BJ roo update re: bulge upper left chest - photos of my recovered boy!

[jjthink]

Unfortunately, I don't think it will capture well on film. His feathers cover everything, and when I move them aside to try to feel/look, he struggles and I have no hands left to work a camera! From what I can tell, the only external visual is the raised area that is also a block internally, that is, a goodly amount of it is inward not just outward. Ugh - sorry - struggling to explain this in words!

BJ stands in an awkward way, hunched, because of this thing.
JJ

 

[kinnip]

Let me start by saying I have no idea what this thing is, so take this with a grain of salt. I doubt it's a growth since it came up so quickly. I guess obstruction higher up than the crop. If you have a vet handy or can pull off a successful surgery, I'd do it. If he's not eating, that will kill him.

 

[dlhunicorn]

judy just saw you are still having trouble with this...
I know how much VJ means to you...Id take him into your vet and have them determine what the problem is and how best to deal with it

 

[jjthink]

Hi kinnip - he is eating/drinking okay, so that's one merciful thing! I'm with you on doubting growth, since it came up so quickly.

Diana, Yesterday I decided I would call the vet this morning if there was no resolution. I was hoping I could resolve it without, because the vet is questionable in chicken skills, at best. And it's a trek which is very stressful for any chickeroo I've ever dragged there. But I'm going to ask if he has any experience with this sort of thing.

BJ is alert this morning and no doubt very hungry since I only gave him olive oil soaked bread bits and a bit of yogurt yesterday in the hopes that the clog - if that's what it is - would start to break up.

JJ

 

[FisherMOM]

aw jj.. I feel so bad. If he is pooping.. you should feed him today. Wonder if he was bitten by something. this is weird.

 

[jjthink]

Hi, kind hearts,

So yesterday I brought him to the vet in this region (not someone I have a lot of confidence in but it's possible I could be underestimating him - part of the problem is he always seems soooooo cold/detached) and he said he didn't think there was a crop problem. Cause unknown. He didn't really even see a problem but BJ still has a large blown up area on his left upper chest area -plain as day, as shown in the photos - it's there 24/7 since Monday night. So what on earth?
Anyway, I brought him home and let he and Ellie go about their business. BJ, a proud brave boy, was none too happy with me for putting him in a cage, schlepping him on a long ride, handing him over to a man who grabbed him around the neck such that he was gagging mouth open, then put him back in cage, and then the schlepp back home. He doesn't know why his human friend went AWOL on him so I have some grovelling to do!
He was very still and a little puffy yesterday afternoon - the stress of it all, I gather. He seems less stressed this morning.
I guess I just have to watch him and see if the strange situation stays stable or gets better or worse.
Thank you again!

JJ

 

[Lunachick]

Judy - Hope your BJ improves. At least he's eating and pooping. Just wanted to let you know my vet is an avian vet, but he doesn't do any surgeries on birds but there is an avian vet in Red Bank (I think that's far from you) He is supposed to be a specialist. I'll look him up, it would be good to have that info I think. (Hopefully non of us will need him)

 

[SpottedCrow]

I might be more upset if BJ wasn't pooping...that means things ARE passing through.

 

[speckledhen]

He has a very hard (internal) "walnut" protruding in the lower neck/throat area. It is the strangest thing. The area around it is all poofy as in the photos because it's distorting his shape

That happens when the birds lose alot of weight. Lorelei's neck bone was very prominent and felt just like you are describing. How is BJ's weight? Is his keel prominent?​

 

[jjthink]

Thanks Ginny, Brenda, Cyn...
I'm going to weigh BJ tomorrow after work or this weekend and see how he's doing in that department. By then hopefully he will have forgiven my trangression of hauling him to the mean man (the vet)!.

BJ is still lopsided, with the bulge on his upper left chest area, BUT it seems smaller than it did Monday eve (when it first was there, and crazy huge) so I am hoping that whatever it is is subsiding. I haven't seen him working to swallow since Monday night. It's possible he was bit or stung by some bug perhaps. Total mystery.

Never a dull moment, right?!!!!! I'm thinking dull would be just peachy keen. I wish a nice, calm, steady state for all of us - SOON!!!!
JJ