Consolidated Kansas

[chicken danz]

I called the vet and went and got a couple shots for Marshmallow. She got some steroids, some oxy and some antibiotics. I couldn't get the syringe to move once I got the needle in her neck. I stuck her like 5 times. So I stuck her again and DH tried and he got a little in but then blew the needle off. I'm not sure what the problem was. The stuff would come out until I put it under her skin. Anyone tell me what the heck that was about? I've given lots of shots and not had that problem. The only difference is that she has so much hair to get through. So I am hoping above hope she got enough in her to help. I have another shot for tomorrow. She is just too good of a Mom and won't leave those babies. I don't think I can handle being out in the cold all night again. I'm pretty exhausted and my arthritis is screaming.
If she isn't better in the morning I may call a friend over to try to give the second shot. She works at the vet clinic sometimes and is a farmer's wife so she's had lots of experience. I would just die if I lost my girl! She sure as heck is done with the puppy thing. It's not happening again.
I've got the same little bantam polish roo in the house again. He is over his cold but was cowering and getting picked on and turning his head upside down again. So I gave him a big dose of Vit E and he's back in the kennel in the house. I didn't even bother taking it outside this time. Seems as soon as I do I have another sick or injured bird to take care of.

 

[checoukan]

Danz, I'm sorry the puppies didn't make it and that Ms.M is having troubles.

The birds are still missing and I've now spoken with dozens of people all over the country, been hung up on by Gloria, at the Consumer Affairs office for USPS in California, had people tell me there's no way to track them from one point to another, and I'm terribly sad and livid. If they are still alive, it's looking as if they won't be before these people find their way through a very broken system. USPS forgot to put a corresponding tracking number on the box when it got handed off to FedEx, it looks like, and someone somewhere isn't doing anything about an 18"x18"x12" box full of birds sitting there motionless. I've spoken with FedEx, USPS, and I'm getting ready to contact the press. This is just too much...HOURS on my phone. This is going to make for a lean month when I get to the end of my billing cycle.

Will anyone who feels like it please pray that these birds get located soon so they can get some food and water?

There are only a handful of these in existence...losing 4 females who made it to point of lay would be a tremendous loss.

I'm just beside myself with helplessness.

Chooks- I just Mailed three rosecombs to Okla. They arrived just fine. When the post master his-self was getting the amount figured to ship, he asked me if I wanted to insure the box, I said well, I don't think they need it. He said that express mail has a $100 on it anyway. He told me the number on my pink ticket was the number to use to track the box. So can they track the box to it last known arrival before they went fed-ex?

 

[checoukan]

I called the vet and went and got a couple shots for Marshmallow. She got some steroids, some oxy and some antibiotics. I couldn't get the syringe to move once I got the needle in her neck. I stuck her like 5 times. So I stuck her again and DH tried and he got a little in but then blew the needle off. I'm not sure what the problem was. The stuff would come out until I put it under her skin. Anyone tell me what the heck that was about? I've given lots of shots and not had that problem. The only difference is that she has so much hair to get through. So I am hoping above hope she got enough in her to help. I have another shot for tomorrow. She is just too good of a Mom and won't leave those babies. I don't think I can handle being out in the cold all night again. I'm pretty exhausted and my arthritis is screaming.
If she isn't better in the morning I may call a friend over to try to give the second shot. She works at the vet clinic sometimes and is a farmer's wife so she's had lots of experience. I would just die if I lost my girl! She sure as heck is done with the puppy thing. It's not happening again.
I've got the same little bantam polish roo in the house again. He is over his cold but was cowering and getting picked on and turning his head upside down again. So I gave him a big dose of Vit E and he's back in the kennel in the house. I didn't even bother taking it outside this time. Seems as soon as I do I have another sick or injured bird to take care of.

Danz- make sure to use the needles and syringes that kinda screw in together, that way it won't blow apart. Some of those meds have to be kept in your armpit to keep warm otherwise, they get so thick from the cold you can't get them out of the syringe. If you have to cut a small area of hair away to give the shots in.
All that hair is something else for sure. I am glad earl is a short coat. Casper is the long coat.

 

[chicken danz]

I used the syringe the vet gave me. He told me to keep it refrigerated. It came out of the needle just fine until it was in her skin. That is what stumped me. I told DH to squeeze slow but he couldn't get it to come out either. You can sure as heck tell it is Friday the 13th!!!!!!

 

[chicken danz]

Chooks, any word on your birds? I would be livid! I hope that they will be alright. Maybe they lost the address tag or something?

 

[Ivywoods]

Danz-It's hard to tell why it wouldn't come out, but I have a number of ideas.

If it was the antibiotic, it was probably thick. It requires a larger gauge needle. Do you know what size needle? I agree with Rosie to use a needle that screws onto the tip of the syringe.

Were the medications mixed? I would not mix the three. Give each one separately. Some medications and diluents can precipitate if mixed which will plug up your needle.

Was an injection to be give subcutaneously (under the skin) or intramuscular? If it was a subcutaneous one, clip or shave a spot where you want to give it and be sure to pull up a generous amount of hide so you can be sure you get the needle clear under the skin. You will feel the difference in the amount of pressure it takes to advance the needle once you pass clear under the skin. Be sure you feel that loss of resistance. If it is an intramuscular injection and you accidently hit a ligament or bone you will definitely feel an increase in the amount of pressure it takes to advance and you will not be able to inject and it is usually painful to them.

You may know some of this already as I know you are experienced treating your animals, but it is just the things that popped into my head.

Well I obviously didn't get out early enough this afternoon. Almost every egg I found was frozen. There were a couple that I will go ahead and try to hatch, but I am not too hopeful that they will be viable. When I was driving home this morning the temp was 8 degrees. bbbbbrrrrrrr. It did warm up some this afternoon but was still very cold. The sun was out and the wind wasn't as strong, but the air temp was still very low. I think I'll go downstairs and put a dozen eggs in the incubator that I have been saving, then maybe DH and I can get some work done on the basement.

 

[chicken danz]

I've given lots of shots but never ran into this before. The vet mixed the stuff. I don't think I have any syringes with screw on tips around here. Like I said it came out fine until I had it under the skin. I was sure it was there but maybe not. How could I be wrong that many times? I am so sick of the way things have gone the last couple days. I just want to curl up with a heat pad and get drunk!
But I'd rather my dog just got well

 

[Trish44]

Danz, I hope things get better soon, I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. I sure hope the meds help Marshmallow & she gets better, I know you're worried sick about her.

checoukan, my pups are 3 1/2 months old right now. I'll be glad when Lily gets settled down, which I'm sure she will with some maturity. She's just a silly goofball right now. I told DH this afternoon that I wish I had my camera right when I was yelling at her to come down off the roof & she came to the back door. That goofy grin she had on her face was just priceless! She knew that she was in trouble, that she had been caught again doing the same thing she had just gotten yelled at for a few minutes before, so she came to me with that goofball grin on her face because she was trying to get off the hook. If she is going to get goofier in the next few months until they get through the teenage stage it should be interesting. Jasmine is such a good dog & she is so reserved & so well behaved & then there is Lily, the goofy one. I'm sure that Lily will turn out OK in the end as an LGD because she has Jasmine to show her, but getting there is what is going to be interesting. Jasmine has excellent instincts & is a very serious dog, she is the alpha between the two. If you had told me when I got them that Jasmine would be the alpha dog I wouldn't have believed it, but she quickly took that position & now I'm glad that she did because she can guide Lily. BTW, I had mentioned that I had gotten a phone call from my next door neighbor about the pups & I did go over & talk to them today about them & they seem fine about them now. The husband is battling cancer now & I was shocked at seeing him today, he is not looking good at all, he's taking chemo treatments, but from the looks of it he's not winning, it's a shame they're nice people & nice neighbors.

Well I had found some more rabbit hutches I was going to go get tomorrow for my meat rabbits, but they sold before I could get up to Andover & get them. Darn, that was a good deal too! Now I am on the prowl for another double one like I found for the others so I can put the new ones I'm getting in it. I will have to get on fixing that free cage I got tomorrow to keep them in until I can find another hutch.

 

[Ivywoods]

Aw, I'm so sorry. I'm sure you are just exhausted, physically and mentally. From what you say, the needle must have gotten a "plug" in it from something. This can happen when you insert it under the skin, or it may have actually gotten a "biopsy" of the stopper from one of the medications when the vet mixed it. I've seen it happen. The plug evidently didn't lodge in the needle until you got it under the skin and started to inject. Gosh. It could have been a number of things.

I sure hope Marshmallow is doing better by morning. I would definitely get her spayed after this. It sounds like the whole process is so hard on her. I've raised ONE litter of puppies in my life, and she did great. That was the litter Runt came from. We lost one that she layed on, and we almost lost Runt. She had layed on him, too, but my step son was able to bring the pup back to life with CPR. It was not breathing and had no perceptible heartbeat. No one was around to help him at the time and he got him going all by himself. Great kid, huh? He loves animals, especially dogs, too.

 

[cherwill]

Justhatchin, thanks for the update on Xander. Sounds like he got confused. I hope his pea-sized brain will retain that lesson and he'll get his behind indoors from now on! The girls are doing OK, but they seemed a little lost themselves at first.

Seymore, what a pretty egg and congratulations. I'm amazed at the variety of egg shapes and colors we get.

Poor Marshmallow. Sounds like you're doing everything possible to take good care of her, and I'm sure she'll be back to normal. That was a huge number of pups, she SHOULD be tired!

Chooks, I'm certainly sending all the good thoughts I have that you get those poor birds and quickly. I'm not sure I even believe that they can't track that package, but even if they can't, I can't believe no one was concerned about a package with live animals in it.