Appetite stimulants for old injured hen?

[cate1124]

First thing I think is, still not eating, maybe pain still too much.

Wondering what is her dose of Meloxicam?

Pain definitely messes with appetite, but so can dosing that’s too high - especially in older hens. It can irritate the stomach and make them feel worse rather than better. So if she’s getting, say, over 0.45mg/lb twice a day, it might be too much.

That said, not enough pain relief will also put her off her feed.

You're right to be concerned about inappetence. When a hen this age stops eating, it often means the body’s under a lot of stress. Sometimes it's pain, could also be internal bruising from fall, or even organ strain after a fall.

Here’s a few gentle ideas that might help:

Pain re-check: If she’s not more comfortable after a few days, maybe talk to the vet about adding a stomach protector (like sucralfate) or trying a tiny break in dosing to see if her appetite perks up.

Aromatics and warmth: Warm up her wet mash to body temp, and try poultry electrolytes in her water. Even things like warmed bone broth (no salt, no onion) can spark interest. Sometimes some stronger smells, a little garlic or a tiny amount of tuna can act as an appetite stimulant.

Energy first: Try a little sweet potato mash or baby food (meat varieties seem to work best). Sometimes older hens will go for soft textures if their joints are sore (and what the reason is, I can not say. Must be a chicken thing).

Hand-feed calmly: She might respond to being hand-fed just enough to trigger the hunger reflex again. This has worked for me before.

Leap not quickly to a pharma appetite stimulant. If something is as yet undetected an she can't eat, an appetite stimulant can make her just a bit uncomfortable when one instinct to not eat right off meets pharma impulse to eat.

I know the worry when an old lady hen goes quiet. If she’s still got that spark in her eye, she may yet rally once the pain is under better control.

Prayers for Charlotte from Jesse Lee Turner.

Thanks for this thorough and kind response, Jesse Lee. She was getting 3.75 mg meloxicam once a day, which was within dosing protocol of 1.6 mg/kg every 12 hours (my vet prefers once a day); one evening she got an additional 1/4 tab. During the six days she was on it, her appetite decreased. Some days her mobility seemed to improve; others not, so how much help it was giving her with pain and inflammation is uncertain. Vet says a limb injury alone typically does not cause inappetence; she wonders about internal injury. But we stopped the meloxicam, as that was also a possible cause of inappetence, and one we could test by ceasing. Plus, she had quit taking it voluntarily in raw hamburger, which meant force pilling her in my lap, which risked aggravating the injury. Initially -- yesterday -- it seemed her appetite had improved so I thought maybe meloxicam WAS the culprit. But today it is absent again.

We are more than a week post injury and even without the drug, I would think pain would not be causing inappetence at this point. She will periodically get up and try to get around, and when she sits, she is alert and -- if not dozing -- has her head up. On Sunday, when she likely still had some Meloxicam in her system, she had a dirt bath during which she used the hurt leg vigorously. Still, she did not eat, but she did eat better yesterday. Today -- clearly no meloxicam in her system -- I saw her stand and wobble on her deformed right foot long enough to briefly scratch her head with the injured left. But, back to not eating. I cannot connect the dots here so it's hard to know how to help her.

I will try moistening mash with warm broth tomorrow, and cook and mash a sweet potato for her. Also a bit of garlic, and tuna. I've tried every other treat under the sun.

Really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. At her age, I knew she would not be with me a lot longer, but did not expect injury to be what would take her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you. I've offered both ND water and plain; will try electrolytes tomorrow. You would not believe the bounty of treats I have offered, including tomato, grapes, strawberries, brown rice, cornmeal mush, egg, hamburger, earthworm, sunflower chips. Dampened mash, of course. She will get up and stumble away from me when I approach with plates and water. I briefly considered force-feeding, but with significant recovery from lameness uncertain, not knowing the cause of her not eating (internal injury?) and her age, I've had to ask myself what I'd be saving her life for, assuming that measure would work. I hate it, but I think this is her call. Maybe she knows what she's doing on a long, rollercoaster road to recovery. Or maybe she simply can't.

I know it must be frustrating but hang in there.

Just place food/water where she can get to it. It does sound like she's choosing to do her own thing. So, I'd let her and see how it goes.

 

[cate1124]

I know it must be frustrating but hang in there.

Just place food/water where she can get to it. It does sound like she's choosing to do her own thing. So, I'd let her and see how it goes.

Thanks so much; the concern, companionship and encouragement of fellow chicken keepers means a lot to me, especially at such a time. I offered her the "torpedo" mix on a plate this morning; she demurred. I've added some garlic to it and left it in her cage along with electrolyte water while I have a short morning run. She again ate some scratch "with" the flock, in her cage on a plate while they pecked away at the nearby boards I put down and spread as the flock's morning ritual check-in. She stood a bit while eating. I have no idea how she has the energy to do even that. I'll get her out of her cage soon so she can be with the others as she wishes in the coop. They are being good company.

Thanks again for caring enough to monitor this thread and offer support.

 

[cate1124]

Yet another update, only because folks were so kind to show interest and concern. This is a video of Charlotte a few days ago; this is as long and as successful walk as I have seen her make. You will see the curled toes on her historically deformed right foot and how she is using the affected left:

Neither my vet nor I have any idea what is going on. Charlotte is still not eating ration, but cycling with better appetite through various food fetishes, the latest being brown rice. She reliably eats high-quality wild birdseed, scratch and dried mealworms, so she is getting just a little protein. I've not successfully gotten her interested in raw burger or egg again, but she is drinking, where previously, she had been relying on watermelon and grapes for hydration.

Vet says stroke usually affects both wing and leg on the same side, and her left wing is not visibly affected. However, I have read that, in humans it's possible for one limb to be significantly affected and the other on the same side, not. I am not sure she is so much improving as adapting -- I'll take it either way -- and the derangement of her appetite as well as her initial reluctance to drink really does make me wonder if a stroke caused her to fall off the roost. Anyhow, she still seems to want her chicken life, so I am doing what I can to keep her safely with the flock, which she wants, and enjoying what she's able to, which includes dust- and sunbathing, which she does pretty much normally.

Any thoughts are surely welcome, but I mostly wanted to provide an update as things unfold day by day.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

cycling with better appetite through various food fetishes, the latest being brown rice. She reliably eats high-quality wild birdseed, scratch and dried mealworms, so she is getting just a little protein. I've not successfully gotten her interested in raw burger or egg again, but she is drinking, where previously, she had been relying on watermelon and grapes for hydration.

Charlotte is a pretty lady.

I'm glad to see she's moving about a little. I think you may be right that she's learning to adapt and just chicken the best she can. I agree, take it! She seems to be upright and bright, even if she's having to limit her activity. She's showing interest in foraging.
Sometimes we take what we can get. If she's eating something and has resumed drinking that's a positive.

Other things you can try would be sprouting some Lentils, since she seems to like greens plants. A little will go a long way, of course the other hens may enjoy some sprouts too.
It does sound like she's getting a variety of things to eat, so just do the best you can and enjoy each day.

I do appreciate the video and update.

 

[cate1124]

Charlotte is a pretty lady.

I'm glad to see she's moving about a little. I think you may be right that she's learning to adapt and just chicken the best she can. I agree, take it! She seems to be upright and bright, even if she's having to limit her activity. She's showing interest in foraging.
Sometimes we take what we can get. If she's eating something and has resumed drinking that's a positive.

Other things you can try would be sprouting some Lentils, since she seems to like greens plants. A little will go a long way, of course the other hens may enjoy some sprouts too.
It does sound like she's getting a variety of things to eat, so just do the best you can and enjoy each day.

I do appreciate the video and update.

Thanks so much! As luck would have it, I bought lentils yesterday, and I have on hand broccoli and alfalfa seeds specifically for sprouting. So I'll get that operation underway today. Good ideas (and good thing I'm retired, so I can devote my life to my chicken ). I've got very nice kale in my raised garden bed, and that's part of treat plates for all the flock. Thanks for looking at the video and sending encouragement!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks so much! As luck would have it, I bought lentils yesterday, and I have on hand broccoli and alfalfa seeds specifically for sprouting. So I'll get that operation underway today. Good ideas (and good thing I'm retired, so I can devote my life to my chicken ). I've got very nice kale in my raised garden bed, and that's part of treat plates for all the flock. Thanks for looking at the video and sending encouragement!

Mine love sprouted lentils and other seeds, so hopefully she'll enjoy a little bit too.

 

[cate1124]

Sprouting is underway! Although her appetite is small and deranged -- brown rice continues to be a favorite -- she is forming poops better.

In observing her more closely and reviewing the video, I can see her ankle is not bending as it should; it will not accommodate the right angle with the foot necessary to complete a normal step.

I'm perplexed. My vet does not have a mobile x-ray, but examined both knee and ankle closely for dislocation or fracture, and discerned none. Wish I understood what happened to her. I still wonder about a neurological event; perhaps the nerves aren't signaling correctly to trigger proper function in the ankle. Or maybe my vet missed something, though if the ankle was broken, I'm not sure there was a fix Charlotte would have tolerated. We do the best we can, and I'm not sure the outcome would be any different than it is.