Chicken Hysterectomy

[seminolewind]

Jill, that's an amazing story, and Wendy is so cute. I would have done the same.

 

[caralouise1974]

Wow - I just stumbled across this post and it is exactly what I wanted to hear. My Bella needs this surgery and it sounds like it may not be as expensive as I have been led to believe. Neither is my vet correct in saying that it would probably be too much for her little body and that, coupled with 'difficult recovery' from the surgery would probably be the end of her.

Well, it sure seems that Wendy made a fantastic and speedy recovery, by all accounts!

 

[Umbral_Necropolitan]

Quote:
It could also be a vets skill in preforming the procedure that dictates the trauma of the surgery... I know that from having surgery three times and various stitches from accidents that a doctors skill makes a huge difference in recovery time.

Just curious but does your hen have to take any hormone supplements after the surgery or does the remaining ovary produce enough?

 

[dlhunicorn]

Quote:
This procedure is most commonly indicated for chronic eggbound or internal/false layers ... birds are more sensitive to anathesia and chickens are more hardy than parrot species (which the procedure is more commonly carried out on)
Read here about Penny's surgery (including photos!)
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/PennysSurgery/PennysSurgery.html

 

[Jillylam]

Caralouise,
Hi. I'm very sorry that Bella is not doing well. Wendy had a great recovery and is still doing just fine. She will still go to the nest to lay (or so she thinks) and then come out a bit later. I don't think she realizes that nothing actually comes out. I originally felt bad for her - that she would go through the routine anyway. But now I realize it's not a big deal to her and this way she still fits in with the other girls.

I don't want anyone to read all of this and think that this surgery should be taken lightly. It is a lot on their little bodies. I kept Wendy inside for a while before letting her outside with the others again. And then it was tough because she had to establish herself in the order all over again. And I had to keep her from flying for a while which was tricky.

Umbral,
The vet I use is a NJ Board Certified Avian Specialist. I agree with you that the skill of the surgeon makes a huge difference with regard to recovery. I am lucky to have someone good close to me. He has done a ton of these surgeries on parrots and little tiny birds. He said working on my chickens was like a mechanic working on a Cadillac. They seem huge to him.
Wendy does not take any hormones. I had the same problem with another girl so she had the surgery also. That time the vet gave her some type of hormone shot (at a cost of $75) and it didn't seem to make any difference. I eventually lost her because of Ovarian Cancer. (2 of my RI Red girls died from this).

Dlhunicorn,
You are exactly right in what you wrote. My vet is used to doing this surgery on parrots. He said "in his opinion 90% of the illnesses he sees in birds are related to reproductive issues".

I wish Bella the best and please let me know how she does.

Jill

 

[pawsplus]

Resurrecting this thread b/c I might be getting my Olivia spayed.

2.5 years ago she had a bout of what the vet assumed was egg yolk peritonitis--all the symptoms, but xray was inconclusive as was fluid upon aspiration. We treated her w/ abios and Metacam, and I had to force feed her for 2 weeks, but she turned around and since then has done very well--producing fairly normal eggs (although hers have always been thin-shelled).

We're now going through the whole thing again. This time she had an abdomen full of fluid and it was VERY nasty--tons of bacteria. She also has a very odd black "patch" (that's what it looks like--I'll try to get a pic) just below and to the side of her vent. It looks like someone put thick, matte black paint on her. Vet says he assumes it's necrotic material but is afraid to try to get it off, b/c of what might be under there.

So we are back on abios and Metacam, and Olivia is living in a crate in the house. The good news is that she is eating well, unlike last time (I guess I caught it sooner b/c I knew what to look for), so I'm hopeful. She's to be on the abios for a month this time b/c of the sheer number of bacteria seen on the gram stain--I am hoping to be able to put her back out w/ the other 2 girls soon, but can only do that IF she will let me catch her once a day for meds! That may not be an easy task.

Anyway. . . If she can get through this bout, I want to have her spayed when she's strong enough and done w/ the abios. The vet, who is an exotics vet who works on fancy parrots and such, has done a good number of bird spays, including a few chickens, so I feel confident in his abilities. Just wondered if anyone else had had this done, and if they could provide some info on recovery, etc. Any more info on Wendy's surgery/recovery, etc. would be appreciated! Did you keep her isolated/in the house for a while? If so, how long, etc?

Oh, and Olivia is 6 years old, if that makes a difference.

Thanks!

 

[pawsplus]

Bumping this up. Anyone?? Is the OP still around? Has anyone had this done? Olivia is doing VERY well--eating well and acting quite peppy, so I'm feeling hopeful. She's being good about her medications but not TOO good (i.e., arguing w/ me so I know she's feeling pretty normal).

 

[Jillylam]

Elizabeth,

Hi. Sorry I didn’t see your post sooner. I didn’t check my emails for a few days.

I lost Wendy on 12/24/09. I’m not sure what happened to her. I went to let them out in the morning and she was curled up on the floor. My best guess is that she flew or ran into something which caused a fatal injury. It seemed like she didn’t want to try to hold up her head. (neck injury maybe?) She was alive when I found her but she died in my arms later that day.

Sorry that Olivia is having a tough time. Wendy never had the fluid build-up like you are describing but two of my R.I. Reds did. The pressure from the fluid in the abdomen was tremendous. It felt hard as a rock. With one of them, the vet went in to do the surgery and she was a mess inside. He said it was Ovarian cancer and she had large masses. He didn’t think she’d pull through so I let her go while she was already under anesthesia. The other one had several bouts with the fluid build-up and after the last time, I had her put to sleep also. I didn’t want her going through any more sickness and I doubted surgery was going to help.

As for my remaining R.I. Red, one day she just quit laying eggs. Months later, she popped one out and then that was the last one ever. She seems very healthy though. No fluid problems for her and she’s the leader of the group. She seems pretty happy with herself.

I can’t help with the black skin issue. I’ve never seen that. I don’t really know if the vet’s answer is very reassuring as far as being afraid of what’s under there and leaving the dead tissue alone. Is that a good idea? I don’t know. I also don’t know what abios and metacam are. I’m assuming abios is an antibiotic? I’m glad you’re able to get it into her and that she’s arguing with you. Definitely a good sign.

After Wendy’s surgery I kept her in the house for a week. Then in the second week I would let her out in a separate yard by herself during the day for a little bit and then bring her back into the crate in the house at night. She was back with the other girls the third week. She recovered so fast and the incision healed very well. Too bad her life was cut short after all of that!

As far as age, Wendy was about a year and a half. I don’t have the experience to tell you how much of a factor Olivia's age would be. I’m sure the older they are the harder it could be in recovery. You and your vet would have to discuss that. If he thinks she’ll do well then give it a shot. If she’s been this sick twice, she’ll likely be sick again.

I wish you all the best with her. Please let me know if you have other questions. I am far far far from being an expert. This is my first gaggle of chickens and boy have I had to learn a lot fast! Luckily the remaining four that I have (The one surviving R.I. Red and three Easter Eggers) are doing well and I’ve had an easier time with them. Now if I can get my dogs through their third and fourth bouts with Lyme disease I’ll be all set.

All my best,

Jill

 

[pawsplus]

Quote:
I'm so sorry.

Sorry that Olivia is having a tough time. Wendy never had the fluid build-up like you are describing but two of my R.I. Reds did. The pressure from the fluid in the abdomen was tremendous. It felt hard as a rock. With one of them, the vet went in to do the surgery and she was a mess inside. He said it was Ovarian cancer and she had large masses. He didn’t think she’d pull through so I let her go while she was already under anesthesia. The other one had several bouts with the fluid build-up and after the last time, I had her put to sleep also. I didn’t want her going through any more sickness and I doubted surgery was going to help.
[SNIP]
I can’t help with the black skin issue. I’ve never seen that. I don’t really know if the vet’s answer is very reassuring as far as being afraid of what’s under there and leaving the dead tissue alone. Is that a good idea? I don’t know. I also don’t know what abios and metacam are. I’m assuming abios is an antibiotic? I’m glad you’re able to get it into her and that she’s arguing with you. Definitely a good sign.

I think the vet just didn't want to risk making things worse until she was more stable, a decision I agreed with. She's doing VERY well now, knock on wood, so hopefully when we go back for a re-check in 2 weeks we'll be able to get a better idea of what's going on at that point.

As far as age, Wendy was about a year and a half. I don’t have the experience to tell you how much of a factor Olivia's age would be. I’m sure the older they are the harder it could be in recovery. You and your vet would have to discuss that. If he thinks she’ll do well then give it a shot. If she’s been this sick twice, she’ll likely be sick again.

That's what we're thinking. The vet mentioned spaying when this happened the first time, but the idea scared me and I chose to hope for the best. Thought we'd dodged that bullet, since 2.5 years went by, but apparently not. I don't think I have a choice this time around, and I feel that Olivia would be as safe as possible in this vet's hands--he's THE avian vet in my area, and has done many spays on $5K parrots, etc., so if anyone can do it he can.

Here's a pic of Olivia in her prison. She is one angry bird, LOL! See the little perch I made her across the back of the cage? The first few nights she stayed on the ground but she's now "roosting" (6" above ground, LOL), which says to me that she's much better. Probably b/c of all the fluid in her abdomen, she was unable to balance properly at first.

 

[Jillylam]

Aww. Poor girl in prison. I'm glad she's doing better. Let me know how she does. Thanks for putting her picture here. Take care.