Not an emergency- Can hens survive hysterectomies?

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Bocktobery 10

Bocktobery 10

Songster
10 Years
Oct 8, 2010
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Hi,

I'm almost sure that my hen is suffering from some sort of reproductive problem.

I've read a bit on these message boards of some other chicken owners who paid for their hen to have a hysterectomy. From what I read, it seems that survival rate for this is low. Is this true? Does anyone know the stats?

Has anyone here had a hysterectomy preformed for their hen and their hen is still living years later? It just seems to me that if they are going to die from the operation, then its not worth putting that money into it. If there is hope for my hen, then I want to go through with it for her sake.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
I have not had this done on any of my hens but I had considered it at one point and discussed it with my avian vet. There are a lot of "it depends". It depends on the condition of the bird, how long she's been sick and what exactly ends up being the cause. Many times by the time the problem has progressed to the point where the hen starts showing visible signs of illness she is not a good candidate for surgery. It depends on who does the surgery and how experienced they are and how knowledgeable they are about chickens in general.

My avian vet has done some of these surgeries with mixed results. He see's a lot of chickens but not many owners opt to have this done apparently. Some birds don't make it through the surgery, sometimes he's gone in only to find cancer, sometimes they have peritonitis to the point where there is no saving them. And sometimes they do fine. It's just an iffy thing and a difficult surgery due to how a chickens repro tract is, it's not straight forward like spaying/neutering a dog or cat.

Hope this helps, good luck with your bird. If you do decide to have this surgery done I hope you will post about it and let us know how it goes.
 
Thanks cafarmgirl,

I'm currently awaiting a call from my vet. I doubt she will be able to do it- she broke her wrist recently and there aren't (probably) any other vet at the office that could do it. I really do wish I would have opted for this sooner. I think that it may be to late for my bird- she's been ill for a long while now and just now she seems to be getting weak. I don't want her to suffer much longer- and I might just have the vet put her down for me. (I don't want to do it the old fashioned way- seems wrong in this case, ethically)

I'm surprised that with the peritonitis can be so bad that there is no saving them! I would have to make a bet that is what is going on with my hen just because the swelling is increasing slowly over time and that she is having trouble breathing and now her bowels seem a bit obstructive. She has not laid an egg for a long while. She had an x-ray a few months ago and the vet did not see any egg or any tumors. The only other guess I have is a swollen organ of some kind- like a liver or kidney disease? Her droppings smell a bit odd and off from normal chicken dropping smells.

I will post back here the results of what she has- since even if I don't have surgery she is scheduled for an autopsy/necropsy which my vet volunteered to do for me if and when she dies.

I'm just hoping that maybe they wouldn't mind going in there while she is alive and trying to save her. I keep thinking, what if it is something very simple that can be helped?! I really hate to see them suffer so much!

Thanks again.
 
Just an update.

I took my hen to the vet today to get the operation done. My vet thinks also that it is egg peritonitis and that she'll probably need a hysterectomy ... or have her ovaries taken out (I don't remember the word she used for that, but something of the sorts). She doesn't feel that she will make it, but I am very happy that she is taking a look to see if she can try and save my hen. If my hen passes, then she didn't have to suffer longer than she has already.

I'm actually surprised my hen as survived so far. I thought I was going to lose her this weekend- she had a very hot fever (just telling by touch) and she was at her worst. She seemed better on Sunday, and this morning she actually came out of her cage to walk around a bit (she was not at all before interested in doing that) and seemed almost ok again. I really hope that she survives this operation. I know its a slim chance, but I'm really hoping. That girl's got stamina.

I'm asking anyone for their prayers for her. I'll update a bit later.
 
Bocktobery 10 said:
Just an update.

I took my hen to the vet today to get the operation done. My vet thinks also that it is egg peritonitis and that she'll probably need a hysterectomy ... or have her ovaries taken out (I don't remember the word she used for that, but something of the sorts). She doesn't feel that she will make it, but I am very happy that she is taking a look to see if she can try and save my hen. If my hen passes, then she didn't have to suffer longer than she has already.

I'm actually surprised my hen as survived so far. I thought I was going to lose her this weekend- she had a very hot fever (just telling by touch) and she was at her worst. She seemed better on Sunday, and this morning she actually came out of her cage to walk around a bit (she was not at all before interested in doing that) and seemed almost ok again. I really hope that she survives this operation. I know its a slim chance, but I'm really hoping. That girl's got stamina.

I'm asking anyone for their prayers for her. I'll update a bit later.
Click to expand...

I hope it works out for her. I know how you feel, I've had a few come down with this kind of problem. I hate seeing them suffer and if they could be saved I would do it. My last hen that had this I took to the vet but he didn't think she was a good candidate for surgery. But it's amazing what they can live with and what they can recover from sometimes so I hope your bird pulls through.
 
Hey everyone..

As far as I know, at this time, my hen is still alive. She made it through the surgery, but there is still a chance she could die. We are all waiting to see if she makes it through the night. The vet is holding her there until Wednesday. My hen will have to come back in a few weeks later for another operation so that my vet can to finish the job so that it stops the problem from coming back. If the hen survives within the next few days, prognosis should be somewhat good... or at least out of the danger for now.

OH yeah I forgot to say- its was EGG PERITONITIS! My vet said she took out a large softball sized chunk of what looked like hard boiled egg yolk. I think she said (I could be wrong about this) that it weighed five pounds. Keep in mind, my bird was 7 pounds on the scale before surgery this morning. So that means, right now she is only about 2 pounds? She also said that it was very obvious that this large mass of egg yolk was pushing on her other organs. She said the mass was so large she had to make the incision larger to get it out. There was no egg shell to be found anywhere in the mass.

I went in to see her this afternoon after the surgery and she looked quite ill- pale and sleepy. She did respond to my voice and stood up and turned around to see me, then she was right back to being sleepy and ill looking.

Thanks everyone for your support and prayers. I'll keep updating on how she is doing. Please say a prayer for her tonight and the next few days as well.
 

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