How long until you know after a cat bite?

[clogan98]

I was wondering too, and I know it's not a specific answer, but if a chick was to succumb to a cat bite, how long do you think it would be? My chick has a small cat bite that I'm treating but was wondering if I can pull her through the first 24-48-72 hours does that mean we succeeded?

 

[qldchook]

The main thing with a cat bite or bad scratch is to not let it scab over , at least initially. The bacteria from cat bites florishes best without air, in a closed wound. It then creates an abcess which is what eventually kills the wounded bird. 24 hours to get over the shock of the attack, then as long as it is warm, eating & drinking & the wound has not pierced a vital organ, all should be ok if wound kept open, clean & treated.
If it has scabbed over, soften the scab and remove it & very gently push the tissue around it to the opening to ensure no pus.PM me if you are unsure or have problems.

 

[clogan98]

Thank you for that! I've washed it off a few times. I just got bitten very badly from a cat last month (rescue gone wrong!) which ended me in the ER on lots of meds and no use of either hand for two weeks. So I know how bad a cat bite can be. This looks nothing like that. A small puncture from my cat carrying it. He just picked it up and I saw it and immediately got her back. He didn't play or try to kill, just grabbed. Which is I'm hoping what will help her. I will continue to soften the wound with clean water for the next 24 hours if it looks like it's going to start to scab. I did get penicillin from Big R as well. I'm desperate to save her. She looks good so far. Eating drinking. Not as lively but she had quite the day! These chickens are our pets so they mean a lot to us. That one in particular (of course). If something comes up and I have a question I will PM you. Thank you for the help though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[qldchook]

It may close over with a blood clot so do not hesitate to wipe it with a dry cloth. It should look like a tiny open hole, rather than a hole with a red cover.. Once open, you can gently flush with with a diluted betadine solution or even salted water. Also carefully check opposite side because they usually grasp in two places so you do not want to miss the other side.Keeping the chick on probiotics (and high protein diet-eg chopped boiled egg) would also help. I am sure she will be fine. Good Luck.

 

[clogan98]

I did try the egg. None of my chicks eat treats yet. I even tried a grasshopper. She grabbed it but wasn't up for fighting for it and when I blocked the others from coming over, she wasn't interested at all in it. But she did eat her regular food. And drank some of the electrolyte water. I just checked and rinsed it off again. Looks very clean and moist. Hoping it stays clean overnight. I took out their little dust bowl so she couldn't dust bathe until this heals! Just a wait and see game now I guess.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Good luck with the chick. One of my 14 week old pullets got to close to the dog I am sitting and nearly got bit. They are used to my dog(Australian Sheppard) and so they probably thought the other dog was no threat. I now have him on a shorter chain when I let them out for a couple of evening hours and I stay out with them in case they start to wander near his area.

 

[MKing]

I have a 5 week old chick that was pounced by a cat the other day. I didn't realize she had been wounded by a cat until the next day (we found her in a bucket and thought maybe she just fell in, there was no blood on her or evidence of holes that I could find, but I've never had chicks before--only full grown chickens). But she started swelling up all over the next day. She looks like a little balloon now. She is not acting like she is in a lot of pain and scratches around with the other chicks, but she is so swollen I don't know if she can make it. I don't know what to do for her. I know the chick feed is medicated, but I don't think that will be enough. Any advice?

 

[clogan98]

The medicated chick feed is for cocci, not something like this. My chick survived with no problem even though she had a puncture wound. You need to go over the bird and check for any marks anywhere. Being swollen could mean internal injuries, but if she's acting okay, that's good. Go to your local farm store and get Penicillin G (it doesn't say for chickens on it, but it's the right one) At 5 weeks you don't need much. I gave mine .2 as it's per weight. Cat bites are horrendous. I was just bitten by a cat last month, the pictures show how swelling does occur. The first pics were in the ER about an hour after and the second set was two weeks later. My hand had blown up like a balloon, and I was on heavy antibiotics and pain killers. This is why I saw look closely for any wounds. You need to flush them out and keep them VERY clean. I flushed my chicks puncture about 2-3 times a day. I gave her penicillin once a day, when she'd go outside I'd coat it in vaseline (she loves dust baths) and then clean it up when she'd come back in. Use neosporin (withOUT the pain reliever in it). When cleaning, I used neosporin's antibacterial foaming cleanser. DON'T use peroxide. It kills the tissue. I tried wrapping her in vetwrap but she hated it and I just wanted to keep the stress level down. I'm trying to think what else I did. My chick didn't swell at all. She just had a hole in her. But she's fine. Recovered fully with no ill effects. Phew. Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[MKing]

This morning I remembered that our University just got a new veterinary program this year so I called them. They referred me to their poultry extension and the specialist said that my description did not sound like an infection. He said most likely the cat punctured a bone, which is full of air and literally blew her up like a balloon. He said if she isn't acting like she is in pain she probably does not have an infection, and as the bone heals the chicken should slowly deflate--but it will take awhile. Not what I expected to hear but it's good news, I guess. So I guess I'm just going to wait it out unless she looks like she is hurting.

 

[clogan98]

Wow. Interesting. But yeah, I guess since they have different bones, hollow, that could make sense. Could you post what how she ends up though? It would be good to know what happened for future reference.