Pullet attacked by dog, skin peeled off back and several punctures - save or euthanize?

[Ddb123]

Should i try to save her, or is her suffering too great? One of my 3 month old pullets, a speckled Sussex, escaped her enclosure and landed in the jaws of my farm dog. He had her for a while before I went out and discovered the situation. All back feathers ripped out, sections of epidermis torn from neck (1" x 2" section), small chunks of epidermis torn from elbows on wings. 4-6 gaping punctures on back. Entire back has a scraped or road rash appearance. I brought her to the house, cleaned out the wounds with vetericyn for chickens, applied neosporin (no lidocaine). Keeping her warm in soft blankets inside a v small dog crate, with water and food available. I've cared for severely injured chickens before, but none this bad. Should I try to save her or is the pain likely so great that euthanasia is the humane choice?

Oh, no! I am so sorry. We have a dog that would do the same thing given the tiniest of chances.
Our dog got our cat. I had to put her down, she was in a lot of pain.
I have been bitten once before and it really, really hurts. Sadly, I would put her out of her misery.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I think you can save her. A dog got hold of one of our hens and injured her severely, leaving a gaping wound in her back, down into the muscle. We almost put her down, but she actually recovered perfectly. I'll tell her what we did for her. Others may do a little differently but this is what worked for us.

We did not want to scrub her but we wanted to keep her wound clean. So we made up a batch of sterile saline solution and put it in a spray bottle. Twice a day we sprayed the wound thoroughly with this. Then we dried it gently with a clean towel. Next we coated it with Neosporin Original ointment which does not contain pain reliever. Finally we sprayed it with Veterycin Gel to seal it and keep it moist. The wound was bigger than a 50-cent piece but it began to granulate from the edges and in about three weeks was completely healed. Good luck with your girl!

 

[McChooky]

Electrolytes in her water but have let her choose whether to drink so far. I didn't take pics I've been so upset w myself, I'll take some and post.

Sadly it will continue to attack chickens until its trained(its their nature) The poor girl looks like shes seen better days but she could possibly make a full recovery with moderate care. Keep her in a quiet darkened room where shes warm and treat for shock .It could kill her quicker than the njuries. Best of luck!

 

[Eggcessive]

We had 3 of our first pullets years ago go over our 4 foot chain line fence into our yard over several weeks where our golden retriever “played with them.” The fist 2 were slightly injured and survives. The last with no visible marks died after about 20 minutes. We had ordered a shock collar after the first injury, and I had tried everything to keep those pullets from jumping up on our fence. We used the corpse, and with the first and second shock, he never much as looked at the chickens. The other 2 dogs learned from him not to harm. I’m not a fan of shock collars, but that was the only time it was used.

A lot depends on if your pullet has internal injuries. The wounds can heal, but internal injuries can show up days later. Saline and antibiotic ointment twice a day are helpful. Try to get her drinking some sugar water for her shock, and keep her warm and in a quiet dim area, separated. If she starts to smell or has pus, use some Hibiclens and water to clean up any puncture wounds. Then go back to mild saline. Offer her wet chicken feed and cooked egg, and sometimes tuna or canned cat food can tempt them to eat. Let us know how she gets along, and let us know if you don’t get a response.

 

[ozarkchickens]

I think you can save her. A dog got hold of one of our hens and injured her severely, leaving a gaping wound in her back, down into the muscle. We almost put her down, but she actually recovered perfectly. I'll tell her what we did for her. Others may do a little differently but this is what worked for us.

We did not want to scrub her but we wanted to keep her wound clean. So we made up a batch of sterile saline solution and put it in a spray bottle. Twice a day we sprayed the wound thoroughly with this. Then we dried it gently with a clean towel. Next we coated it with Neosporin Original ointment which does not contain pain reliever. Finally we sprayed it with Veterycin Gel to seal it and keep it moist. The wound was bigger than a 50-cent piece but it began to granulate from the edges and in about three weeks was completely healed. Good luck with your girl!

Thanks for your time and encouragement!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I’m not a fan of shock collars, but that was the only time it was used.

As a former dog trainer, I am only a fan of shock collars insofar as they are used properly. Sounds like you did a great job!