Egg Peritonitis Help

[ANiceKaren]

Just keep watch on that for now. It can signify several things - a crop issue, respiratory illness or tumors on organs. Check her crop in the mornings to rule out a crop issue for starters. Watch for other signs of respiratory infection such as discharge from eyes or nares. The last one we can't do any about, unfortunately.

Thank you! Crop seems ok as much as I know about them. Not squishy or anything. Seems smaller in the mornings. No discharge or anything either. Thank you. Today seems a bit worse than yesterday

 

[ANiceKaren]

Hi Karen, I just read through your thread and just wanted to wish you and your pretty hen luck in putting her problems behind her.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Just keep watch on that for now. It can signify several things - a crop issue, respiratory illness or tumors on organs. Check her crop in the mornings to rule out a crop issue for starters. Watch for other signs of respiratory infection such as discharge from eyes or nares. The last one we can't do any about, unfortunately.

One more question.. I guess because today hasn’t been as hopeful. When and how do you decide enough is enough? I can’t even imagine making that decision or what I would even do in that decision but I don’t want her to be suffering I was so hoping for some more progress today. She is drinking water but barely eating anything at all today. I try to feed her by putting food in her mouth but she is very reluctant. I’m so sad over her.

 

[azygous]

It's not time to euthanize yet. She could be on the brink of recovery and may just have reached a point where she needs just a little boost to get over the line.

When a chicken has been sick, I've noticed a point where they seem to hit a threshold of fatigue in battling their illness. Their appetite slips, they lose interest in eating, and they then become weak and not strong enough to eat. If that point isn't counteracted, they continue into steep decline and death.

Try putting some sugar in her water, a teaspoon to a cup of water. Make her some high carb treats such as BOSS with a tiny bit of scratch grain, rolled oats with raisins, even fruit cocktail. Offer cooked egg.

That should give her energy and revive her if it's simply weakness due to not eating. If she continues to decline in alertness, energy level, appetite, and you see more intensification of symptoms such as the breathing rales, then you and she may be ready to end this.

 

[ANiceKaren]

It's not time to euthanize yet. She could be on the brink of recovery and may just have reached a point where she needs just a little boost to get over the line.

When a chicken has been sick, I've noticed a point where they seem to hit a threshold of fatigue in battling their illness. Their appetite slips, they lose interest in eating, and they then become weak and not strong enough to eat. If that point isn't counteracted, they continue into steep decline and death.

Try putting some sugar in her water, a teaspoon to a cup of water. Make her some high carb treats such as BOSS with a tiny bit of scratch grain, rolled oats with raisins, even fruit cocktail. Offer cooked egg.

That should give her energy and revive her if it's simply weakness due to not eating. If she continues to decline in alertness, energy level, appetite, and you see more intensification of symptoms such as the breathing rales, then you and she may be ready to end this.

Thank you so much! So I should keep “forcing” her to eat? Not in a mean way of course... I’m putting food into her beak throughout the day.... she won’t touch eggs... I’ll try the other yummy things! I certainly wasn’t ready to euthanize but I had to ask... this is breaking my heart!

 

[azygous]

The sugar water is important. That will revive her if she's just weak. That will give her a lift and hopefully, she will then eat on her own. You won't need to stuff food into her.

Before tubing, it's important to try to get the patient to eat on her own. Understand that by tubing food, it goes directly into the crop and immediately makes the appetite, whatever there is, disappear. We want to encourage her appetite so she eats normally. This would get her back in the habit of being hungry and having the urge then to eat to satisfy it.

You're at a critical juncture with your patient. Do the sugar water, watch for her to become more energetic, then tempt her with her favorite foods as soon as she shows signs of the glucose reviving her. Continue this all day.

In the morning, you will either see an improved patient or a patient that has not responded and is declining instead. Then you will assess the situation and follow your intuition as to her chances of any improvement.

When facing having to euthanize a chicken, the hardest part is making that assessment whether you're seeing decline or improvement. Making the decision to euthanize is hard, but after that, you shouldn't try to second guess your decision. Carry it out quickly without thinking about it. Afterward, knowing that her suffering has finally ended will be such a relief, it will balance the grief you'll experience. That grief is acute the first day, less the second day, and after that, it gets easier to bear each day until all that is left is your good memories of her.

 

[ANiceKaren]

The sugar water is important. That will revive her if she's just weak. That will give her a lift and hopefully, she will then eat on her own. You won't need to stuff food into her.

Before tubing, it's important to try to get the patient to eat on her own. Understand that by tubing food, it goes directly into the crop and immediately makes the appetite, whatever there is, disappear. We want to encourage her appetite so she eats normally. This would get her back in the habit of being hungry and having the urge then to eat to satisfy it.

You're at a critical juncture with your patient. Do the sugar water, watch for her to become more energetic, then tempt her with her favorite foods as soon as she shows signs of the glucose reviving her. Continue this all day.

In the morning, you will either see an improved patient or a patient that has not responded and is declining instead. Then you will assess the situation and follow your intuition as to her chances of any improvement.

When facing having to euthanize a chicken, the hardest part is making that assessment whether you're seeing decline or improvement. Making the decision to euthanize is hard, but after that, you shouldn't try to second guess your decision. Carry it out quickly without thinking about it. Afterward, knowing that her suffering has finally ended will be such a relief, it will balance the grief you'll experience. That grief is acute the first day, less the second day, and after that, it gets easier to bear each day until all that is left is your good memories of her.

This is very helpful. Thank you so much. She just drank quite a few sips of the sugar water. I’ll keep an eye on her and offer her many options... which I have.. oatmeal with cranberries, baby food.. cottage cheese... worms... you name it.. I keep trying. Thank you so much. I couldn’t have done this without you

 

[ANiceKaren]

The sugar water is important. That will revive her if she's just weak. That will give her a lift and hopefully, she will then eat on her own. You won't need to stuff food into her.

Before tubing, it's important to try to get the patient to eat on her own. Understand that by tubing food, it goes directly into the crop and immediately makes the appetite, whatever there is, disappear. We want to encourage her appetite so she eats normally. This would get her back in the habit of being hungry and having the urge then to eat to satisfy it.

You're at a critical juncture with your patient. Do the sugar water, watch for her to become more energetic, then tempt her with her favorite foods as soon as she shows signs of the glucose reviving her. Continue this all day.

In the morning, you will either see an improved patient or a patient that has not responded and is declining instead. Then you will assess the situation and follow your intuition as to her chances of any improvement.

When facing having to euthanize a chicken, the hardest part is making that assessment whether you're seeing decline or improvement. Making the decision to euthanize is hard, but after that, you shouldn't try to second guess your decision. Carry it out quickly without thinking about it. Afterward, knowing that her suffering has finally ended will be such a relief, it will balance the grief you'll experience. That grief is acute the first day, less the second day, and after that, it gets easier to bear each day until all that is left is your good memories of her.

So, Margaret was getting a bit antsy so I put her outside for a few minutes... immediately she pooped more than she has in days. It was watery with a little solid but this time it definitely had a yellow color to it. This makes me think we are correct about the egg issue. Is this a good sign that this is coming out or.... not so good...

 

[azygous]

Definitely good.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Definitely good.

She free ranged as well for 5 minutes and I found her a slug... she didn’t hesitate to eat it up