Calcium bolus please HELP

[Joyce_Turner]

My hen has been visiting the girls next door for some time. Never had problems. Their mother comes to me today and says you want to check your hen. Why? Because my girls been feeding it pretending they live on a farm. Turns out they fed my hen 12 calcium pills. Went to vet told them these girls been feeding m hen up on calcium pills! Dismissed me. Get a call later "could be cancer. Need expensice tests." Like really? I was not born over night. Don't play me help my hen. Then it was on. My hen is patent with her poops but she eats any tiny thing and freezes. Pain from the calcium rock now in her after the overdose calcium.

Can I gently resolve this myself? Stop any calcium, add K2 to try and absorb some, a little gentle belly scrooch, warm heating pad, olive oil? whaddya do? Please help. I hate seeing her like this.

I'm Joyce by the way. I am that lady that looks up cat sweater patterns but don't let that concern you.

Please help.

 

[Joyce_Turner]

Anyone have some idea how to shrink this calcium impaction please? I will make you dinner.

 

[alinas2010]

Hi Joyce, welcome to the site. Sorry about your hen. How old is she and what is her breed/weight? How often does she lay? Do you have more specifics on the type of calcium she was fed? As in what was the dosage and type of calcium ie, calcium citrate? Does your hen get grit?

Edit to add, also how is your hen acting right now?

Tagging the educators. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous

 

[Joyce_Turner]

Hi Joyce, welcome to the site. Sorry about your hen. How old is she and what is her breed/weight? How often does she lay? Do you have more specifics on the type of calcium she was fed? As in what was the dosage and type of calcium ie, calcium citrate? Does your hen get grit?

Edit to add, also how is your hen acting right now?

Tagging the educators. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous

Thank you for answering. calcium carbonate estimated 12 x 1000mg pills, not laying any more, hen is lethargic, can still drink, tries to peck, walking slow, so i think a lot of that is because of pain.

 

[alinas2010]

Here is a link about excess calcium in poultry from the Merck vet manual webpage to get started:

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...cium carbonate overdose#Bromethalin_v87394308

Excess calcium can be deposited in organs and such in chickens if it is not needed for eggs. But that is a really high amount all at once, so I’m not sure how that affects things.

How long ago did she ingest these pills? Are you feeling them in her crop? Is that why you are concerned about impaction?

 

[alinas2010]

I think @Debbie292d might have experience with calcium overdose if I remember correctly?

 

[Joyce_Turner]

Thank you again. It's not the overdose aspect per se it is that it now is an impaction (solid mass) uncomfortable lump inside her and the pain means she wont eat right. I think i need to do meloxicam, olive oil and diluted ACV. All the vets i ever seen are always trying to milk people of their money. I have two open cases going same time. She probably needs chelation therapy and could even be she needs surgical removal of this calcium in her. But who when all the vets are just criminal???

This all happened when the kids next door were feeding her these things and thinking nothing of it so yesterday and the day before yesterday.

Blood test results ionized Calcium is 1.16, a little high, but not as high as it could be from 12g because it sits as a rock in her guts.

She is 7 years old and i am not going to lose her now, they can all count on it.

 

[Joyce_Turner]

Just need a way to dissolve that rock little by little and stopping pain means she wont hesitate at eating.

Can we handle this as a gizzrad impact? Use a epsom salts home done lavage? Can i ask if anyone has a protocol for it a recipe for the lavage? Thank you.

 

[alinas2010]

Ah I see. You’re welcome. TBH, I am not super versed in impactions that far down the digestive tract, but the educators tagged are. I believe flushes are a way to go about it, but they would have to confirm how and what kind. Oil can be a good start. Let me see if I can find an article that could help. I’m sorry this happened to your hen.

 

[Debbie292d]

I think @Debbie292d might have experience with calcium overdose if I remember correctly?

Yes, sadly I do.

I had a hen hatch six chicks. They apparently saw her eating the oyster shell from the dish and did the same, or she clucked and made it sound like food. Regardless, one by one, around two to three weeks old, four of six chicks lost the use of one leg, then both legs. I investigated and saw my dish of oyster shells tipped over and scratched all over the place. They were in a giant pen, so no access to anything I didn't give them.

I've been raising silkies for 9 years and have never seen anything like this before or since. We made slings, gave B-complex among a few other "remedies" and did physical therapy three times a day for over two weeks. Not a single improvement. We knew this was futile and sadly had to cull them.

Nerves for the legs run through their kidneys. An overdose of calcium afflicted their kidneys, and once damaged, apparently, we can't heal them. I don't know how many days they ate it, but they were around 2-3 weeks old when it was discovered.