Wry Neck - Confused about treatment

[mamakat74]

Yeah, he was able to sometimes hold his neck up. But things changed Tuesday and then again Wednesday, with him sleeping a lot. And although he was eating, he was probably not eating enough. I had difficulty in the end getting him to wake up to eat. I finally realized I needed to euthanize him yesterday afternoon. At least I know he knew love before he died. He spent several days in comfort...

 

[Lacrystol]

Yeah, he was able to sometimes hold his neck up. But things changed Tuesday and then again Wednesday, with him sleeping a lot. And although he was eating, he was probably not eating enough. I had difficulty in the end getting him to wake up to eat. I finally realized I needed to euthanize him yesterday afternoon. At least I know he knew love before he died. He spent several days in comfort...

OMG, well not my choice but sorry for your lost..

 

[mamakat74]

OMG, well not my choice but sorry for your lost..

OMG, not something I would have said to someone who had to make a very difficult decision.

Look, I have done special needs dog and cat rescue for nearly 15 years and my non-profit actually takes the worst of the worst - those that most "no-kills" would even put down. I do not give up UNLESS I see suffering with little to no hope.

I am not a chicken expert, but I read everything I could find on his condition and consulted vets. I treated him as best I could. And I believe I made the right decision for HIM. For my part, I wanted to save him. However, I realized at some point that I was only prolonging his suffering. Sometimes you come to that point where you have to make an unselfish decision, even if it makes you weep.

 

[Lacrystol]

OMG, not something I would have said to someone who had to make a very difficult decision.

Look, I have done special needs dog and cat rescue for nearly 15 years and my non-profit actually takes the worst of the worst - those that most "no-kills" would even put down. I do not give up UNLESS I see suffering with little to no hope.

I am not a chicken expert, but I read everything I could find on his condition and consulted vets. I treated him as best I could. And I believe I made the right decision for HIM. For my part, I wanted to save him. However, I realized at some point that I was only prolonging his suffering. Sometimes you come to that point where you have to make an unselfish decision, even if it makes you weep.

Sorry you feel different but I don't think you really gave him much time, I mean three days maybe four of vitamin treatment?

Poor Debrastar1204 has been dealing with her issue for MONTHS and MONTHS at a time. She and her hen are still fighting for survival. Why because she kept at it and her nor her hen are willing to call it quits and I think that is GREAT.

FIVE STARS FOR THEM...

You said he's been like this for 2 1/2 weeks WITHOUT treatment, well going that long he wasn't going to recover over night..

When it comes down to it, you try one treatment if that doesn't work, you try something else until you find what DOES work, Exspecially if you have NO clue what it is in the first place.. Sometimes it ends to late to get to that point and sometimes it ends with great results. You don't know until you at least give it a chance.

Anyone who has had dealings with Wry Neck will tell you it TAKES time sometimes even months for them to fully recover. I know personally myself, I have had one take 2 weeks. Not eating or nothing had to tube feed her until one day BOOM. it was like she was in a coma and just SNAPPED OUT it, so it does take time..

 

[mamakat74]

He was so far gone we could not wake him up. He could not stay awake long enough to eat the previous day. The vet and I believed it was kinder to end his suffering, as he had very little chance of recovering at that point, and given his overall condition. On these matters I put more value on the opinions of those who have actually observed what is happening with an individual case. I believe I made the best decision for him, and the kindest one in his particular case.

 

[mamakat74]

The decision wasn't made because his wry neck was not better, by the way. I expected that to take weeks at least. The decision was made because his overall condition was so poor and he was suffering.

 

[ten chicks]

The decision wasn't made because his wry neck was not better, by the way. I expected that to take weeks at least. The decision was made because his overall condition was so poor and he was suffering.

Some of the above comments are out of line,my condolences on having to make this very difficult decision. When we decide to end the suffering of our pets it is b/c we love them,not b/c we cannot be bothered to continue treatment.if he was suffering,you have made the right decision and no one has the right to say otherwise,shame on them. Until you have "walked in someone else's shoes"do not criticize them for the decisions they have made.

 

[Fancychooklady]

You can't save them all. The decision was yours to make and I for one respect you making it. We all like to think that we can change the world, but nobody likes to see the innocent suffer.

 

[Lacrystol]

It's NOT saving the WORLD or OUT OF LINE comments, it's an Opinion!! Personally I would have handle it differently, while others do not.

I respect any decisions as much as I would expect you to respect my decisions..

I will give my opinion whether you agree to it or not because I have my way and you have your way..

Do I dis you for it. NO, it's your decision of what you do, do I understand in some cases yes. I may not agree with your decision but wouldn't criticize you for it..

 

[mamakat74]

Thank you TenChicks and Fancychooklady. This is my first chicken loss, and I didn't expect to weep over him (because I thought I had "steeled" myself in the beginning, knowing I might not be successful in saving him). But I had lived with hope for him right up to the last and allowed myself to envision him as a full-grown chicken someday - with or without a crooked neck.

Part of why I took him was because I was immediately reminded of two crooked-headed cats I had rescued at different times. One was FIV positive and lived about another ten years with us. The other is Otis, a former feral, who has been my tamed love-bug for about 13 years now. Little Denny actually got to snuggle with Otis. At the first touch of fur, he would fall asleep. He loved me, but snuggling with something soft and furry was apparently heaven for him. I felt badly that he had to be quarantined away from the other chickens, so I allowed supervised snuggles with the cats multiple times a day. I will forever be grateful to Niamh and Otis, who were willing to mother him.

Again, thank you. And thanks to everyone for all of the advice. I hope I never have to deal with this problem in the future. But if I do, I will now have the correct supplies on-hand. And hopefully it will not be another case where the problem was entirely neglected for weeks before I even met them...I keep wishing my trip to this farm had happened sooner. Had I known he was out there, I would have taken him immediately. The first chicken I got there was also one that had "issues," although of another sort.