Thanks for those that responded to my initial post -
I couldn't have been prepared for what I found yesterday when I returned home after a kid's workshop. My 7 week old BA that I had treated for sour crop- had a crop that was now 3 times as big as that morning when I put her back in with the other girls. Her crop was so large that it was pushing up between her neck and collar. She was having trouble breathing - so I said,"We have to do surgery."
It couldn't have come a minute too soon, her breathing was labored and she was making a terrible contortion to get air in. My mother, an "old time" farmer's daughter couldn't believe what I was suggesting but as a retired ER nurse went into action.
We tried to draw out the junk with a syringe, but that didn't work. We rubbed an alcohol pad over the area and I (39) held her as Mom (76) made a 3/4" incision in her breast. As we worked the crop at least 1/3 cup of grass and grain mush came out, but that wasn't what surprised me! Somehow she had found in the dirt and swallowed a CIGARETTE FILTER. After we removed the cigarette filter, we continued to remove another 1/3 cup of mush! We irrigated the incision with the kitchen pressure hose and then packed it with Triple Antibiotic. Mom placed a suture in it last night once she was sure that all of the "polenta"
was out. Needless to say I will never eat polenta again.
At the beginning of surgery, my husband thought she was a goner as she kind of closed her eyes and became a little soft in my hand. As soon as the obstruction was removed her eyes became lively and she was breathing again. A few hours later she was chipping and twitting in her little box and cleaning and oiling her feathers.
What an experience. Thanks BYC'ers without the "search" I wouldn't have had any idea what to do.
I couldn't have been prepared for what I found yesterday when I returned home after a kid's workshop. My 7 week old BA that I had treated for sour crop- had a crop that was now 3 times as big as that morning when I put her back in with the other girls. Her crop was so large that it was pushing up between her neck and collar. She was having trouble breathing - so I said,"We have to do surgery."
It couldn't have come a minute too soon, her breathing was labored and she was making a terrible contortion to get air in. My mother, an "old time" farmer's daughter couldn't believe what I was suggesting but as a retired ER nurse went into action.
We tried to draw out the junk with a syringe, but that didn't work. We rubbed an alcohol pad over the area and I (39) held her as Mom (76) made a 3/4" incision in her breast. As we worked the crop at least 1/3 cup of grass and grain mush came out, but that wasn't what surprised me! Somehow she had found in the dirt and swallowed a CIGARETTE FILTER. After we removed the cigarette filter, we continued to remove another 1/3 cup of mush! We irrigated the incision with the kitchen pressure hose and then packed it with Triple Antibiotic. Mom placed a suture in it last night once she was sure that all of the "polenta"
At the beginning of surgery, my husband thought she was a goner as she kind of closed her eyes and became a little soft in my hand. As soon as the obstruction was removed her eyes became lively and she was breathing again. A few hours later she was chipping and twitting in her little box and cleaning and oiling her feathers.
What an experience. Thanks BYC'ers without the "search" I wouldn't have had any idea what to do.
