Broad Spectrum Antibiotic when you don't know what's wrong

[troub]

Once again you surprise me with your knowledge. I wouldn't know where to get it, how much to give or even how to give it. Poor little thing doesn't have a lot of meat on her bones right now. She isn't full grown to start with and then lost a lot of weight. When i first had her seen by the vet she was only 2 and a half pounds. Lavender orpingtons are such beautiful birds, but they are supposed to be a large breed and you would never know it looking at her

 

[casportpony]

Once again you surprise me with your knowledge. I wouldn't know where to get it, how much to give or even how to give it. Poor little thing doesn't have a lot of meat on her bones right now. She isn't full grown to start with and then lost a lot of weight. When i first had her seen by the vet she was only 2 and a half pounds. Lavender orpingtons are such beautiful birds, but they are supposed to be a large breed and you would never know it looking at her

Tractor Supply Sells it. How much does she weigh now?

-Kathy

 

[troub]

I think i may just have to be kind at this point. She cant lift herself and is just soiling herself lying on her side. Unless there is change by the morning, i think it would be wrong to put her through any more. The only thing she is doing now is picking at things around her head and not moving her right leg at all. 20 20 hindsight, if i had known allowing her to eat would have caused such a downturn....i should have maintained the tube feedings until she was stronger. She was showing such improvement until i changed that. Thank you so much for everything. I think i might just have to let her go. It would be the kinder thing to do.

 

[casportpony]

How is she?

-Kathy

 

[troub]

poor. I woke to her clucking. gave her a tube feeding because she looked hungry picking at pad she was on. I placed the water near her in case she wanted any because she is unable to stand. I looked over and saw she was drinking the water with electrolytes in it and thought I would check later. She just kept drinking as if she didn't know when to stop. I removed the water. Her crop is very full from the fluid and she has urinated a lot onto her padding. she is quiet with an occasional cluck with slight head movement since I removed the fluid. I think it is best to let her go. To be truly honest, after seeing her yesterday I hoped she would quietly pass in her sleep last night and was surprised to still hear her wake me up today. I am not able to cull her, it just isn't in me, so I will keep her clean and quiet and put water near her as needed if she still chooses to drink, but I don't think I will bolus her with more food. I hope she is able to pass quietly.

 

[casportpony]

So sorry... They can linger for days, so it might be best to take her to a vet and have them euthanize her. If money is tight, take her to animal control and have them do it.

-Kathy

 

[troub]

just wish I knew what started all this. She was perfectly healthy. no respiratory problems. nothing at all to indicate she was ill, just one day sitting with her tail in the air and down hill from there. feel very helpless and frustrated. You wouldn't believe the improvement she had after tube feeding her like you mentioned. she perked up, was on both feet and actually walking a little and then she ate and crashed. I am humbled by what I still have to learn. I tried so hard to be sure to read everything and be prepared, but this completely blindsided me.

 

[troub]

Kathy,
I have been wracking my brain about this girl. I had only one other lavender orpington from the same breeder. I had gone away and my husbands cousin was watching her and when I got back she was doing something similar. Just sitting quietly in the run. I took her in and that night my husbands cousin said she heard like flapping wings and when she woke, the bird had died. I never knew what killed her. that was the only other bird I ever lost. At the time, I asked the breeder if she gave her chickens marek vaccine and she said she was just a small breeder and didn't purchase the large quantities of the vaccine required so did not. This year I went to the same breeder for this lavender orpington along with a coronation Sussex and she told me that she did vaccinate them with mareks. Because the first orpington was so beautiful and I really wanted a coronation Sussex, I got them. Do you think this one might have had mareks? The whole thing started with her sitting in the run with her tail in the air and not walking around. The tail In the air continued like it was a way for her to keep her balance. When I went out to her she would get up and go into the coop. There were a few other chickens that pecked at her and she would scream and run. When I brought her in, she started falling to her right side and within a couple of days she was not able to get herself up on her right leg at all. She had diarrhea constantly but when she was examined by the vet, it was before she was lying on her right side. That developed after. The vet listened to her heart and lungs and checked her crop etc. and didn't find anything. I was wondering if the paralysis progressing might have been something seen with mareks and the crop not emptying might be a paralysis thing. Is that possible? By the way, when her crop was full the other day and you told me to give her only water and to continue it to see if it cleared, it did. She had a huge round formed stool that day the size of a walnut. It must have been sitting and not moving through her until the fluid flushed her.

 

[casportpony]

It's quite possible that she has Marek's. I've had a few do like your hen and you can keep them going with tube feeding for quite some time. Had a couple regain the ability to walk, but they relapsed later. Refresh my memory... has she been de-wormed with Valbazen or Safeguard?

-Kathy

 

[troub]

No she was never dewormed. The stool was negative per the vet. She was healthy and looked great and one day I went out and saw her sitting in the run while the others were scratching and foraging. I thought she was just resting, but then I noticed she wouldn't try to get up when I approached like they do when they think I am bringing a treat. When another chicken went over and pecked her she ran screaming into the coop. She had been hanging in the coop rather than going outside for a few days and preferred to stay next to my son when he cleaned the coop. Because of my spinal surgery I hadn't been out for a little while so I just thought she was warming up to my son as he said I think I have a new friend. so I think whatever it was was going on for a few days before I found her sitting in the run with her tail in the air and her head lowered. I think, looking back, she was keeping her balance because when she stopped standing on her right leg, she would push with her left leg and when she started rolling forward, she would lift her tail the same way to try to keep from falling over which just made her fall forward more and I would have to right her and support her with rolled towels. She never lost her appetite, so I would prop her and place her food in front of her. Her crop initially was fine because the vet checked it, but then it started not emptying and that is when I started with the water only and tube feeding which seemed to do the trick and gave her more life. The vet had her on a broad spectrum antibiotic for a week along with an anti inflammatory with no real improvement except for a little more spunk about 45 minutes after the antiinflammatory. That is why I asked if I could continue that as long as I thought she might be having discomfort. Her feet shook a little before which made me think she was in pain, but when that stopped, I stopped the anti-inflammatory. She had probiotics and electrolytes in her water. When she did perk up with the tube feeding, she was able to stand on both feet and take a few steps, but would have to right herself by putting her wing out to push up when she tilted. The vet said to start giving her food again if she was able to eat it, and because she had improved, she dove into the feed as if she was famished. the next morning she was terrible and her crop was not emptying again and it was downhill from there. right now she is sleeping quietly and occasionally will wake up and cluck and preen her feathers and then go back to sleep.she is propped up on towels and I change the pad under her when she soils it. she doesn't seem uncomfortable right now.