examining her, it appeared as though her only wound was a V shaped gash on her neck. She would also not open her left eye. I cleaned the wound with saline and took some photos of it.

Here is Flo with some missing feathers below the wound.

A little closer view

Lifting up the flap

The wound

So at first I thought this was a dead chicken. Then I got online and read that they can heal from seemingly severe injuries. I am hoping this is what I have here.
I put some neosporin on it after cleaning it as best I could. I got it all under the flap. I also put her in the garage in a small cage with food and water. This morning she seemed a little better. She was standing on her own, but still not moving much at all. I went to TSC and got some ointment for her, and when I went to put it on, she was much more active. Walking and making more noise. The flap is now "glued" back in place. This happened by itself. I am a little worried that I cannot get under the flap anymore. Should I just leave is alone and add the antibiotic on a regular basis?
Hope she makes it. I feel awful about leaving the door open.

 

[CMV]

It looks pretty good considering what happened. I think you did the right things. Keep applying the neosporin and watch out for signs of infection. The flap returning to its normal position is a good thing, I think. The wound should heal cleaner and faster that way. I would up her protein intake to aid in healing. Keep her separated from her other coop mates until she heals to prevent them from picking at her wounds. She should be okay if she survives the initial shock and avoids an infection. Some sugar water might perk her up. I have used Neosporin in the eye of a duck that was wounded in a fight, and it worked out well. I don't think that it would hurt your hen to use some in her eye should it prove to also be damaged.

I hope this helps. Good luck with her.

 

[mychookschick]

I'm sorry... I have no real input, but I am praying for your little girl! I hope she gets better, and your treatment is successful!

 

[lucky acres]

Like above.. looks like it is clean neosporin was the right thing to do but do keep an eye on it if it gets a little red try a little
hydrogen piroxide to clean and open it a little so it can drain.. if not you will have to get an antibiotic for her..
but the wound looks good..

 

[cgtara3]

Here is a tip from someone that is worth posting form a blog "*If your chicken has a booboo, you can apply neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment, but be sure it's the kind WITHOUT pain reliever. Pain relievers that end in "caine" are toxic to your bird." When we dress wounds in the hospital setting, we would dilute the peroxide with 1/2 .9 nacl, so it is not so potent. It is hard on the tissue apparently. Try and keep it clean if you can't get her to a vet.

 

[willem82]

This morning her eye seems to be opening slightly. I am worried about her not eating. I gave her some eggs, but it does not appear that she has eaten anything. She actually layed an egg yesterday afternoon. I picked her up to examine the wound and there it was. It was in one piece, but seemed to have some fractures in it.
She seems to be in suspended animation. She is in a small cage, but really does not move much at all. Should I try and hand feed her, or use a syringe to give her water? I have put the water on her beak, but she bugs out a bit when I do that. She seems to still be in shock to some degree.
One other question: Should I remove the feathers around the wound so that it is more visible? It is difficult to see now.

 

[cgtara3]

It's hard to say how deep or infected the wound is. Possums most likely carry nasty germs in their bite. If it is deeper than one can see from the surface, she could be trying to fight off a bad infection. She might need some antibiotics to fight it off. Unfortunately, only a vet would know that information. I would use a syringe to clean out the wound as best you can---everyday. Do the peroxide mix and then plain water afterwards, then keep trying to see if you can get her to eat. The other option is if you could get her to a vet...which is not always for everyone unfortunately. Time is not your friend when it comes to animal bites.

 

[drumstick diva]

I wouldn't use peroxide, it burns and its foaming action can actually push pus deeper into a wound. I used to use it all the time until a nurse explained this to me. I think irrigating it with a syringe of saline solution is better and then follow with the antibiotic ointment (with NO CAINE ingredients). I think she is still in shock and pain and doesn't want to eat - I do think she will come around.

 

[Miss Lydia]

thuis is from another post about another attack and thought it good enough to pass on.

One of my previous positions as a nurse was a treatment nurse. I did all treatments in the facility. Let me pass on a few jewels of wisdom that I've learned as it can also apply to animals. We never us betadine or peroxide unless a wound is infected as it can cause tissue damage to already compromised skin. For cleansing a uninfected injury we use normal saline and rinse the heck out of it. Blot dry gently and apply antibiotic ointment. My preference is Bactroban it is prescription but you can get it from a vet. They have it for animals too. Its the same but comes in a different color tube than the people ointment. I used it on a horse that got her leg caught under a fence and scraped about a 2x6" piece of hide of the inner aspect of her leg. Healed up real nice. I will get up off my soap box and return you to the regular scheduled thread.


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retired nurse, 1 Son, 4 horses, 8 cats, 2 kittens, 2 dogs, 1 cockateel, 1 lizard, 2 Buff Orps, 1 Leghorn, 2 Black Stars, and1 Chipmunk EE / hen. 1 BO / roo, 36 mutt chicks RIR / above hens crosses, and still counting, gotta luv that chicken

 

[Buugette]

I would try offering her water from a dropper... place the drop on the end of her beak, she should suck it in. She is probably in shock... keep her warm and calm. Keep food and water available. Keep the wound clean, neosporin on it, and perhaps wrap with vet-wrap...

Would only initially rinse with Peroxide the first time... the rest of the time, fresh warm water. Doesn't look real bad which is good... but she should be getting a little more active. Most importantly is to be sure she stays hydrated. Don't force down her throat, may drown... but a little at a time in/on the beak won't hurt.

Best of luck.

D