[poultrygeist]

Just caught up with this thread Pookey. Best of luck. Hope she makes a full recovery.

TMG did a brilliant job with Pauline.

Rob

[Hawkins]

Good luck Pookey, keep us updated.

[pushrod]

I have a hen who has twice had her body cavity ripped open by  over enthusiastic cocks
and once been savagely attacked by another young cockerel who ripped her comb off and split  her neck open. Amazingly she still survives. It is amazing how they are able to resist infections. I am sure there is a good chance yours will survive.

[too many girls]

ooh push, glad i don't live in your hen house, my poor old body cavity couldn't cope with your cocks..............and neither could my hens.

[drumcrow]

poor little thing

[Shell Less]

One of my girls was attacked by a dog, just before Christmas, we did managed to get her to my vets, who gave her a fluid injection for the shock, some meds and also stapled her skin together. She did remove alot of her feather that were loose, like your little lady it looked horrid, but one the skin was pulled back together she was looking alot better.  We kept her indoors for nearly two weeks, i had to clean her wound for a few days and also give her some meds.  She made a full recovery, they really are harder than we think!!  I would recommend getting her to the vets, looks like she needs a staple for two!!

[agapanthus]

"quote"   Don't be tempted to use germaline or such like as this is not good for most animals.  It gets sticky and attracts more dirt into the wound. "quote"

Me and Munty (especially Munty) have used germolene on our chooks for many, many years with fantastic results! We once had a hen who had her breast  torn open by a dog. Munty put 15 stitches in her and cleaned her wound twice daily and applied germolene. She is still going strong. I'm not advising you to stitch her  :blink:.....we had to move quickly with ours and if I remember correctly it was a bank holiday weekend when it happened...so no vets about. We had her wound covered with a bandage so no dirt could get in and she was also inside in a cage of her own.

[mrs.ploppy]

The best thing to use on a wound such as this would be 'intrasite gell' from the vets.  It keeps the wound flexible and moist whilst aiding healing, where as germaline and vasaline are protrolium based and will not let the skin breathe as it were.  My comment was not ment to say 'do not use', just that there are more appropriate products out there.  Intrasite gell is very cheap from the vets and has a number of uses.  Creams and ointments can become cloggy on the skin and pick up bedding, poo etc introducing bactiria on to the wound which in a very bad case is the last thing needed.  Sorry if my comment was confusing and I have used creams myself but as this is such a large area personally I would use Intrasite.  Plus, if any infection present you will always need antibiotics.  In a large wound debriding may need to be done (dead, dying and damaged skin removed) so to encorage new skin to form.  A vet can advise on this.  Hope this has cleared up any confusion on my comment.

[agapanthus]

We all have our different ways Mrs P

[pookey]

I went the vets on Monday morning and vet took a good look.  She said it was probably a dog as a fox would have gone for the front and was pretty certain that it happened on Saturday which made me feel better as she hadnt been suffering for a day before I seen her, anyway she is on a heavy dose of antibiotics and is only to be cleaned every other day with saline.  Her wounds have already started healing so it is just the infection that is the main risk to her, if we can avoid that she should pull through.  Eighteen pounds    Good job we love em.

I am giving her 1 warm weetabix and milk each morning and constant access to layers pellets and water and she seems to be eating and drinking so hopefully she'll pull through.  SHes a wellsummer and I only have 3 of them, they lay the creamiest tastiest eggs, hopefully she'll still be able to lay when shes better.   Thank you for all advice and concern, you may have saved her life.

[Foxy]

sounds hopeful pookey! Good luck with her she has obviously got the best mum!

[poultrygeist]

You saved her life Pookey.

We just happened to be here when you did it.

Glad she's mending. I love my warm weetabix for breakfast too 

Rob

[pookey]

I think the vet may have missed a hole in her crop.  I thought she was making a mess with her food but when I gave her her medicine tonight I saw the hole, when I picked her up to look at it, clear goo came out (like the medicine), then weetabix came out as i pressed around it. 

I am going to take her back the vets tomorrow, hopefully they wont charge me for another consult.  Has anyone ever come accross this or am I mistaken.

[poultrygeist]

never heard of that 

Is it like a puncture wound ? Any stray bits of wire around that she might have picked up ?
They'll eat anything. Nails, screws, etc. Could be she's foudn somethign sharp and it's gone through or she could have caught herself on soemthing sticking out of soemwhere.

I would think with that, she'll enlarge the hole to see what's in there. Make sure you get a photo of whatever's there.

Rob

[pookey]

It's a woulnd from the dog bites, and it is like a tunnel hole at the side of the crop, hard to describe.  I think I will inject some water down her throat tomorrow and see if it comes out the hole.  SHes lost alot of weight but that could be the stress and lack of appetite