Chicken swallowed rubber feeding tube??

[Serenity Sav]

A friend's chicken had been getting tube fed the last few days. This morning while feeding her, the red rubber feeding tube came off and the hen swallowed it.

The hen was brought to a vet, the vet couldn't feel it in the crop and did X-rays and said they couldn't see the tube anywhere inside the hen's digestive system.
Am I wrong in thinking that a rubber feeding tube would not show up on an x-ray? I am attaching a picture of the type of feeding tube they used. Do you think something like this would be able to get past the crop? Do you think if it got past the crap, then would be able to eventually pass it?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@casportpony @Overo Mare any ideas?

Can you feel the tube in the crop? I would think if it's 16" you should have been able to feel the end at least.

 

[Painted Calls]

@casportpony @Overo Mare any ideas?

Can you feel the tube in the crop? I would think if it's 16" you should have been able to feel the end at least.

Agreed. This is very strange. I would think it wouldn't pass the crop and would be able to be felt there.

It would absolutely show up on radiographs. So I'm honestly not sure what to think about that.

 

[Lizzy733]

Agreed, it should show. Are we absolutely 100% sure she swallowed it?

When those syringes explode, everything goes everywhere, but I've never lost a tube down a bird's throat. Could it have rolled away and be hiding under a cabinet etc?

Could it possibly be stuck in the throat? How long is her neck compared to it? Was it cut down to keep from scraping her crop? Generally, you can feel the tube in their throat when tube feeding and for future reference, always hold the feeding tube on the syringe, even if you think it's secure. - especially for thick mixes.

I'm assuming she must be a very sick bird to have needed tube feeding in the first place. What changes in her behaviour have you noticed since the potential swallowing? With all the travel to the vet and exams, she's likely taking a bit if a hit from stress alone.

 

[Serenity Sav]

Only about 1/3 of the length of the hose was used for the feeding tube. We haven't been able to feel it in the crop, we tried feeling it from the outside and by putting a finger into the crop (a vet did this). She was brought to 2 vets and both couldn't detect the tube in the crop.

 

[Lizzy733]

Only about 1/3 of the length of the hose was used for the feeding tube. We haven't been able to feel it in the crop, we tried feeling it from the outside and by putting a finger into the crop (a vet did this). She was brought to 2 vets and both couldn't detect the tube in the crop.

Crazy, I would think that'd cause intestinal blockage for sure though hens are designed to handle some indigestible material in their digestive system. I couldn't imagine a healthy hen passing something like that, let alone one that's been ill.

Once again, why was she being tube-fed? If she was already that critical, on top of all the recent stress of exams, I could see her health deteriorating quite quickly from all this, tube notwithstanding.

 

[Serenity Sav]

Apologies, I had missed the earlier inquiry regarding why she was being tube-fed.
A few weeks prior, she had had an impacted crop (caused by some ingested rocks, according to veterinary X-rays). She was fed a liquid diet while that was going on. Most recent X-rays indicate that the majority of those rocks have since been passed from her system.
The hen ingested the tube 3 days ago now, and so far has been acting ok and is still eating independently. Nothing tube-like has been seen in her droppings, so it must still be inside. I've been suggesting to my friend to give the hen some mineral oil to the beak each day to help lubricate her digestive system on the off chance that it would help her pass it.
Any other ideas/suggestions?
Thank you again for all of the feedback.

 

[Lizzy733]

Apologies, I had missed the earlier inquiry regarding why she was being tube-fed.
A few weeks prior, she had had an impacted crop (caused by some ingested rocks, according to veterinary X-rays). She was fed a liquid diet while that was going on. Most recent X-rays indicate that the majority of those rocks have since been passed from her system.
The hen ingested the tube 3 days ago now, and so far has been acting ok and is still eating independently. Nothing tube-like has been seen in her droppings, so it must still be inside. I've been suggesting to my friend to give the hen some mineral oil to the beak each day to help lubricate her digestive system on the off chance that it would help her pass it.
Any other ideas/suggestions?
Thank you again for all of the feedback.

Not that I can think of at this stage. So strange that it's nowhere to be found though.

 

[Serenity Sav]

Hi, I wanted to update on this.
The chicken’s owner had been giving some mineral oil to the bird a few times a day since the tube was ingested. Several days afterward, the hen had a noticeably decreased appetite, but was still eating on her own, just less than normal.

This morning… she passed the tube in her poop! I really doubted that she could have easily gotten it past the crop, let alone through her entire digestive system!
But this is pretty indisputably the feeding tube that accompanied her poop this morning.
So if anyone else finds themselves in a similar plight down the line, I hope this post can maybe help them not lose all hope just yet.
here is a photo of the post-digestion feeding tube:

 

[Painted Calls]

Hi, I wanted to update on this.
The chicken’s owner had been giving some mineral oil to the bird a few times a day since the tube was ingested. Several days afterward, the hen had a noticeably decreased appetite, but was still eating on her own, just less than normal.

This morning… she passed in her poop! I really doubted that she could have easily gotten it past the crop, let alone through her entire digestive system!
But this is pretty indisputably the feeding tube that accompanied her poop this morning.
So if anyone else finds themselves in a similar plight down the line, I hope this post can maybe help them not lose all hope just yet.
here is a photo of the post-digestion feeding tube:

So glad to hear it passed!!! So strange how it couldn't be seen or felt.

Hope the hen now continues to improve until she makes a full recovery.