Gaping/gasping for air

[VinnyVincent]

Hello, my three month old pullet started gaping this morning. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary yesterday, but this morning after I fed them, I noticed she is off by herself in the corner and is gaping.
I did some research for a couple hours and decided to swab her throat to check for gapeworms. When I came back out, the gaping was worse and there is also a pretty loud wheezing/gurgling sound when she gapes. I stuck the swab as far down her throat as I could get it several times, and other than a little dirt, I don't see any signs of worms.
I also noticed she is shaking her head, like she is trying to dislodge something.

I'm not sure how I should proceed from here. She has no discharge from her eyes, nose and is not coughing. I don't think it is a respiratory issue. Other than the gaping and wheezing, she appears perfectly healthy.

What do I do now? Do I treat her for gapeworms anyways? if something were stuck in her throat, how can I tell/dislodge it?

I can post a video if that helps.

 

[azygous]

Is there fluid by any chance dribbling occasionally from her beak? Is her crop overly full compared to the other chickens? There's more likelihood of a crop disorder being behind these symptoms than gapeworm which is not very common in the US.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[VinnyVincent]

Is there fluid by any chance dribbling occasionally from her beak? Is her crop overly full compared to the other chickens? There's more likelihood of a crop disorder being behind these symptoms than gapeworm which is not very common in the US.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

I don't see any fluid, if anything her mouth seems overly dry. I also tried to feel her crop and it doesn't seem overly full. I even tried to smell her breath to see if it was sour, and there's no real smell.
Perhaps I am just not feeling the crop correctly. I thought about maybe trying to give her a little olive oil in a baby syringe, then massaging her. Couldn't hurt to try, could it?

 

[VinnyVincent]

I went ahead and gave her a 3ml syringe of olive oil, and massaged the area under her neck in a downward motion. There does seem to be a small lump there. It's kinda hard to tell with her, because she is bearded and has really thick neck feathers.
It seems to be getting worse. It's almost like a high pitched screeching sound she makes when she is breathing. It also seems like she is getting weaker.

I'm going to head out and run a few errands, then check on her when I get back.

 

[azygous]

What you describe points to an obstruction in her throat. You need to look into her mouth and throat for a foreign object or mouth lesions that could be blocking the throat. Pry her beak open wide and look inside with a strong light. Take a photo if you can if you see something. Ask someone to help you since this is difficult with just two hands.

 

[VinnyVincent]

What you describe points to an obstruction in her throat. You need to look into her mouth and throat for a foreign object or mouth lesions that could be blocking the throat. Pry her beak open wide and look inside with a strong light. Take a photo if you can if you see something. Ask someone to help you since this is difficult with just two hands.

I had someone hold her while I looked. I was able to see what I think is her wind pipe, but beyond that it was too dark. I can't see anything inside that would be blocking her airway. Maybe it is further down inside her wind pipe?

I'm really starting to get worried now since it's been a while and there's no improvement

Whenever she gapes, there's definitely like a high pitched wheezing sound and it really does sound like something is stuck in there, but I can't see anything.
I'm at a loss for what else I could do to help her. Do I just wait it out now and see what happens?

 

[azygous]

If something is lodged on her trachea, it almost always resolves on its own, usually over night. Coughing and sneezing helps. Her throat and mouth parts are clean and pink? No gummy plaque?

If there is something blocking her airway, she may not be getting adequate oxygen, so that could be why she's acting weaker. Look closely at her little comb and part the face fluff and look at the color of her facial tissue. Is it turning darker red, on the purple side?

 

[VinnyVincent]

If something is lodged on her trachea, it almost always resolves on its own, usually over night. Coughing and sneezing helps. Her throat and mouth parts are clean and pink? No gummy plaque?

If there is something blocking her airway, she may not be getting adequate oxygen, so that could be why she's acting weaker. Look closely at her little comb and part the face fluff and look at the color of her facial tissue. Is it turning darker red, on the purple side?

Thanks for the reassurance, I checked on her at roost time and she seemed like she may be getting a little better.
Her comb looked normal, although her tongue and parts of her mouth did seem like they are getting a bit pale. Her face seemed to be a normal color.

I'll report back tomorrow morning. I'm really hoping that whatever it is, it'll run it's course naturally.

 

[VinnyVincent]

Unfortunately she passed away early this morning. I went out to check on her and she was still wheezing and off the perch, but I had to leave for work. I came back home at lunch time and she was dead.

Is there something more I could've done to prevent this? I can't help but feel like maybe this could have been avoided.

 

[azygous]

The only way to know what this was and if you could have prevented it is to get a necropsy performed on her body.

There's a better than even chance she died from an avian virus causing tumors on her organs and that's what interfered with her breathing.

While it lets you off the hook for preventing it, it does have serious implications for the rest of your flock. Call your university extension office for information on how to get a necropsy. Meanwhile refrigerate her body, don't freeze. Do this right away as labs will refuse to do this on a body that is more than a few hours old.