Graphic!!! Mystery problem… anyone know what this is?

[CrystalAnon]

So my dad had a hen (out of about 70) he found had a large lump in her throat. At first he thought it might be a bad case of canker. We ruled that out, because there was no plaque in her mouth. Then we thought gapeworm. Was the same symptoms as gapeworm. He treated her as though it was gapeworm but it didn’t get better after 5 days of fenbendozole. It finally grew to a golf ball size. She was weak & not able to eat. So he put her down.
He did a mini autopsy to see what was in her throat. It was a strange case because it wasn’t attached to her at all. The lump moved down her throat, & was basically blocking her crop at the point he put her down.
Can anyone tell us what this substance might be?
I was wondering cancer, but if it wasn’t attached to her, I don’t think it was that. He said it was a meat-like substance. And it literally looks like chicken meat. We are at a loss!
If anyone has any ideas, please let us know. We would like for her life to help us with possible future issues. And all of you!
Thank you!
Additional information:
It was also inhibiting her ability to breathe and she had foamy mucus from her mouth. There was also a rattling in her lungs when she breathed like she was beginning to asphixiate.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss. I am not a vet, but it looks like cancer. Normally, I would have had the state vet lab do a necropsy on the remains. You might be able to email pictures of the mass for an opinion. The vet college in Gainsville might help. Here is a link:
https://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/contact-us-2/

And here is the state lab as well:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...efXy1jPFAlJRZ0EHLaqHmkUOb739zjYOhnrQZYZ60tLaw

 

[CrystalAnon]

Sorry for your loss. I am not a vet, but it looks like cancer. Normally, I would have had the state vet lab do a necropsy on the remains. You might be able to email pictures of the mass for an opinion. The vet college in Gainsville might help. Here is a link:
https://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/contact-us-2/

And here is the state lab as well:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry...efXy1jPFAlJRZ0EHLaqHmkUOb739zjYOhnrQZYZ60tLaw

Interesting! So you can see cancer that is not attached to a part of the birds’ body? That’s what makes me think it wasn’t cancer.
What are your thoughts about that? I really appreciate your input!

 

[Eggcessive]

I found a small tumor inside the abdomen of a hen that died that looked like that. It was hard, unattached, and had the same light gray appearance. As I said I am not a vet. Hopefully others will see this and chime in. I think that @coach723 does some necropsies, and @azygous probably had done a few. They have viral cancer in their flocks. Not all cancers are from viruses however. There are many types in chickens. That is why a vet pathologist at your state vet lab would be the best one to give a diagnosis.

 

[CrystalAnon]

I found a small tumor inside the abdomen of a hen that died that looked like that. It was hard, unattached, and had the same light gray appearance. As I said I am not a vet. Hopefully others will see this and chime in. I think that @coach723 does some necropsies, and @azygous probably had done a few. They have viral cancer in their flocks. Not all cancers are from viruses however. There are many types in chickens. That is why a vet pathologist at your state vet lab would be the best one to give a diagnosis.

That is so fascinating. Because I’ve always been told that cancer is from DNA that has gone out of control inside of our cells. Splitting when they shouldn't, and too often. At least that was what I was told about cancer. I’ve never heard about a cancer that is free-flowing. Like a free-flowing cancer lump. That is just really strange. I have so many more questions!

 

[CrystalAnon]

I found a small tumor inside the abdomen of a hen that died that looked like that. It was hard, unattached, and had the same light gray appearance. As I said I am not a vet. Hopefully others will see this and chime in. I think that @coach723 does some necropsies, and @azygous probably had done a few. They have viral cancer in their flocks. Not all cancers are from viruses however. There are many types in chickens. That is why a vet pathologist at your state vet lab would be the best one to give a diagnosis.

Also, these were not hard. Soft, like chunks of meat. But not writhing, like a pod of parasite eggs. The Fenbendazole should have taken care of it, if it was parasites. Instead it got bigger after the treatment.

 

[coach723]

Tumors in the crop are rare, but not impossible. I would also more expect it to be attached to something if that's what it was, or see evidence that it had been attached. If I am understanding correctly, this was in the esophagus, but had not entered the crop, was just before? I'm wondering if the esophagus was split open and looked at full length during the informal necropsy? Asking because that kind of resembles the material you see with salpingitis (infection/inflammation of the oviduct), which is a mass of caseous material (pus) from infection/inflammation. Any kind of injury, inflammation, ulceration, abscess in the esophagus might have caused that to happen. And the description of the texture also sounds like it. Is there any respiratory disease in the flock?
I've never seen anything like that (except for salpingitis in the oviduct) in any of my birds, but that would be my best guess as to likely possibilities.