EMERGENCY! Open crop- possum attack!

[fanynany]

Possum attack last night around 10ish, 2 chickens missing, both popped up in the morning, one with scratches but is fine, my hen- pepper looked sad and stressed but i didn’t find anything on her, i thought she was just scared and tired but we’ve been cuddling her all morning till i caught a whiff of a sour smell, i examined her further and under her feathers i saw her food coming out of her crop.
All vets are closed right now and emergency ones are hours away, advice?

 

[fanynany]

I was able to find one an hour away, exam fee on its own is $130

Most vets will open tomorrow morning, do you all recommend waiting? im afraid she might not make it, she seems okay-ish, obviously she’s not but at the moment she walks around and is just laying on the floor.

 

[fanynany]

I need to clean out the area but unsure of how or what to clean it with since it is her insides? not sure please help! not sure how to provide her with food and water either.

 

[HollyWoozle]

I hope someone more knowledgeable than me will be along to help you soon… I think the main concern right now is probably hydration. It’s hard to tell from the photo where on her crop the hole is, ie. high up or low down. Have you seen her try to drink and does it leak straight out? If she is not able to take in any water then I would be hesitant to leave her to tomorrow.

I would think that vets will be able to stitch and seal her crop successfully though. As for cleaning, I would probably use something like Vetericyn if you have it? I can’t see that would cause any damage to her insides but I’m definitely not an expert. I’d certainly be tempted to cut back some feathers around the wound to get a better look and help keep it clearer and to put her in a clean, dry crate or similar.

 

[fanynany]

she’s eating uncooked rice at the moment, it’s the only the thing she’s interested in, im thinking i could try giving her some sort of hydrating vitamin solution i had for chickens mixed in with rice? im not sure, at the moment she’s been wadding around the house and won’t stay in her little bin and would much rather nap on the couch, seems aware but has just been napping.

 

[fanynany]

i have this for her water, im gonna mash some eggs with it and hopefully she eats? dunno if that sounds like a good idea

 

[fanynany]

i mixed some eggs & the electrolyte water and she seemed to enjoy them, i only fed her a bit since i don’t want too much in her crop.
as to the wound i only have peroxide and iodine available, but unsure if should use those, maybe just around the area?

 

[Sussex19]

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive can you help?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@azygous can you chime in?

Likely the crop is going to need to be emptied and flushed with saline. There's 2 layers of "skin" that need to be closed. You have the crop itself and then the layer of outer skin.
The crop being closed is going to be the most important, imho. Sometimes folks have closed both only to have to reopen the outer layer due to leaking and infection from the crop that was not closed up.

Carol (Azygous) has experience with crop surgery, so it would be very good to get her insight on this before you do anything.

She looks alert for now which is a bonus. Just in case, do you have any antibiotics on hand? If you do, please let us know what you have.

 

[azygous]

Boil two cups water and mix in one teaspoon salt and a pinch of baking soda. Cool to body temp and use it to flush out the wound. If you have a turkey baster, use it to irrigate the wound.

You need to assess the wound. How large is it? Is it a ragged tear or a puncture? Describe it to us. I can't tell from the photo.

If the wound is just a puncture, it will likely heal without suturing. She should have an oral antibiotic, though. A bite or claw wound will have introduced a lot of bacteria that can end up killing her. What do you have on hand? People prescriptions work on chickens.