- Jun 13, 2014
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Just in case it helps anyone else here, I thought I would describe what we did to help our La Flèche rooster survive multiple rattlesnake bites. Poor sweet Roo was trying to get the snake to leave his coop.
He was struck in the wattles and wing. His wattles swelled enormously (the size of a med size dogs testicles !!!) and his wing was horribly swollen and bruised. We are super fortunate to be only a couple hours from a major veterinary school/teaching hospital with a poultry center. By the time we got him to the hospital, he was ataxic and not clotting, but a hemacrit test indicated he did not yet have any internal bleeding. The hospital put him on IV fluids and antibiotics and pain meds. He was there for three days on fluids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and pain meds.They had to force feed him as he wouldn't eat. He was also having troubling clearing his croup. We brought him home on day four and he had to have lactated ringers sub-cutaneously, Tramadol and Rimadyl twice a day for five days. We also gave him a long-lasting IM (in his breast) antibiotic injection every three days. We put two hens in his "home hospital room" (my horse trailer converted to "Roo Care"!) and he seemed much brighter with the girls around and when they ate, he ate. We also gave him bowls each day of very finely chopped strawberries, cilantro, radish tops, lettuce and blueberries (chopped fine like Tabouleh salad.)
It took over a week for the swelling (and bruising) to leave his wattles and wing. He and his two gals are now spending two weeks following his final antibiotic injection still in quarantine for the antibiotic's withdrawal period. All the eggs the hens laid while they are with Roo have to be discarded. After two weeks, they'll be able to rejoin the flock and laying for the fridge
He is doing so fabulous now. I wanted to share a bit about how he made it, just in case it helps anyone else. Happy to answer any questions if anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation (HOPE NOT!!!)
He was struck in the wattles and wing. His wattles swelled enormously (the size of a med size dogs testicles !!!) and his wing was horribly swollen and bruised. We are super fortunate to be only a couple hours from a major veterinary school/teaching hospital with a poultry center. By the time we got him to the hospital, he was ataxic and not clotting, but a hemacrit test indicated he did not yet have any internal bleeding. The hospital put him on IV fluids and antibiotics and pain meds. He was there for three days on fluids, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and pain meds.They had to force feed him as he wouldn't eat. He was also having troubling clearing his croup. We brought him home on day four and he had to have lactated ringers sub-cutaneously, Tramadol and Rimadyl twice a day for five days. We also gave him a long-lasting IM (in his breast) antibiotic injection every three days. We put two hens in his "home hospital room" (my horse trailer converted to "Roo Care"!) and he seemed much brighter with the girls around and when they ate, he ate. We also gave him bowls each day of very finely chopped strawberries, cilantro, radish tops, lettuce and blueberries (chopped fine like Tabouleh salad.)
It took over a week for the swelling (and bruising) to leave his wattles and wing. He and his two gals are now spending two weeks following his final antibiotic injection still in quarantine for the antibiotic's withdrawal period. All the eggs the hens laid while they are with Roo have to be discarded. After two weeks, they'll be able to rejoin the flock and laying for the fridge
He is doing so fabulous now. I wanted to share a bit about how he made it, just in case it helps anyone else. Happy to answer any questions if anyone else finds themselves in a similar situation (HOPE NOT!!!)
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