Vent Prolapse (dead tissue/intestines ??)

[Slugg3r]

Hi everyone I have a bit of emergency and could use some advice !

I have a nearly 4 year old Cochin chicken with what appears to be a prolapse vent from laying an egg that was to large (look at picture below for egg) for her.

Note this is her first egg after going through a molt

Two days ago I went out into the backyard to check on the chickens, and clean there coop, inside the coop was a bloody egg that had me concern I checked the other two chickens before I found the Cochin with a bloody backside and what looked like intestines hanging out…

I immediately got to work cleaning her off and spraying her with vetericyn to get a better idea of what was going on (lots of poop and blood on her)

After cleaning her off I separated her from the folk, while I sat up a chicken hospital inside the house, after getting her inside I gave her a Epson salt bath, and put triple antibiotic ointment plus honey onto the prolapse

I was able to get the prolapse back inside and put her back in the crate for sleep (the event had occurred at night so it was already 9pm once I got done setting up her crate, And treating her) I also gave her a calcium with d3 tablet

The next day, I gave her another Epson salt, and repeated the honey plus ointment and pushed back in her prolapse (it came out durning the night while I was sleeping) and let her rest afterwards

I had to leave the house for a while, and when I came back it had relapsed again, so after a quick dinner I gave her a third Epson salt bath and this time used a combo of ointment and preperation h on the prolapse before pushing it back in again

She is currently resting again (her crate is kept dark for 18hrs to prevent egg laying while she heals) my concern is the tissue is not red or bright, I’m afraid that the tissue is dying or already septic (please look at photos below of prolapse tissue) and I’m worried that I’m prolonging her suffering

this is the first time I’m dealt with a prolapsed vent

If anyone can tell me if she’s on the path of recovering or if I need to euthanize her would be much appreciated as I have no idea if this is even fixable



First day of prolapse

After first Epson salt bath

What came off after Epson salt bath (note I’m not sure what it is/ has squishy texture)

Second day of prolapse after second and third Epson salt bath (today) (color looks concerning/no longer red)

What vent looks like after pushing prolapse back in (I had cut some feather off for better viewing/treating purposes)

Picture of egg that was found in nesting box

Again if anyone can help me or give advice and what I’m next steps should be, would be very greatly appreciated ! I just don’t want her to suffer if there’s nothing I can do

@Eggcessive
@dawg53
@Wyorp Rock
@rebrascora
@casportpony

 

[MysteryChicken]

Hi everyone I have a bit of emergency and could use some advice !

I have a nearly 4 year old Cochin chicken with what appears to be a prolapse vent from laying an egg that was to large (look at picture below for egg) for her.

Note this is her first egg after going through a molt

Two days ago I went out into the backyard to check on the chickens, and clean there coop, inside the coop was a bloody egg that had me concern I checked the other two chickens before I found the Cochin with a bloody backside and what looked like intestines hanging out…

I immediately got to work cleaning her off and spraying her with vetericyn to get a better idea of what was going on (lots of poop and blood on her)

After cleaning her off I separated her from the folk, while I sat up a chicken hospital inside the house, after getting her inside I gave her a Epson salt bath, and put triple antibiotic ointment plus honey onto the prolapse

I was able to get the prolapse back inside and put her back in the crate for sleep (the event had occurred at night so it was already 9pm once I got done setting up her crate, And treating her) I also gave her a calcium with d3 tablet

The next day, I gave her another Epson salt, and repeated the honey plus ointment and pushed back in her prolapse (it came out durning the night while I was sleeping) and let her rest afterwards

I had to leave the house for a while, and when I came back it had relapsed again, so after a quick dinner I gave her a third Epson salt bath and this time used a combo of ointment and preperation h on the prolapse before pushing it back in again

She is currently resting again (her crate is kept dark for 18hrs to prevent egg laying while she heals) my concern is the tissue is not red or bright, I’m afraid that the tissue is dying or already septic (please look at photos below of prolapse tissue) and I’m worried that I’m prolonging her suffering

this is the first time I’m dealt with a prolapsed vent

If anyone can tell me if she’s on the path of recovering or if I need to euthanize her would be much appreciated as I have no idea if this is even fixable



First day of prolapse

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After first Epson salt bath

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What came off after Epson salt bath (note I’m not sure what it is/ has squishy texture)

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Second day of prolapse after second and third Epson salt bath (today) (color looks concerning/no longer red)

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What vent looks like after pushing prolapse back in (I had cut some feather off for better viewing/treating purposes)

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Picture of egg that was found in nesting box


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Again if anyone can help me or give advice and what I’m next steps should be, would be very greatly appreciated ! I just don’t want her to suffer if there’s nothing I can do

@Eggcessive
@dawg53
@Wyorp Rock

Were you applying any Plain None Pain Relieving Triple Antibiotic to it, or petroleum Jelly to keep the tissue moist?

 

[Slugg3r]

Were you applying any Plain None Pain Relieving Triple Antibiotic to it, or petroleum Jelly to keep the tissue moist?

Hi thank you for commenting

Yes, yesterday and today I’ve been applying triple antibiotic ointment, honey, and preparation h multiple times a day

yesterday I had only applied it once (triple antibiotic ointment and honey) before bed as I had discovered the problem in the evening around 6-7pm

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The red ball, did you happen to cut that open when you got it out? Just curious. It may have been a blood clot or possibly an intact follicle.

The yellowish looking material/tissue that the red ball was in - did you push that back inside? What does it feel like? Could it be wrapped up soft shell membranes or you are certain it's tissue/part of the oviduct?

Just asking....

I'm hesitant to say it looks like membranes to me, but it does. It could be tissue with exudes covering it.

I'd definitely keep her hydrated, get extra Calcium into her. TUMS or Calcium Citrate, 1 pill/tablet daily to help with retention. Calcium is a must, I can't express how much it's needed when you encounter something like this.

Keep any exposed tissue moist with ointment, oil, honey, etc.
It looks like it has gone back in for now(?)
Is she able to poop?

 

[dawg53]

You're dealing with a prolapsed oviduct due to the large egg. You've taken all the proper steps to treat it, great job! You've also received excellent advice from both MysteryChicken and Wyorp Rock.
I recommend continuing treatments for about 10 days and if there's little or no healing/improvement, consider culling her. Also, keep your Cochin away from the flock until completely healed.

 

[Slugg3r]

The red ball, did you happen to cut that open when you got it out? Just curious. It may have been a blood clot or possibly an intact follicle.

The yellowish looking material/tissue that the red ball was in - did you push that back inside? What does it feel like? Could it be wrapped up soft shell membranes or you are certain it's tissue/part of the oviduct?

Just asking....

I'm hesitant to say it looks like membranes to me, but it does. It could be tissue with exudes covering it.

I'd definitely keep her hydrated, get extra Calcium into her. TUMS or Calcium Citrate, 1 pill/tablet daily to help with retention. Calcium is a must, I can't express how much it's needed when you encounter something like this.

Keep any exposed tissue moist with ointment, oil, honey, etc.
It looks like it has gone back in for now(?)
Is she able to poop?

Hi thank you for commenting !

I haven’t cut open the red balls yet but I can if you think it’s a good idea, there was two and I kept both just in case, after I cut it open I’ll report back to you.

The tissue the red balls came out of I’ve been attempting to push it back inside, it’ll stay inside of her until she poops, then it’ll pop back out and Ill repeat the process of reapplying ointment, prep h, and Vaseline to move it back inside again when it happens.

The tissue has a gummy texture to it, not hard but not soft either kinda in the middle like a gummy candy.

I think the tissue is attached because while doing a better examination, I saw the yellow tissue seems to be connected to red/pink healthy tissue father up the cloaca
I didn’t want to pull on it and risk more tissue being exposed though


The night I discovered the prolapse and yesterday I give her the wrong type of calcium, I gave her calcium carbonate instead of citrate not realizing there was a difference.
I went to Walmart this morning and got her the calcium citrate 630mg with d3, and some witch hazel too. She had her first tablet today of the citrate

I read that withholding food for a few days is a good idea to lessen the poop while she recovers, opinions on that is much appreciated?

she very interested in food but not so much water, so I have been giving her some blueberry’s for the water content/sugar. (Her favorite treat)

I’m thinking of tomorrow to give her chicken mash so she can get some extra water in her besides some actual food, she really only had blueberries and a little bit of liquid cat treat yesterday and the night she was discovered.

She has been pooping, mostly liquid but also solids too, every time she poops is when the tissue comes back out
Here’s some pictures of her poop below

This was right after her 4th Epson soak bath today

She’s a lot more perky today, yesterday she slept most of the day, today she’s been awake for most of the morning/afternooon and she acting a bit more like herself then yesterday

Thank you again for commenting !

 

[Slugg3r]

You're dealing with a prolapsed oviduct due to the large egg. You've taken all the proper steps to treat it, great job! You've also received excellent advice from both MysteryChicken and Wyorp Rock.
I recommend continuing treatments for about 10 days and if there's little or no healing/improvement, consider culling her. Also, keep your Cochin away from the flock until completely healed.

Thank you for commenting !

Yes definitely, and thank you, I want to give her the best chance possible !

Here are some process pics from today after her Epson salt bath

She definitely more perky, and acting more like herself today ! Yesterday she slept for most of the day, but today she’s been more awake and active which I hope is a good sign !

And yes she’s being kept inside, away from her flock until she completely recovers !

 

[Eggcessive]

You can feed cooked egg and mushy chicken feed adding water to each.

 

[coach723]

You can use a sling to help hold the prolapse in for periods, or overnight, when you can't watch constantly (link below with some pictures). Prolapses will often keep coming back out when they strain, either to poop, or sometimes when there is damage or scabbing, that makes them feel like they need to push. Don't be afraid to really slather it up before pushing it in, you really, really don't want it to dry out. I've dealt with a couple of prolapses that took a week to get it to stay in on it's own.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/successful-vent-prolapse-treatment-with-photos.1101406/

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes if you have the red pieces, cut them open and see what's inside. They are probably blood clots.

You did fine with the Calcium. Calcium Carbonate will work in a crisis too, don't fret over that

You're doing a good job taking care of her. I'd keep her hydrated and let her eat, she needs nutrition to heal and keep her stamina up. Mushy feed as suggested or bits of egg.