Can Sour Crop Cause Seizures?

[MageofMist]

Betty has recovered from her last fit and has been eating, drinking and even laid an egg. She is back to her normal self today, currently sitting on my lap and preening her feathers after rushing out of her quarantine/observation cage.

Betty has grown much closer to me since the seizures started, even while having them, if I tried leaving her under a heat lamp, she would try flying to me and she doesn't like being too far away from me even in her normal, alert state.

(Long comment im sorry) Okay....im going to be honest, I recently registered an account with this website specifically to search/question something that sounds almost exactly like what you've described.
I have been SO overwhelmingly frustrated with trying to find some sort of info that points to crop issues somehow coinciding with seizures/convulsive episodes!!!
I have an old silkie rooster, at least 12 years old, who's never had any issues besides mites and the like up until recently. I suspected an impacted crop around the 1st of this month, nursed him back to himself (at least I thought), and a couple of days later he was outside of his recovery habitat (very shallow kiddie pool lol), and after checking on him he violently started seizing/convulsing??? I had no idea what was going on and while hysterically sobbing lol, I was able to pick him up and get him standing and it seemed to stop it mostly but he had a few more episodes that first day. I'm very attached to him and he's my only chicken
I've researched everything it could possibly be- but it took at least a week of 24/7 monitoring/nursing to smell his first 'sour crop breath', so im currently on day 3 of miconazole with him and hoping for the best. Every vet in the area that would treat a chicken told me to euthanize him without seeing him- even the receptionist said that at one clinic???
I had come up with a list of possible reasons for it all; 1st thought was wry neck, 2nd was some sort of respiratory illness, gapeworm....crop issues..? I know if it were something like Mareks or NCD he would be much worse at this point, if even still here at all....there's so much conflicting information on it all and it's honestly overwhelming. I'm so sorry for this long reply, but this is literally the first post I've come across that sounds like what he's been dealing with as well. The current record of days without a convulsive episode is 3, always holding my breath though. I thought he was done for that first day things went downhill. I hope your baby gets better or you can get some answers. If my boy doesn't fully recover, ive already accepted that he may just end up being a special needs rooster for the remainder of his being

Betty went 3 days since her last seizure before having this one, it is horrible as you don't know what you can do besides sit there with them trying to keep them calm to reduce the amount of stress. I thought it could have been mareks or even sudden death syndrome, though she comes out of the fits without any paralysis and, well, alive.

We are getting worming medication just in case it could be gapeworm, though it doesn't fully match up, there's no harm in trying it and they need worming anyways.

Edit: Betty has also started tidbitting? She isn't broody but has been tidbitting when eating.

 

[azygous]

From the symptoms, it sounds like she could have a tumor on her brain or somewhere in there putting pressure on it. Behavioral changes such as the sudden tidbitting is a clue.

Look for any sign of leg weakness or paralysis. It could indicate avian leucosis. Unlike Marek's, symptoms can hit at any age.

 

[MageofMist]

From the symptoms, it sounds like she could have a tumor on her brain or somewhere in there putting pressure on it. Behavioral changes such as the sudden tidbitting is a clue.

Look for any sign of leg weakness or paralysis. It could indicate avian leucosis. Unlike Marek's, symptoms can hit at any age.

Betty can move around and even fly fine, and is still laying eggs as she should so there's no visible weakness or paralysis. She goes very weak in between her fits when they occur, but bounces back to her usual self. Her crop is also filling up and emptying as it should. She hasn't had another seizure since the last one, but I am keeping a good eye on her just in case.

I think she was tidbitting due to having been separated from the flock just in case it was disease causing it.

 

[azygous]

Have you been dosing her with vitamin E daily? I suggest continuing that for a while longer. If she is seizure-free a week from now, perhaps stop or cut back on the E to a couple times a week.

If the seizures start up again after that, then go back to daily doses of the E. If she has a seizure at any time, try sugar water immediately after she regains her composure following the seizure. Sugar raises the glucose levels in the body, and the brain is a heavy consumer of this carbohydrate. It may help to calm the brain and discourage any brain damage that could occur.

 

[lotuscsp]

This isn't to say that sour crop isn't somehow causing the seizures, but it's more likely it's coincidental to it, and there's another underlying issue causing both.

Mostly, when we get threads such as this one and a post like yours where it's not known what underlying issue is causing all of the trouble, we suggest ways to treat the symptoms - miconazole to treat sour crop and vitamin E to treat the seizures.

Another thing you can try to treat the seizures is sugar water. This elevates glucose levels and it also feeds the brain. It's harmless and may restore chemical balance in the brain tissues.

Thank you so much!! He hasn't seized for a while now after a full round treatment of miconazole!!! I was hoping so bad it would work or at least help him, he's been so much more like himself after the treatment ❤ I have a whole arsenal of chicken supplements and fixer upper stuff since then, all just for him lol! (and future feathered babies, I'm glad I'm prepared now!)

 

[Aunt Angus]

That's GREAT news!!!!

 

[MageofMist]

I have been treating Betty with Vit E and added a little salt and sugar to her water and she hasn't had a fit for a long while. She did have one short fit followed by a very thin shelled egg that might as well had been a soft shell as it broke on my leg as I tried to grab it, so after that I had been adding extra calcium powder to her grit and haven't had any further issues with egg laying or fits.

The worming medication arrived yesterday so I treated my flock, everyone but Betty loved it as it comes in pellet form that you mix with food, so I had to stuff Betty's medicated pellet in a bean for her to eat it.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I have been treating Betty with Vit E and added a little salt and sugar to her water and she hasn't had a fit for a long while. She did have one short fit followed by a very thin shelled egg that might as well had been a soft shell as it broke on my leg as I tried to grab it, so after that I had been adding extra calcium powder to her grit and haven't had any further issues with egg laying or fits.

The worming medication arrived yesterday so I treated my flock, everyone but Betty loved it as it comes in pellet form that you mix with food, so I had to stuff Betty's medicated pellet in a bean for her to eat it.

Keep us posted!

 

[MageofMist]

Betty seems to be seizure free as she is still going on as she normally would, though is still super clingy.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Oh, that is great to read!!!! Way to go!!!!