Chicken diagnosed with tumor…. Or is it something else??

BabyRaptors

In the Brooder
Apr 3, 2021
5
1
39
On Tuesday I took my 4.5 year old Jersey Giant to the vet- thinking there was a slim chance I’d actually leave with her.

She had been acting like her normal peculiar self, but with very foul smelling sticky poo. She hasn’t laid an egg since last fall, nice firm crop (sometimes feels like a sand stress ball) that empties, bright red comb, she had a brief sour crop spell a few weeks ago. I began treating her for vent gleet last week, during her bath Sunday I noticed her abdomen was very large and firm, she appeared on the verge of a prolapse, her legs were about 4” wider apart which caused her to stumble over uneven terrain, difficulty jumping. The monistat helped reduce her swollen cloaca.


The vet mentioned xray or ultrasound, but didn’t want to charge me for something “most likely not treatable/curable”. She said as long as she’s eating, drinking, normal chickening it wouldn’t be cruel to wait and try medication. She came to the conclusion that it was probably some kind of tumor and prescribed meloxicam for pain and swelling.

She is my most uncooperative picky chicken and the liquid is difficult to get the full dose in her. She has been a little more mobile, legs a little closer together and swelling is down and I can now feel two distinct even segments. She still has the very foul poop that’s sometimes bright green. She’s still queen bee, begs for scratch, and keeps everyone away until she’s done.


The medication seems to be helping, but I’m concerned I might be missing something. Has anyone had a similar experience? What was the diagnosis and prognosis? Should I start vent gleet treatment with monistat again or something else? When does quality of life really go down?


IMG_5892.jpeg IMG_5891.jpeg

** The white specs in the photo are not lice. She has trouble jumping and refuses to use the 5 different types of stairs and jump pads I’ve tried. So she decide to sleep on the coop floor last night with the sand and zeolite odor control sprinkles instead of her special box she’s been using.

**I’ve debated whether or not to trim her fluff feathers. I’m concerned they may continue to stick and irritate her skin. I’ll probably try a few after her bath tonight to see if it helps some.
 
I’m so sorry to hear about your hen. She sounds like she’s in decent spirits given her situation. If I had to guess, I’d say she has something reproductive going on. It could be tumor(s) or an infection. Something like salpingitis or internal laying could cause an infection as the yolks get deposited in her abdomen. Eventually her abdomen would begin to swell as pus or fluid accumulates. Tumors can cause similar issues. It is a very sad and long road to go down. Sometimes antibiotics can help if it is an infection, but often they just buy the hen more time, not fully curing the issue.

I haven’t ever treated vent gleet, so I can’t tell you if she does or doesn’t have that. Foul smelling droppings can be in line with reproductive infections, though.

Does her abdomen feel bloated then? When she was laying, were her eggs wonky, misshapen, cracked and mended?
 

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