thank you....now what?

[mollybuck]

One of my BLRW hens w as attacked by my neighbors puppy. It ripped the skin off her thigh and part of her bum. I looked on here, after the initial shock and tears subsided and I thought...what would BYC do....so I carefully moved and removed feathers in the way and super glued the skin back together....I didn't have any of the neosporirin or anything without the pain stuff...all I had is blue kote. I got her to drink a little bit...and I wrapped her back side so she wouldn't move...then I just held her...for an hour to give the glue a chance to dry a bit... idk. She is now in a tote with some food and water. She is eating good...and she is standing...what else can I or should I do???

 

[CMV]

Sounds like you are on top of things. I would maybe add some sugar to her water, but that's about it. Keep her warm, dry, and quiet tonight to let the stress wear off...and tomorrow see what you've got.

 

[mollybuck]

I never thought about sugar water.... I have some chick electrolytes. .
I put a brooder lamp over her... High enough to just warm her.

I called the vet, but they don't take birds or chickens.

I love this site. I have to say...While I was holding her..crying. ..I thought it was the end. Then I come here and look. There is a little hope now.

 

[CMV]

No need for tears. You are on top of this. If she could be saved, you are going to do it. You are both under stress right now. Let her rest, and you need to take a break your own self. Take a deep breath, take several deep breaths...you have done everything you can do, and you did it right. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

 

[mollybuck]

Thank you. You are so right about having to take a break. She doesnt need me hovering over her. I went out to feed them before work. She ate all her food and drank her water, so that is something good. I found some triple D ointment and put that on the wound. She seems ok... still standing, which I suppose is fine, I think that the skin may be less likely to pull back apart that way.

how will i know if she is getting an infection? I probably wont be able to tell if the skin is red.. since right now she is purple, as are my hands! should I get some antibiotics and treat her just to be safe?

this is her from last fall.

 

[subhanalah]

I don't know what kind of antibiotics you could get that would help her other than maybe pen G which would be from a vet. Maybe you can talk to your vet if they have a personal relationship with you and be willing to go into this with you knowing that they are not an avian vet, but you'll both do the best you can. There are books and databases that vets have access to that the general public dont.

Anyway, I would offer her some scrambled egg or hard boiled egg yolk to give her some extra nutrition that's easily digest able while she's recovering from the shock of the trauma.
I think your hen has a chance, and if she's willing to fight, I think you're up for it too.

 

[Sjisty]

What I do is soak them in a bath of warm water and Betadine. That way the Betadine gets into the wounds you see and ones you might not see under her feathers. They seem to enjoy the warm soak and it helps keep the wounds clean. You just have to make sure they have a nice warm place to dry thoroughly. I do this two or three days in a row and then just let nature take its course, watching the wound to make sure it stays dry.

You would be amazed at the ability of a chicken to heal from a pretty major injury. Last year a stray came into my yard and nearly skinned alive one of my girls. She is now totally healed, although you can feel "ripples" under her feathers where her skin grew back.

Good luck!

 

[mollybuck]

I've been pouring peroxide over the wound and put antibiotic ointment over it...it's been a couple days, and she seemed to be getting better. Today I noticed she smells awful. Would that be infection? I need to remove more feathers or at least cut them back as its hard to see the whole wound.

 

[subhanalah]

Clearing the feathers away from the wound is a good idea. (As long as you have her separated from others)
Have you been able to do the betadine bath?

 

[mollybuck]

She is separated. I haven't tried that yet, I dont have any and I didn't see that response til last night. i will get some today though.
I let her out with the others for some sun and she did well for a while... then she went and hid under the coop. so I cleaned her again and put her back in her tote.