13 Week EE Injured (17 wks now) ~Vet Update Not Good~ *Graphic Pics *

[Lolliegee]

Well, I did it. She didn't love it and it was really hard to find some muscle on her, she's lost so much weight. Poor thing, I jumped when she made noise and ended up having to stick her twice. She actually held pretty still, just made a few noises. I'm really glad to have gotten her this, I think it's just what she needs to speed up her recovery.

I do have grower crumbles, I'll water that down tomorrow and mash it all up and see if she'll be able to take it.

For now, I'm going to bed, looking forward to more progress tomorrow.

 

[Lorimary]

I've just read all of the posts on Jenifer. Yay you! I'm impressed with your dedication. Having raised injured or orphaned wild birds, I can empathize with the amount of time and effort it takes to get through just one treatment session. Within a couple days of getting our new babies, one got squished under a waterer (for 7 hours) and survived with the help we got at BYC. (she was 'Smashy' under Emergencies. with Pictures) Now fully recuperated! There's a special place in Heaven for those who endeavor to help the helpless. You're remarkable!

 

[mypicklebird]

You are doing really well with the cleaning. I wanted to make sure you have actually seen her eyes, one eye at least. A ruptured eye(s) looks very similar to those photos. A chicken can live a decent life with one functional eye, but if both are really damaged- she will have a really hard time ever feeding herself & getting into the coop at night. Terramycin eye ointment is really not useful for the types of bacteria probably present from an opossum's mouth. Getting the gunk out often and with lots of saline (eyes, nose, roof of mouth- all connected in the bird) will probably be more helpful than the terramycin. Can you take her to a vet who can give you appropriate eye & nose drops? Also they can take a look at her eyes to see if they are whole (pressure test), or if you are just looking at the surface of a ruptured globe? If they think she will end up blind, after all of what you & she are going through- you may want to cull, and not continue. If she has an eye (or both) they can give you better tools for cleaning/flushing as well as appropriate antibiotics. Also assess her beak- try to tell better if the lower 'jaw' joint is broken.

 

[mypicklebird]

Also they can give you the tools to feed her into the crop. She needs the calories to heal and fight the infection. If you can't take her to a vet for feeding help, see if you can find a local bird person (or wildlife rehabber) who has crop fed baby birds- it is the same technique, and maybe they can demo for you.

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[Lolliegee]

Sorry I haven't posted all day, this is the first chance I've had to get on the computer.

Yes, I have seen both her eyes. They have become more responsive to my cleaning them. I still can't tell for sure if she can see or not, as there's still so much swelling. However, when I do pull the lid down to where I can see her eye, it seems responsive. I'm not sure if it's to the light, or the pain.

A vet really isn't an option right now...as harsh as it may seem, I just can't spend that kind of money on a chicken with as tight as money is for us...we've been hit pretty hard by the economy, although we're very fortunate that my husband still has a job and I work part time for my sister.

I did pick up a new syringe at the feed store today that I think will work a lot better for feeding her. Also got some chick crumbles to turn into mash for her.

I haven't done her nightly cleaning yet, will be doing so soon, but this morning I did notice a lot more gunk in her mouth. I'm thinking that the antibiotic has started working, helping to clear that stuff out, but since she can't close her mouth yet, it's just drying up and getting stuck there. I'm amazed at how patient she is with me as I poke q-tips and toothpicks in her mouth to remove the gunk. She does struggle sometimes, but it's like she knows I'm just trying to help.

I did notice something new today that I'm not quite sure what it means. She seems to have a little more energy, in that she's standing for longer periods of time and a few times has done some of the preening motions (not much at all, but a few). But, the thing I'm concerned about now is that she seems to be losing her balance when she's standing...she'll sort of start to tip backwards and then catch herself. Any ideas what this could mean?

I am perfectly aware that this could all still end badly, but am hopeful for the best. Only time will tell.

Thanks for reading my novella.

ETA: I forgot to address the jaw. I'm almost certain that it's not broken. She does not act like it hurts her at all when I move it around, and believe me, I've moved it around a lot while trying to clean the roof of her mouth and under her tongue. It is closing a little more, still not anywhere near all the way yet, but it's getting there.

 

[NotTheMomma]

You know, the loss of balance could be from her not seeing right now. You try closing your eyes, and being in a dark room, and see if you don't wobble a bit.

I commend you for the patience and concern you're giving.

Angel on Earth I say.

 

[Lolliegee]

I was talking to the lady at the feed store yesterday and mentioned how I thought the antibiotic might be helping. She said good, that I could give her 2 doses today...but she also had said originally, that she had never heard of giving an injectable antibiotic. I find it ironic that she'd give advice on something she had originally not known about. But that does bring up the question, is she right? Would giving Jennifer more, get her well faster? I know that it probably won't, but I'd sure like something to speed her recovery.

I was able to give her about an ounce and a half of chick starter mash with the new syringe I got. Much bigger tip made that a whole lot easier. So now, I'm wondering...

how much should I be giving her? I did a search and couldn't really find anything about how much to give in a syringe...only regular food.

On the balance issue, it could be the sight, but she hasn't been doing it all along. She only started late the night before last. I certainly wouldn't be well balanced either though if I had been in the dark for a week.

 

[threehorses]

Lol on the two doses tho she didn't know before. No, don't give two doses. Procaine isn't the usual penicillin. You'll want to give it as you are and stick with it and let it do it's work. Honestly I've never heard of people even giving it daily. I was advised to give mine every other day, only in the case of the Procaine. More doesn't work faster. The other penicillins you'd have to give daily. And even then - never twice a day. I think she was just trying to be helpful. How could she not? I think everyone's pulling for this hen!

I'm with notTheMomma on the balance. I think she's just still weak. She's standing more, but she might be finding her limits like we all do when we're sick. We think we can do a little more then we find out "ohhh no I'm too shakey for this". I think it's because she's standing more. It might also be that she's not getting as much nutrition as she really needs. I'd try to get more of that in her. By the way how are her poops? Give her as much of the food as she'd possibly take. Have you tried regular dry food in front of her? (She probably won't take it but I'm curious if she notices it.)

By the way, on the vision, it takes a while for an injured eye to be able to see clearly. At this point, she might just be seeing shadows and light. So when you bring your hand towards her eye she might be seeing a blurry shadow move towards her without her knowing what it is - thus her reaction. Your voice, hands, and repeated incidences of her not being hurt when that happens is earning her trust so that she lets you do it.

You know, eventually she's going to feel better and fight you on this stuff. That *seems* like a bad thing but it's not - it's a good sign when they have that spunk. But it might be a while.

On the preening, that's the best news yet. In birds, I always take preening as a sign of wanting to live. If they don't want to, and are for sure dying, they don't preen. Period. Birds are quite economical about some of their behaviors like that.

That reminds me of how I knew one of my geese was going to live after their dog attack. I was cleaning and dressing his wounds, cleaning with hydrogen peroxide, and he tried to preen it off himself. I knew then that he would be one of the survivors. He was.

Oh yes - preening is a mini victory. Good job!

 

[Lolliegee]

So, I fed her as much as I possibly could tonight. I think it was about 2 ounces of mash, plus about an ounce and a half of water. Should I cut down on the water a bit, so I can get more food in her?

She has had her regular food and a bowl of water in her tub with her the whole time. I haven't seen any sign of her using either one since the very first night, but I still keep it in there, just in case. I know that once she starts feeding herself, we'll be on the real road to recovery.

Her poops have been pretty watery up til now. Now that I'm getting more food and water in her, it's starting to thicken up a bit...still green, but getting there. Enough now that I had to change from using puppy pads to putting shavings down. She kept stepping in it with the puppy pad.

I gave her her second shot tonight. She fussed a bit, but my husband had a good grip on her. The only real difficulty is finding some muscle to put it in. She's lost so much weight.

Good news though...as I was cleaning her eyes and face today, I realized that there is no sign of the original injuries anymore. Just the remaining infections (which I know are bad all by themselves). The gunk coming out of her nose is still very smelly, but I'm sure it's because it's coming from the swelling by her eyes. Which is markedly lessened. Even my DH can notice it now.

I also noticed some attempt at blinking today. Her eyes aren't open at all yet (still swollen shut) but I could see the eyelids moving slightly. That was definitely encouraging.

The preening was also more noticeable today. In fact, it was a little bit comical to try and watch her reach back and then lose her balance. But it was nice to see her trying. I know she's not the cleanest right now, but I try to clean a bit more each time I clean her. It's amazing how long it takes each day to care for her. I must spend 2 - 3 hours each session. Hard to do with an 18 month old running around. He so wants to help and tries to hand me things, but usually ends up spilling the water or something.

Oh yeah, she can almost close her beak now...Not quite, but very close, I could push it together with a little effort. More signs that the swelling has decreased.

Sorry...I just keep writing novels every time I post.

I'm just so happy to see the improvement and the support I've gotten here has been incredible!

ETA: One more thing...I was wondering if I should still mix something in her water... like honey or sugar for the extra calories?

 

[froggie71]

Great to hear the updates and how she seems to be improving. You have a lot of dedication. Keep up the good work!