Eggbound hen - am I crazy to pay a vet $150?

[BWchicken]

Zoopathy, you're not insane for taking Madeleine to the vet! An X-ray won't hurt her and it's a good way to find out if she's got eggs in her. You're a good chicken parent to be taking such good care of her. Please let us know what the vet says when you get back.

 

[Zoopathy]

Man, I love my vet...!

He's not an avian vet, just a regular pet guy, but an office visit and set of xrays would have been about $50 cheaper than taking her to the specialist, so he is where I started. This is a vet who lets me call up with chicken issues and he'll give me advice or prescribe antibiotics without charging for an office visit. Long story short, she has a grit-impacted crop, NOT an egg-impacted backside (which explains why I could never feel an egg in there!)! We talked about approaches to clearing the blockage--I'm going to tube her and give her 5 cc of veggie oil twice a day for a few days. But the best part: he only charged me for the office visit, not the xrays!! Amazing!

So I'm getting ready to give her her oil now, but I wanted to let you know what transpired. You've all been very helpful and supportive, and I'm going to keep lurking to see how things with Avril go.

Big hugs to you all for loving your chickens so much!

 

[ace6175]

Zoopathy, what a great vet you have! I hope your treatment is successful! Are you relieved that it's not an eggbound issue?

My exam of Avril wasn't helpful. It seems like this egg may be stuck, I wasn't able to get a hold of it like the last time I tried. She is still eating and acting like a normal chicken, so I don't think I want to try any vet intervention quite yet. Wish I had a great vet like Zoopathy. The guy who I found to treat her is an avian vet and very expensive. He's my only choice in this area, no one else will treat chickens.
I put her in the cage tonight, hopefully she'll lay an egg tomorrow morning.

Thanks for all the input & suggestions.

 

[Zoopathy]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, Ace...

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

ace6175: I think you are wonderful person to even think of taking your "girl" to the vet....but I agree with fargosmom 100%. You are not crazy for loving an animal...it just shows what compassion you have. I have a 15 year old pomeranian (dog) that was just diagnosed with diabetes...I have to give her insulin shots - 1 in the morn and 1 in the eve. Am I crazy? Some people think so....I lost our older pomeranian last year....but for 6 months I had to give him 200 units of subcutaneous fluids as he was suffering from kidney failure. As long as the vet said he was not in pain and his quality of life was okay...I wasn't ready to give him up. Maybe I was selfish, but it was the first dog my husband had ever had....we just weren't ready to say good-bye. I am starting to cry right now as I think about it.

You just do for your little feathered girl what you can, and you can tell everyone you tried your hardest for her.

God Bless and good luck.

 

[ace6175]

Wow, you are so devoted to your animals! It's great to hear that you are willing to do so much to care for your dog.
Still trying to decide what to do with Avril. She seems totally fine (how can she be with that egg stuck in there?!) If I have the vet operate, then she may die. And even if she survives, she will have to be reintroduced to the flock, and she was introduced last year by herself and is picked on by the other hens. And even if all goes well, it's possible that this could happen again. There just is no good solution here.

So, I'm just waiting a little longer - hard to put her in misery when she seems to be happy and healthy right now.

 

[Cetawin]

Not a good person to ask....I paid $70 to have a 2.99 rat neutered ... I would do it if Ihad it or make arrangements to pay it, because my girls are my pets.

 

[BWchicken]

Ace, I totally understand your dilemma about what to do with Avril. I sometimes wish I'd have waited longer before doing the procedure. But on the other hand, if it had been successful, I would've been glad I didn't wait. It's like darned if you do, darned if you don't. I think what convinced me to go ahead with it, was the hard time Ginger started having laying those eggs. 8-12 hours of pure misery for her. She only laid once or twice a week, but it was getting harder for her each time she laid. Even though when she wasn't laying she was a perfectly active healthy girl, I knew she couldn't go through much more of that.

I don't blame you for not wanting to put Avril through any misery while she's acting healthy and happy. Nobody knows Avril like you do, and by watching her you'll know when it's time to act. And who knows, maybe that egg will work itself out of her in the meantime. After Ginger's death I learned how meaningful it could've been to have had more time with her, as much time as possible, as long as she wasn't suffering.

Keep a close watch on Avril and you'll know when the time comes to take action. If she becomes distressed or suffering, there won't be a dilemma, and you'll know without a doubt that it's time to act. I think you are a very caring chicken mom and I'm glad Avril has you looking out for her. I know chickens are mainly livestock to some people and I do respect that. But it is nice to meet other people who feel like I do about their flock. Kindred spirits I guess. I'm glad to know I'm not the only person who loves their chickens way too much!

Please keep us updated on Avril.

 

[Sissy]

What a wonderful world....... As Louie sang..
when reading about so many who love their animals .

 

[ace6175]

BW, thank you so much for your kind words. Avril is laying an egg most days, and it doesn't take her long - when I put her in the cage at night, by 7:00 am the next morning she has laid an egg. Even though they are usually broken. If only I knew for sure that these eggs were going around the other egg, then it would be easier to take her to the vet.
So for now I'm just watching her closely. This is the part about having chickens that I didn't know about - worrying about them! I guess it's always that way when you keep animals.
Happy Mother's Day to all of us Mother Hens!