Skin ripped off (warning: graphic pictures of wounded chicken)

[Love the Moon]

Hello Everyone,
This is my first post, though I have been learning a lot from all of you for the last few years. Thank you.

Last Tuesday evening we had a strange dog attack. One pullet dead and one adult chicken with a huge patch of skin missing from her back and puncture wounds (see photos). The missing skin patch is about 2"x6". I can see fat, muscle, blood vessels, etc. I wasn't sure she would survive.






Next day she is eating, drinking and pooping. So amazing. Not sure I'd be in that good of shape.

From what I've read, she should be able to healing completely!?! What do you think?

For the first two days we washed the area with diluted hydrogen peroxide, coated it with antibiotic ointment and covered with bandage once a day. I did some research that suggested switching to watered down iodine. We did that yesterday. Today (Friday evening) when we took the bandage off there was this strange green-blue color in her flesh (see photo).

Does anyone know what this is? Looks scary. Is this the iodine? or Is something very wrong?









Also, we have kept her separate from the other chickens. I keep her in a dim-lit, quite room so she can rest and heal. Last evening she seemed a bit ready to get out of the bin so let her outside, fenced in and supervised. She didn't seem to want to go very far. Today I had her in the kitchen with me and outside a little bit.
Once she is a bit stronger I may put her in the run with the others but in her own cage. So they can remember her. Then bring her in the house or separate her in the coop at night.

Anyone have any more suggestion how I can care for her and help her heal? Anything else I should know?

Thank you

 

[debster1556]

So sorry about that attack!

I've seen a couple pics of greenish tissue a day or two after an injury and if it doesn't smell than I would say its bruising. That tissue around those injuries has been thru quite the trauma. Put your nose up to it and take a smell. If it smells okay than I would guess bruising. If it has a bad odor than it could be infection.

It looks like you're doing the right things for her.

Good luck!

 

[Love the Moon]

Thank you. I'm hoping it is nothing serious.

I realized I forgot to add a detail.

On the second day I used antibiotic ointment that has pain relief (Pramoxine HCL), before I found out it was harmful to chickens. I'm hoping I didn't cause her more damage.

 

[debster1556]

Oh yes! Definitely don't use anything with pain relief. No benzocaine, no caines of any kind. How is your chicken this morning?

 

[Eggcessive]

That wound looks pretty clean for being so deep. Infection and fly strike will be the biggest problems, so I would keep her inside until it heals a lot. It will probably granulate in slowly with the size of the wound getting smaller gradually. You could use normal saline to clean it if that is necessary any more since peroxide and betadine use continually may impede healing. Just plain neosporin or bacitracin ointment would be best. Feeding her a little extra protein from eggs, canned tuna, or a little meat would be good. If you smell a bad odor or see increased redness, swelling or pus, then I would clean the wound again, and get some antibiotics started. Penicillin (Procaine Pen G,) erythromycin (Gallimycin) are about the only good ones for wounds at the feed store, but your vet could prescribe stronger ones.

 

[RoostersCrow HensDeliver!]

I would also recommend spraying it with Vetericyn, I've only used it a few chickens with shallow cuts though. They seem to heal very fast and there was no scarring after I started using Vetericyn vs plain iodine.

 

[casportpony]

The green looks like bruising to me. Keep her inside, keep it clean and she'll probably be okay. Might be a good idea to get a baseline weight on her and then weigh her every few days. Weight loss could be a sign that infection has set in.

-Kathy

 

[MrsBachbach]

Hello Everyone, This is my first post, though I have been learning a lot from all of you for the last few years. Thank you. Last Tuesday evening we had a strange dog attack. One pullet dead and one adult chicken with a huge patch of skin missing from her back and puncture wounds (see photos). The missing skin patch is about 2"x6". I can see fat, muscle, blood vessels, etc. I wasn't sure she would survive. [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR] [COLOR=B42000] [/COLOR] Next day she is eating, drinking and pooping. So amazing. Not sure I'd be in that good of shape. From what I've read, she should be able to healing completely!?! What do you think? For the first two days we washed the area with diluted hydrogen peroxide, coated it with antibiotic ointment and covered with bandage once a day. I did some research that suggested switching to watered down iodine. We did that yesterday. Today (Friday evening) when we took the bandage off there was this strange green-blue color in her flesh (see photo). Does anyone know what this is? Looks scary. Is this the iodine? or Is something very wrong? Also, we have kept her separate from the other chickens. I keep her in a dim-lit, quite room so she can rest and heal. Last evening she seemed a bit ready to get out of the bin so let her outside, fenced in and supervised. She didn't seem to want to go very far. Today I had her in the kitchen with me and outside a little bit. Once she is a bit stronger I may put her in the run with the others but in her own cage. So they can remember her. Then bring her in the house or separate her in the coop at night. Anyone have any more suggestion how I can care for her and help her heal? Anything else I should know? Thank you

I think that green is infection settin in. I would get to your vet supply place or feedstore and get some injectable PenG penicillin. Purchase a 1 ml syringe and a 20 gauge needle. The stuff is thick so don't get anything smaller than a 20. I would dose her with a tenth of a ml or cc in the muscle for about five days. That's what I would do if it was mine. I would also look for a product called WonderDust at your feed or vet supply store. It is usually in the horse section. Its an antibiotic drying agent. I used it on a hen with missing skin and gash in muscle and it put a scab on that wound in a matter of a few days. Looked ugly and black, but it worked. Your hen does look much worse than mine was. That's a large area to grow skin back. If you can't find the WonderDust, I would at least follow the PenG injectable medicine to help prevent infection. Dog wounds are nasty. One other thing I wanted to add. If you use the PenG, I wouldn't be eating any eggs from her in awhile. JMO.

 

[casportpony]

People often mistake bruising for infection or gangrene.

-Kathy

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some pictures of bruising that you can find with a search of "green skin" on BYC: