Raccoon attack **warning pictures on page 4**

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
Right now, she's in a big rubber maid container on my kitchen table. The "floor" of it is just big enough for her to lie down next to food and water. The sides are high, so she can't see out. That seems best to me. I'm not likely to put her back outside. All that flesh next to the other chickens' poop and whatnot just seems like a bad idea. I lined the container with paper towels, and i've been adding to soak up her seepage (what is that, by the way?).
I know that she was eating and drinking because she was kind of noisy about it, so i've decided to leave her alone for a couple of hours and see how her condition or attitude is this evening.

When the hubby gets home, i'm going to see if i can get my hands on some neosporin and possibly gatorade and penicilin (that's what you said, right?). I still need to call the drug store to see if they have it.

Oh, and her age--she's only 12 weeks i think. But she's a buff orpington, so she's huge.

 

[threehorses]

I do keep misreading this. I'm so sorry. I see now that to her hock, her leg is ok. At about her hock are you saying that just the skin is gone? or the skin and muscle and it's hanging by a badly messed up joint, just hanging by a tendon?

In that case, it sounds like the bottom leg has to go if the tendons are cut. Can you possibly see a vet with her?

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
no, i can't see a vet.

and i'm sorry that i confuse the correct language.

the part that seems to be attached only by tendon is the leg below the knee.

i know i need to study my chicken anatomy.

the flesh at the knee is gone and also continuing a little bit above the knee.

above that it is a lot of raw torn flesh.

does that help?

i'll try to take a picture later. i just don't want to disturb her anymore right now.

 

[PunkinPeep]

and before i get to that point, can someone explain the procedure for injecting penicilin in a chicken?

 

[nnbreeder]

I use an 18ga needle that is just as short as I can get them which here is 3/4in. I use the left side of the breast because the crop is on the right side. Clean the area to be injected like you would for a human then place the needle in about halfway at a 45 deg. angle to the body. Pull back the plunger a bit to make sure no blood comes into the syringe and then slowly inject as you are pulling the needle out. If blood does come up in the syringe stop and re-locate as you might have hit a vein.

 

[PunkinPeep]

O.k. i want to let you know her progress, so you can comment since i'm not really sure what signs to look for.

I cleaned out her container after church, and there was quite a bit of (very smelly) poop in it. Much of it was very white - i assume that just means she's drinking more than eating.

She has stopped bleeding, and she has stopped seeping the clear fluid. The foot on the injured leg is very swollen but not warm at all. It's the same temperature as the good foot.

It didn't seem like she was eating very much, but this evening i gave her some scrambled egg, and she gobbled it heartily. I think she's been drinking a lot because when i looked under her toosh, there was nothing but fluffy white droppings.

She mostly sits in just one position and all the poop piles right there.

She clucks at me when i go in the bathroom where she is.

She does not seem particularly sick to me, just immobile.

I was not able to get to the feedstore yesterday before it closed, and it has come to my attention that we have an unhappy money situation this week that will probably keep me from being able to get anything for her except possibly yogurt.

Your thoughts are very welcome.

At this point, it really seems weird to consider culling her, since her mood and attention seem as good as they do.

Also, i have run out of batteries for my camera, so i'm sorry, still no pictures.

 

[threehorses]

To be honest, I have had a case before where I thought maybe I should euthanize but the bird's wonderful attitude (heartbreaking really) prevented me from doing it at that moment. Then if she declines, you'll have more of an idea. If she continues, then maybe while she's doing well we'll come up with a solution.

Any chance of getting a photo of the leg so we'll know what's going on to better help you?

I'm glad she's gobbling food down today. Yeah give her the yogurt, her regular food too.

 

[phatchicken]

Sorry about your situation...it's always so tough to tend an animal that we anthropomorphize for signs at best!!! I just wanted to let you know that the clear fluid that was leaking out was platelets that she was expelling by the thousands to try and clot off the damaged area. I work in surgery (on humans mind you) but would imagine the physiology /hematology is simmilar in trauma injuries. If you can get some xeraform or vaseline impregnated gauze from either a drug store or a vets office, that is what we use in de-gloving injuries such that you have described. Just open the package, put the dressing over the raw areas, and loosley cover as two horses has suggested...also, I wouldn't cut anything until you give her time to settle down and see how the tissue looks in a day or so - if it is not privy to blood supply any longer , it will die anyway, but if there is blood supply to the tissue - she needs all the blood flowing in and out of the injured leg she can get...I'm no chicken expert, but I have lots of experience with trauma, and trauma surgery...good luck...hope everything works out!

 

[Akita]

Beth,
About 3 months ago, my rooster was attacked by one of my Akitas. Although he did not have a leg injury like your hen, he did have several punctures that caused us great concern (as well as a fractured femur). The vet put him on ticarcillin disodium, an injectable antibiotic. He would not eat for the first day or so, but would drink, so I gave him Gatorade Rain (which he still loves) and diluted egg yoke on the side. It took about 3 weeks for him to fully recover, but he is back to his old egotistical self now. I hope that your hen is as fortunate. I think that avoiding the infection and keeping my buddy hydrated was the key to his survival. I've got a Chickens 101 question for any experts out there. How long do Rhode Island Red roosters live? My buddy is about 6-7 years. Is he young, old, middle-aged?
Dorie

 

[nnbreeder]

Middle aged and as long as he is kept healthy can live to be about twice what he is now.