DIY Impaction Surgery

[2theDogz]

I think you mean magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts). This solution is more for deep, pervasive yeast infections, but you can always give it a try. What it does mainly is to introduce volumes of water into the system in hope of flushing the material through and out of the digestive tract. Sort of like I had to do recently with a toilet clog by pouring buckets full of water into the bowl to take advantage of both gravity and the force of volumes of water to push the clog through.

Since your patient has a crop full of solids, you'll need to be aware of how full the crop may get and not push more fluids into it than it can hold.

The solution is one teaspoon of salts dissolved into half a cup of warm water. The solution is tubed into the crop since expecting the patient to drink it all is unrealistic as is trying to syringe it into the crop which would also take forever and stress the patient.

The solution can be given twice a day for up to three days. I'd try it after oil and massage has emptied the crop as much as possible. You want to attempt to break up the mass into smaller clumps with your fingers. This will enable the solution to be more effective at flushing the material through the tract. I'd combine each session of tubing the solution with massage before and after, visualizing trying to dismantle the long stemmed material into smaller bits that can be floated downstream.

Good info. I did see Epsom salts mentioned in my research. However Magnesium Citrate is what I have. It was recommended here:
https://www.greenwillowhomestead.com/blog/how-to-operate-on-your-chickens-impacted-crop

Having used the stuff myself pre- colonoscopy, I was hoping to avoid putting little man through a similar experience.

 

[azygous]

Yeah, that colonoscopy prep is just awful, but I doubt chickens suffer as much as we do from it. I see no huge advantage in using one form of the solution over the other. Whatever you have on hand is justification for using that. I hope it works for your little patient.

 

[Oldegarlicshnapp]

If anyone has experience with this I would greatly appreciate your input.

My chick just had an impact. I don’t think she would’ve done well or survived a surgery. I tired giving her: grit, papaya, coconut oil, and massaging. She had a little diarrhea, but was still carrying all that liquid in her crop. It was day two and it hadn’t gone down. It was hard, but I found a clinic to suction her crop empty and flush her with saline water. It only cost me 65, so it’s not an arm and a leg. It worked out great and now I give her wet food and digestive enzymes.

 

[2theDogz]

View attachment 2896399My chick just had an impact. I don’t think she would’ve done well or survived a surgery. I tired giving her: grit, papaya, coconut oil, and massaging. She had a little diarrhea, but was still carrying all that liquid in her crop. It was day two and it hadn’t gone down. It was hard, but I found a clinic to suction her crop empty and flush her with saline water. It only cost me 65, so it’s not an arm and a leg. It worked out great and now I give her wet food and digestive enzymes.
View attachment 2896412

Thank you for this! I had wondered if this was a possible approach. Certainly makes sense for such a little one. So glad you had a happy outcome. She's adorable

 

[2theDogz]

You do need to keep trying to break up the impaction before trying surgery. Be aggressive with the oil and massage. Once, I had a young hen with such a severe impaction, I worked on it all day, and that's all I did.

Have you tried a stool softener yet? Do you believe it's long stemed grass in his crop?

If you can feel the stems and that's mainly what the clog is, surgery is more than likely to be the only way to get that stuff out. I can give you a step by step instruction and also a video to watch.

@azygous It's looking like we'll have to go in. No progress with the clump & after letting him eat/drink yesterday the crop filled up so full, didn't go down at all overnight. I had to empty fluid from it again today to be able to massage.
We'll give it til Monday since I have to go out of town tomorrow.
If you could please share those instructions I'd greatly appreciate!

 

[azygous]

First, line up an assistant to help you with the surgery and gather the following supplies:

Supplies to assemble:

Vetericyn wound spray
Betadine or alcohol
Saline wound flush
Sharp, sterilized cutting tool such as a one-sided razor blade or Xacto knife.
Sterile gauze
Tube of super glue gel
Latex gloves
Bath towel
Scissors to cut away feathers from incision site

Surgery:
-Wrap hen securely in a bath towel confining wings and feet, but leaving the crop exposed. No anesthesia is required. No pain meds.
-Have your helper hold the hen on her back on a hard surface or table.
-Locate the spot where the lump is most concentrated.
-Trim her feathers away so just skin is exposed.
-Prep the site with Betadine or alcohol to remove external bacteria.

Make a one inch incision in the skin. Do not cut any deeper than the outer layer. This will expose the crop sack.

Next, cut a one-inch opening into the crop sack, slightly offset to the outer cut. This is very important. You should be able to see the obstruction, grass or maybe something else that shouldn't be in there.

Putting slight pressure on the crop, push the obstruction toward the opening and pull it out. Continue until you can't get anything else out of it.

Irrigate the inside of the crop with a generous amount of saline until the saline comes out clean.

Dry the incisions by patting with sterile gauze. First apply super glue to the edges of the inner incision. Stretch the incision and hold the tissue together until it bonds, about one minute. If it doesn't hold, apply more glue and continue to hold it until it bonds.

Glue the outer incision as you just did the inner one. Spray the incision liberally with Vetericyn. This promotes the tissue to grow together and heal. Do this twice a day for the next two days.

Feed only soft food such as yogurt, soft boiled egg, apple sauce, or gruel made from mixing water into her feed until it's soupy for the week following surgery. Give her a dose of Nutri-drench each day for five days plus continuing the miconazole for seven days.

 

[Oldegarlicshnapp]

Be sure to use stitches that dissolve! Best wishes :•(

 

[2theDogz]

First, line up an assistant to help you with the surgery and gather the following supplies:

Supplies to assemble:

Vetericyn wound spray
Betadine or alcohol
Saline wound flush
Sharp, sterilized cutting tool such as a one-sided razor blade or Xacto knife.
Sterile gauze
Tube of super glue gel
Latex gloves
Bath towel
Scissors to cut away feathers from incision site

Surgery:
-Wrap hen securely in a bath towel confining wings and feet, but leaving the crop exposed. No anesthesia is required. No pain meds.
-Have your helper hold the hen on her back on a hard surface or table.
-Locate the spot where the lump is most concentrated.
-Trim her feathers away so just skin is exposed.
-Prep the site with Betadine or alcohol to remove external bacteria.

Make a one inch incision in the skin. Do not cut any deeper than the outer layer. This will expose the crop sack.

Next, cut a one-inch opening into the crop sack, slightly offset to the outer cut. This is very important. You should be able to see the obstruction, grass or maybe something else that shouldn't be in there.

Putting slight pressure on the crop, push the obstruction toward the opening and pull it out. Continue until you can't get anything else out of it.

Irrigate the inside of the crop with a generous amount of saline until the saline comes out clean.

Dry the incisions by patting with sterile gauze. First apply super glue to the edges of the inner incision. Stretch the incision and hold the tissue together until it bonds, about one minute. If it doesn't hold, apply more glue and continue to hold it until it bonds.

Glue the outer incision as you just did the inner one. Spray the incision liberally with Vetericyn. This promotes the tissue to grow together and heal. Do this twice a day for the next two days.

Feed only soft food such as yogurt, soft boiled egg, apple sauce, or gruel made from mixing water into her feed until it's soupy for the week following surgery. Give her a dose of Nutri-drench each day for five days plus continuing the miconazole for seven days.

Thank you!!!

 

[2theDogz]

Be sure to use stitches that dissolve! Best wishes :•(

I did get the dissolvable, but I'm going to go with super glue. It will be quicker & less stressful for him, I think.

 

[Sally PB]

Let us know how it goes. We're all rooting for you and your boy.

Good luck. You are brave.