Alpha hen attacked by stray dog - medical advice please.....

Chicken Girl · **Joined:** Wed May 02, 2012 7:15 pm **Posts:** 48

Hello;

I need some advice (again).

A stray dog entered to coup and has attacked the flock! For the most part they are OK but very stunned and stressed.

The alpha hen (Bridget) took the brunt of the attack and has lost lots of her feathers, Beneath her left wing the torso has had the skin de-gloved (removed). The area is about 100 x 50 cm in size. Inspecting the wound there is no blood visible, however you can see through the skin layer to the muscle beneath, The wound is not open; however, orange coloured fatty tissue is very close to the surface and appears to be exposed.

I have treated her with beta-dine spray to minimize infection (the skin membrane below the skin does not seem to be damaged), and as it the area is beneath the wing and feathers, it is reasonably protected from dirt and pecks from the rest of the flock.

She can run with a slight limp and has not lost her appetite at all - she eats all the time. She is a little more quiet than normal, but they all are after the attack.

What medical advice can you suggest ??

Unfortunately the vet is not that keen on chickens and is usually quite rough with them - so would prefer to treat myself.

Thanks, CG

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

Hi CG

First thing to remember here is that in the wild, birds need to show no signs of weakness and eating and pecking "as per normal" is their way of not showing weakness, so don't let this fool you as she could still go into shock, being the one that took the brunt of it all.

I would suggest you keep her in a small confined space for 48 hours and monitor her & her wound. Keep up with the cleaning of the wound;washing it, keep using the betadine antiseptic and keep her calm, still and not running around. Being an area under the wing and so warm, there is definitely room for nasty microbes to get into the wound and create a nasty situation so constant monitoring of her wound is a must.

I don't believe a vet is required unless she really starts to take a downhill dive but I would like to hear you have her away from the group and in a nice clean environment away from dirt.

Hope this helps and best of luck with Bridget.

Cheers
Chicka-Dee

Chicken Girl · **Joined:** Wed May 02, 2012 7:15 pm **Posts:** 48

Many thanks for your reply.

Bridget appears to be well. I purchased some Cetrigen spray and have applied it to the wound. Cetrigen is a topical antibacterial wound aerosol.

24 hours have passed since the attack and the birds are becoming a little less wary, but are still cautious. During the day they mostly sit under the bush not venturing too far.... (they have a very large run which incorporates part of the garden with theior own plants). The limp seems to a little better, but as you said - hens are good at faking it!

I inspected the wound tonight and it 'appears' to look much better than what it did. The wound is still nasty, but appears more muted in colour and less red. There does not appear to be any infection, but...... Hopefully the Cetrigen will kill any microbes that maybe in the wound.

Does anyone know how often (frequency) Centrigen should be applied ?? I am thinking once a day.

Thank you CG

Chicka-Dee · **Joined:** Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:12 am **Posts:** 1194

Hi Ch

Did you isolate her?

I know what Cetrigen is, and yes I would apply it daily after you have cleaned the wound of any debris.

Continue with the Cetrigen until the wound has completely healed and any scabs have fallen off.

Good to hear Bridget is doing much better.

Cheers
Chicka-Dee

Chicken Girl · **Joined:** Wed May 02, 2012 7:15 pm **Posts:** 48

Yes I have isolated her, although she can still still see her friends through the wire.

Thanks for your comments and will continue Cetrigen treatment as advised. I have not bothered to use the betadine now that I am using Centrigin, CG

andrewschooks · **Posted:** Sat Jan 10, 2015 5:24 pm

Hope she gets well soon

winglet · **Posted:** Sun Jan 11, 2015 7:13 pm

Yes I hope so too all the best with her

Chicken Girl · **Joined:** Wed May 02, 2012 7:15 pm **Posts:** 48

Greetings

An update.

On Sunday Bridget began to breath rather heavily and sit alone from the group. I feared an infection - or perhaps the wound was healing and becoming tight, therefore painful when moving.

I took her to an avian vet who decided the best option was to suture the wound. This was done with success. Bridget received a little gas to make the wound cleaning and suturing less painful. The vet said there was no infection, fractures, etc. and commented that the laboured breathing maybe reproductive-related (she lays eggs and has not layed for a few days). Although internal injuries cannot be ruled out, it is onwards of a week since the attack, so any internal issue probably would have become obvious by now (laboured breathing ?)....

24 hours on Bridget is in the lounge room in a smallish cage recuperating. Her breathing is more heavy than usual and her leg/side is obviously sore. She also appears a little groggy now and again, but as the leg is painful, this is expected.. She ate a banana earlier and some berries, some grain and drank afterwards - so her appetite has not waned.

She will be away from the flock for 10 days or so, and as she gets stronger we will allow her to roam a little inside the house to strengthen the leg.. Then, introduce her to a larger enclosure outside, before reintroduction to the others.

My concern is that the laboured breathing maybe something more sinister that cannot be treated......

Any ideas why her breathing would be laboured ??? [/b

[b]Also, she grinds here beak together like she is eating (but is not) - once again ideas why ??

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww15eii.htm

The next 24 hours I think will be critical. If she survived 24 hours longer, then her chances are above average

Thanks for the comments and help. Cheers, CG

Bill · **Posted:** Thu Jan 15, 2015 7:32 pm

Quote:

She ate a banana earlier and some berries, some grain and drank afterwards - so her appetite has not waned.

Well that is a good sign

Chicken Girl · **Joined:** Wed May 02, 2012 7:15 pm **Posts:** 48

Hello

Bridget is recuperating. She is eating regularly and there is no infection. The stitches look very good. She is still obviously in pain when she attempts to walk (hobble).

The vet checked for fractures ,etc and said there were none (x-ray were NOT taken), but her walking is not improving. She does not want to walk if she can avoid it.

Whether she has a sprain, muscle tear is not known. Perhaps the tightening of the skin around the wound (above the leg) is making it painful to walk.

Should I try and make her walk by enticing her to walk to the food ? I am worried that if she just sits in the corner, the leg will loose all mobility.

Has anyone else dealt with a similar situation - thanks, CG

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