Gizzard impaction - X-ray confirmed. How to proceed?

[dawg53]

Wow. Never thought of Coke. I know people use it to unclog their toliets lol. I am putting this one in the ol memory bank!

I remember reading long ago that if you put a tooth in a bottle of coke, the next day it will be completely dissolved. I've never done it, but I know it does a number on my innards.

 

[LaFleche]

13. Poor Moe, she’s not doing too good today. Her condition has deteriorated and she is staying still and open beak breathing (no gasping though). I got the stethoscope out and had a listen to her air sacks and fluid is in the abdominal one, you can clearly hear it - the lungs themselves sound good though. Her heart rate is through the roof too - to compensate for the lack of oxygen perhaps? I know nothing about how fast their hearts are meant to beat but it is much faster than the other hens I compared to. I think her little body is starting to give out so the next 24 hours will be important. To be honest I don’t know how she made it this far - I have had hens look off one day end be dead the next, she is on day 13. If I had to guess what is going on with her knowing what I do now (and boy have I done some research other the last couple of weeks) I would say her impacted gizzard and slow doughy crop is secondary to something very sinister. The droppings are still covered with mucous and the high oocyst numbers keep coming back. I did another gram stain and am also wondering if it is necrotic enteritis from CP. I was under the impression the first ones results were bacillus but cannot figure out the cause of the narrow, mucous covered poops besides coccidiosis or that - I guess only a necropsy will tell me for sure. She is still passing plant material in her droppings so the gizzard is still clearing (had no access to grass for a while). As a last ditch attempt to save her I have got her on doxycycline and metronidazole - one for respiratory and the other for possible CP. The combination of drugs in themselves may prove too much for her system though (don’t have many other options - I have had mg in my flock and it doesn’t respond to anything else other than doxy) I researched and found no drug interactions between the two so hopefully they will be ok. Unfortunately I don’t have anything else to offer than that - it’s impossible to get medications here. She still wants to eat and is drinking on her own and is still keen to beat up her broody friend - she’s a little fighter. Unfortunately if I don’t see an improvement over the next couple of days I will have to get her put to sleep - she looked like she was starting to suffer today and I don’t want that for her, but will give her a chance to respond to treatment. She’s being spoilt, fussed over and pampered so may be feeling off, but is happy with her hospital arrangements . I’m not confident she will make it through the night, but have thought that many times - we will see.

Her feeling sickly might well be the side effect of all the medication.

Instead of mixing doxycycline and metronidazole you might want to try sulfadimethoxine to get rid of the coccidia and it might even help with some of her other problems (enteric/soft tissue infections).

And try the Moro carrot soup to help with restoring gut balance : https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ascites-not-eating-scaly-leg-mites.1441960/post-23973664

 

[Sally PB]

I am sooo hoping the best for little Moe. Thank you for taking such good care of her. And for documenting all of this. Hugs for both of you.

 

[MegsEggsx]

I am so sorry. You tried so hard to save her, you did everything in your power. It is not your fault some things cannot be fixed. You are a good chicken owner and you clearly love your chickens so much. You also wrote a very good recount of your experience and while little Moe could not make it, you may have helped save other people’s chickens that had similar problems, just by writing such a detailed report. Again, I am so sorry for your loss. Little Moe is in a better place now.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Day 16. Moe was doing well thismorning but I decided to push her vet appointment for her next X-ray ahead because I honestly felt that this was more than just a gizzard impaction. Things were just not right even though she was improving. I took her for a (very long) drive to an avian specialist this time who seemed to know his stuff. Everything that I have written here was mentioned and he felt that prognosis really was not good and that this was most likely not going to end well. He agreed that things in her abdomen had been moved around and that X-rays were needed. They called me later on after they had done it (had to leave her for an overnight stay due to time and school runs) and in short said that there was a mass near the ovaries and something else large where the liver was. I knew from day one that this was probably cancer but it really hurt to hear it - I love my babies. We had a chat and there really was nothing I could do to save her so agreed that euthanasia was the best option. To rule out Mareks or other contagious diseases they are going to do a necropsy on her and will let me know their findings when I go down there to bring her home for a burial.
This honestly is the worst part about owning chickens. My poor little Moe - I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t save her, it seems like every time you think to yourself ‘I know what I am dealing with - I can fix this’ you get thrown a curveball. I will make another post tomorrow summing up my treatment for the impacted gizzard (that was working really well) to hopefully help someone else out that has this problem. I will also post my necropsy results.

Day 16. Moe was doing well thismorning but I decided to push her vet appointment for her next X-ray ahead because I honestly felt that this was more than just a gizzard impaction. Things were just not right even though she was improving. I took her for a (very long) drive to an avian specialist this time who seemed to know his stuff. Everything that I have written here was mentioned and he felt that prognosis really was not good and that this was most likely not going to end well. He agreed that things in her abdomen had been moved around and that X-rays were needed. They called me later on after they had done it (had to leave her for an overnight stay due to time and school runs) and in short said that there was a mass near the ovaries and something else large where the liver was. I knew from day one that this was probably cancer but it really hurt to hear it - I love my babies. We had a chat and there really was nothing I could do to save her so agreed that euthanasia was the best option. To rule out Mareks or other contagious diseases they are going to do a necropsy on her and will let me know their findings when I go down there to bring her home for a burial.
This honestly is the worst part about owning chickens. My poor little Moe - I’m heartbroken that I couldn’t save her, it seems like every time you think to yourself ‘I know what I am dealing with - I can fix this’ you get thrown a curveball. I will make another post tomorrow summing up my treatment for the impacted gizzard (that was working really well) to hopefully help someone else out that has this problem. I will also post my necropsy results.

Hello,
I am so sorry about your Little Moe. You both were such fighters through all of this difficult illness. You and Moe were simply awesome. You set the example bar for caregivers of sick chickens very very high. Which of us has a microscope at home to identify oocytes or worm eggs in case I didn’t spell that right for coccidia??? I mean really. That’s pretty awesome. Are you a medical technologist? Or a Vet Tech? RN, doctor? You just don’t sound like the run of the mill average chicken keeper. You are definitely knowledgeable and have given Moe’s care your all and she had the very best in you as her owner and keeper. She is flying high over the Rainbow bridge now in peace and no pain now Mama. You did good.

 

[wemimew]

Thank you everyone for your kind words - I really do hurt when I loose them - but that just means they brought me a lot of happiness so I find peace in that thought. She wasn’t suffering - with exception of that one really bad day - which always makes the decision harder, it would not have been far off though and I didn’t want that for her. As for the microscope - I got frustrated with having to go to the vet all the time to do a crop wash/ smear and tell me what was wrong so I taught myself lol. I don’t have a degree or any specialist education, just an interest in avian health (I have my whole life since my first pet budgie as a kid). It’s already paid for itself with Moe alone to get her though the last couple of weeks.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Thank you everyone for your kind words - I really do hurt when I loose them - but that just means they brought me a lot of happiness so I find peace in that thought. She wasn’t suffering - with exception of that one really bad day - which always makes the decision harder, it would not have been far off though and I didn’t want that for her. As for the microscope - I got frustrated with having to go to the vet all the time to do a crop wash/ smear and tell me what was wrong so I taught myself lol. I don’t have a degree or any specialist education, just an interest in avian health (I have my whole life since my first pet budgie as a kid). It’s already paid for itself with Moe alone to get her though the last couple of weeks.

Well you have definitely educated yourself well in avian health. You should be proud and also you do a good job with proper means of documentation. I worked in medicine for close to thirty years before I had to take disability. I know what I’m talking about. You’re good.

 

[dawg53]

That's severe impactation. You can try giving her tomato juice, it helps get things moving. However, I dont think it'll help in this situation. Good luck.

 

[LaFleche]

trying to get surgery for her - but I doubt she would make it through the anaesthesia, she’s so weak and thin.

Crop surgery is performed without any anaesthesia and for me, that would be the thing to have done in the first place. I hope she is still strong enough for it, but usually it does not take more than 10 minutes.
Your vet has to be careful not to injure the large blood vessel right across the front of the crop and she should perform two separate sutures: the crop tissue and then separately the outer skin.

Whishing you and your little Fluffy best of luck.

 

[dawg53]

Make sure she doesnt gobble down fluff or feathers if she loses any while preening. I've seen that happen before. I admire your patience!