HEEELLPP!! Emergency!!

[dgeter]

::deep breath:: The vet just called. The situation is much worse than we thought. The maggots dug holes up both legs almost all the way up to his head. From what the vet can tell, no organs were damaged but she's not 100% sure. The vet said there were thousands of maggots and every time they thought they got them all, they found more. She says his chances are slim at this point. The only reason she didnt recommend putting him down is because chickens are tough. But she said that he was breathing really hard and not taking it well.

In the morning she's going to look again at him. Its possible that they may have to put him under again and do more work and keep him there for a few more days which means more money and still slim chances :-( She cant close him up in case there are more maggots in there but she cant send him home with open wounds. Words can not describe how upset I am. How in the world could I have missed this?? I go out and hold him every day. I can't believe I didnt catch this sooner..

 

[bambi]

Please, don't blame yourself. You do the best that you can and the rest is out your hands. I would like to keep you in my prayers. Wishing you and your little guy the best

 

[Nekhebet]

I'm really sorry, this situation is so scary. Sending wellwishes your way, hoping for good news! Poor bird! He's really a beautiful little guy.

 

[True Grit]

Oh I'm so sorry. I know you love him. I don't inspect my chickens under their feathers every day, hardly ever actually. If they are acting weird that is when I look more closely. Don't blame yourself, you took action immediately.

 

[Brody's Broodello]

Quote:
Don't beat yourself up! I take very good care of my critters, but this summer we lost a perfectly good healthy 4 year old border collie. She was fine the day before,playing with my son. The next day she seemed fine all day, son was out with her and the other dogs about 5pm. At 8, he came to me saying she was laying down and would not get up. I went to look at her and discovered her backend completely full of maggots. I took her in the house, started clipping away all the hair on her backside and killing the bugs off. The maggots were different than any i had seen before. They were very pointy at the ends with black spots in the middle of them. I went online to discover that they were Blowfly maggots, that have a toxin in their saliva. The dog died 3 hours later. The vet said that the flys develope and kill and animal in less than 12 hours from the time the eggs are laid on the host. By the time you see them, it is too late. I discovered that my dog was in season and had a lot of fluff on her backside, which masked the maggots, until it was to late. The blood attracted the flys and they hatched in the heavy coat she had. It only took less than two days. I cannot believe it happened, and still blame myself, for not checking her. Even though I know it wasn't my fault, I still feel aweful. You have done the best you can. Trust me, I've been there!

 

[dgeter]

yeah.. and his feathers are so thick that even when I was looking it was hard to find them.

 

[chickenlady08]

I am so very sorry that your sweet rooster is in such trouble. Does the vet know what caused the maggots to begin with? I would be curious as to why and I am in shock that maggots do that much damage. We have such a horrible year for flies this year and have seen maggots in my compost piles. I willl have to drown them or set the piles on fire.

My Hope and prayers are with you and your boy. Please don't blame yourself for this. I had an internal layer and had no clue but if it wasn't for the rooster lovin her to much so I seperated her so she could grow her feathers back and heal the cut on her back. Well bless her heart she was a tough girl. Her name was Trooper and she had surgery once and the vet pulled out this 2lb mass of egg mass out of her.

So keep thinking good positive thoughts and prayers. I know I will be

Lisa

 

[dgeter]

The maggots you just described are EXACTLY what Peanut has! The vet didn't mention that.. she may not have recognized them. Ugh.. that probably lowers his chance for survival greatly..

 

[tallyho]

I'm so sorry for your roo. However I wanted to mention that maggots in compost aren't necessarily bad if they are Black Soldier Fly larva. They are actually beneficial. They are brown, not the typical white fly larva. They love chicken manure and you're lucky if you have them.

Best wishes for your roo. I recently spent a lot of money on a chicken at the vet and still lost her. She was my favorite so I had to try.

 

[dgeter]

Yeah.. peanut is my favorite by far. He was my first chicken and I raised him indoors so he was with me constantly. He bonded to me and is more like a dog than a chicken. The pitter patter of little feet in our house was Peanut running around in his diaper.. chickens can be amazing pets. I switched from parrots to chickens because of my husbands cats and I'm never switching back.