Dog attack injury

[Gezellige_Poes]

Dog got my blue copper marans today, I managed to retrieve her thankfully. Upon closer inspection ( not by me, I'm far too squeamish) we found she had a few wounds on her back between her wings. Apparently one of them was pretty deep. Hubby managed to calm her down and all we had on hand was super glue to patch her up quickly. We sprayed her with the purple spray stuff and I've got her in a dark quiet room with food and water at the moment. I've given her gamebird starter(unmedicated) as it's 28% protein. Haven't checked if she's eaten or drank yet because I figured I'd give her some time to settle instead of stressing her out more. Is there anything else I can give her or do for her to make her more comfortable? I've got poultry electrolytes and a vitamin solution on hand. I've been feeling sick to my stomach all day thinking about her and worrying if she's suffering. She's only 20ish weeks old. Did I do the right thing by trying to help her or am I just making it worse? I feel horrible about what happened.

Oh No, how traumatizing. And I'm coming to this emergency late but in a state of alarm and urgency to answer, so have not read all the other posts. Bite wounds should NOT be closed up! Sealing the wounds sets the injury up for abscesses, you're closing in a possible infection! The bacteria from the dog's mouth are not to be taken lightly! Bite wounds need to be flushed immediately (betadine is very effective), then slathered with Manuka honey, and cover with nonstick bandage if possible. Since they are sealed now with super glue (!!), you'll need to watch for redness, swelling, warmth, bad smells, infection "lines" spreading from the puncture area. If an abscess sets in, you are faced with a whole other situation, lancing, draining, etc.

 

[Chickchicknewbie]

Oh No, how traumatizing. And I'm coming to this emergency late but in a state of alarm and urgency to answer, so have not read all the other posts. Bite wounds should NOT be closed up! Sealing the wounds sets the injury up for abscesses, you're closing in a possible infection! The bacteria from the dog's mouth are not to be taken lightly! Bite wounds need to be flushed immediately (betadine is very effective), then slathered with Manuka honey, and cover with nonstick bandage if possible. Since they are sealed now with super glue (!!), you'll need to watch for redness, swelling, warmth, bad smells, infection "lines" spreading from the puncture area. If an abscess sets in, you are faced with a whole other situation, lancing, draining, etc.

I realise we've made a mistake but after seeing her insides and her bleeding so much we panicked and closed the wound as best as we could. Thank you for the advice, will keep that in mind for the future (hopefully won't need it again though). Any advice on pain relief, what and if I can give her anything at all?

 

[Gezellige_Poes]

I realise we've made a mistake but after seeing her insides and her bleeding so much we panicked and closed the wound as best as we could. Thank you for the advice, will keep that in mind for the future (hopefully won't need it again though). Any advice on pain relief, what and if I can give her anything at all?

I've read you can use aspirin, with the warning that aspirin does thin the blood and if the wound is still bleeding or there is internal bleeding, to not use it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-can-i-give-for-pain.863184/post-13025218. Hopefully others will chime in to confirm or offer other solutions.

 

[Eggcessive]

I had posted very early that I don’t recommend closing a bite wound, and to watch for signs of abscess or infection. I would just clean the sight with the Betadine you have or chlorhexidene. I have treated bites from wild animals in my cats and dogs over the years, and if they get infected, they usually abscess by the third day. Most will open on their own, and pus will drip out. If not, it would look puffy and red, and that could be lanced. Usually opening an abscess and cleaning it out is all that is needed. That is one thing that hydrogen peroxide can be used to flush out and wound just one time. So if all looks good now you probably don’t need antibiotics.

 

[Chickchicknewbie]

I had posted very early that I don’t recommend closing a bite wound, and to watch for signs of abscess or infection. I would just clean the sight with the Betadine you have or chlorhexidene. I have treated bites from wild animals in my cats and dogs over the years, and if they get infected, they usually abscess by the third day. Most will open on their own, and pus will drip out. If not, it would look puffy and red, and that could be lanced. Usually opening an abscess and cleaning it out is all that is needed. That is one thing that hydrogen peroxide can be used to flush out and wound just one time. So if all looks good now you probably don’t need antibiotics.

Will keep an eye on it. So in case of infection/pus to flush with peroxide, what % hydrogen peroxide is recommended in that case? And regarding pain relief, as stated above aspirin is an option however I'm not 100% sure about internal bleeding that's why I asked previously how obvious that would be? What are the signs and if she would've passed quicker if she was bleeding internally. Is it wiser to wait a little bit to see if theres signs of bleeding (external or internal) before giving her aspirin?
l will try get my hands on some meloxicam though

 

[Chickchicknewbie]

I've read you can use aspirin, with the warning that aspirin does thin the blood and if the wound is still bleeding or there is internal bleeding, to not use it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/what-can-i-give-for-pain.863184/post-13025218. Hopefully others will chime in to confirm or offer other solutions.

I've managed to get meloxicam from a neighbour, from my understanding that is a better option in this case? Any tips on the best way to administer it? She's not interested in food or drink that much, I think she's in pain

 

[Faithjo]

Thank you for sharing that. They are resilient little creatures aren't they!
I just wish I wasn't so squeamish about that type of stuff, luckily I've got help around so it still gets done.

You’re welcome!

 

[Eggcessive]

Meloxicam is prescription drug. Since it has been a couple of days now, I would not use anything for pain. Oh, I see it has just been one day. Just keep her as comfortable as possible. I use straight 3% hydrogen peroxide for wound care one time. You may dilute it in half if you like. It fizzes out abscess wound well. It should not be used more than than since it can prevent wound healing. But since you are not seeing signs of abscess, I would not worry. How is she doing? Is she able to stand and walk? Is she eating and drinking? Alert or lethargic? If she had internal bleeding, she would look gravely ill and most likely die.

 

[Chickchicknewbie]

Meloxicam is prescription drug. Since it has been a couple of days now, I would not use anything for pain. Oh, I see it has just been one day. Just keep her as comfortable as possible. I use straight 3% hydrogen peroxide for wound care one time. You may dilute it in half if you like. It fizzes out abscess wound well. It should not be used more than than since it can prevent wound healing. But since you are not seeing signs of abscess, I would not worry. How is she doing? Is she able to stand and walk? Is she eating and drinking? Alert or lethargic? If she had internal bleeding, she would look gravely ill and most likely die.

I've got her in a small cage at the moment because it's all I had on short notice so not too much room to walk around, however she does stand up and do some steps. I will be moving her into a large dog crate tomorrow. She seems quite stressed out still like when I try to offer her food/water she gets up and tries to get away from it which is why I thought she's in pain and refusing food/water. She was quite alert this morning when I checked on her but as the day progressed she seemed more uncomfortable. She does not look gravely ill, just uncomfortable and sore. I believe she needs a good drink and maybe some food but I don't know how to make her without stressing her more