Henrietta’s Fox Attack

Henrietta is a 1.5 year old female Rhode Island Red. She lives with a small flock of hens kept as pets by a local restaurant in Maryland. The chickens are allowed to free range on the property during the day and at night put themselves up in their chicken coop. However, early one morning in late May, there was a fox attack on the chicken coop. By the time the flock’s owners arrived at the scene, four of the birds were missing, and Henrietta was found hiding in the corner. Fortunately, she had survived the attack, however she appeared to be in weak condition and had visible injuries on her back. Her owners were concerned, as they knew that without medical care, Henrietta might well be the fifth of the fox’s victims. Therefore, they immediately called to make an emergency appointment with their veterinarian, Pleasantville Animal Hospital of Fallston.

Henrietta’s trip to the vet

Henrietta was brought to Dr. Rebecca Gounaris at the Pleasantville Animal Hospital of Fallston. Upon arrival, Dr. Gounaris performed a physical exam on Henrietta to assess the extent of her injuries and her overall health status. Behavioral-wise, Henrietta was definitely more quiet and subdued compared to a normal chicken, but was still alert and responsive. The attack had resulted in the loss of large patches of feathers, especially on her back. She had three significant open wounds between her shoulders, on her back, and hip. Superficial scratches were noted on her chest, back, and around her vent.

Dr. Gounaris flushed Henrietta’s open wounds liberally with dilute betadine solution and sutured them closed. Since most predators of chickens, including foxes, carry a lot of bacteria in their mouths and under their nails, Dr. Gounaris was concerned about the possibility of a secondary bacterial infection leading to septicemia (a very serious blood infection); therefore, she immediately started Henrietta on Augmentin (amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium), a type of antibiotic that acts similar to penicillin.

Henrietta’s post-injury care

While Henrietta recovered, Dr. Gounaris instructed the following treatment plan for her owners:

• Supportive care - Henrietta should be kept inside and separated from the rest of the flock while she recovered from her injuries. This location should be somewhere safe, quiet, easily accessible, and in a low stress environment.
• Keep a close eye on her, especially the first 24-48 hours – Henrietta’s prognosis was guarded during this time, not because of the wounds but due to the risk of septicemia from the bacteria in the fox’s saliva.
• Antibiotics - Henrietta’s owners were instructed to administer 125 mg/kg of Augmentin to the hen, by mouth, every 12 hours.
• Anti-inflammatory Medication - Henrietta was also prescribed 2.5 mg/kg of Metacam (meloxicam), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug, once a day by mouth, to help control pain and inflammation.
• Egg withdrawal time - The egg withdrawal time for Augmentin/Clavamox is normally 14 days (2 weeks), but is prolonged to 6-8 weeks for anyone that is allergic to penicillins. Since Henrietta’s eggs may potentially be sold, and whoever buys them could potentially be allergic to penicillins, it is important that Henrietta's owners follow the more conservative withdrawal time.

Henrietta’s recheck appointment

Twelve days following the fox attack, Henrietta saw Dr. Gounaris again on her recheck appointment to remove her sutures. All but one of the wounds were healed, and several pin feathers were starting to come back in. The one wound that was having difficulty healing was debrided again by Dr. Gounaris and re-sutured. Henrietta was otherwise in good health, and on the path to recovery. Her owners are re-evaluating the design of their coop and are planning to install additional predator proofing to keep the chickens safe before putting Henrietta back outside.