Help!! Improving lethargy but diarrhea in hen

[Evern]

update for anyone else that may have a similar situation:

i ended up having to euthanize the hen. Was finally able to get an appt to get her seen by a vet. She was underweight and had developed a sour crop which was what finally allowed them to squeeze her into the schedule. the vet said she did have a sour crop but that her belly was hard and seemed to have some sort of either cancer of egg bind or obstruction. . . Something. She said she was Probably in pain and suggested we euthanize and we did. Breaks my heart but in the end she’s not hurting anymore.
Thank You to all who responded to my post. I appreciate it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

update for anyone else that may have a similar situation:

i ended up having to euthanize the hen. Was finally able to get an appt to get her seen by a vet. She was underweight and had developed a sour crop which was what finally allowed them to squeeze her into the schedule. the vet said she did have a sour crop but that her belly was hard and seemed to have some sort of either cancer of egg bind or obstruction. . . Something. She said she was Probably in pain and suggested we euthanize and we did. Breaks my heart but in the end she’s not hurting anymore.
Thank You to all who responded to my post. I appreciate it.

I'm sorry about your hen.

Thank you for the update.

 

[Ascholten]

aww crap, I hate endings like this. Did the vet offer to x ray or try to identify what was hard or was it one of those, ive seen this before, not much we can do things? You did the right thing and tried to take care of it and didn't just ignore her until you just wake up one day and her dead, so you were a great parent. Given it just sort of happened, it probably was a blockage of some sorts. I used to have lizards and occasionally something similar would happen with them too, they would be able to squirt a bit but were blocked and that, sadly is a death sentence. Putting her down was the right move in that case. Death by ... that is horrible, I seen it, with the lizards, but won't get into details. not here.

Im so sorry for your loss
Aaron

 

[Evern]

aww crap, I hate endings like this. Did the vet offer to x ray or try to identify what was hard or was it one of those, ive seen this before, not much we can do things? You did the right thing and tried to take care of it and didn't just ignore her until you just wake up one day and her dead, so you were a great parent. Given it just sort of happened, it probably was a blockage of some sorts. I used to have lizards and occasionally something similar would happen with them too, they would be able to squirt a bit but were blocked and that, sadly is a death sentence. Putting her down was the right move in that case. Death by ... that is horrible, I seen it, with the lizards, but won't get into details. not here.

Im so sorry for your loss
Aaron

Thanks. The vet didn’t offer to x ray but I think it was because she was confident nothing could be done. Basically I think she was already dying. I do believe she had a deep blockage. At the end she had a sour crop full of what felt like cantoloupe seeds and she passed one seed but I hadn’t given her any for several days. So I think the water was getting through (she was drinking a lot) but no solids. She was just barely eating. So it makes sense. I felt such relief that I didn’t have to worry about her anymore. I’d have hate for her to just die in pain so I’m glad I finally got her in and didn’t have to decide to cull her myself. It’s a learning experience for sure.

 

[Ascholten]

Yes it's a learning experience. We also learn of our own mortality, and that our pets / egg providers are only mortal too, and destined to be on this earth only a very short time providing for us and making us laugh and smile, then it's their time to go too. We always want to do the right thing for our pets, and it gets very frustrating when this happens and we can't or feel like we didn't do the right thing, but the truth is, we DID. The 'learned' experience is, this kind of stuff happens occasionally, we really can NOT stop it, we can try to protect them, but being a helicopter mommy for a chicken simply just don't work... they are much too quick and sneaky I have seen posts in the past where someone will say, yep I found this and had to cull her. Others will chime in, oh you are so CRUEL, why didn't you do this and that and this and this and and.. Because, like us, they have experience, and have learned, that sometimes, there are no other options, and by delaying, the only thing you WILL do, for sure... is prolong their suffering.

The self culling thing, yah it's a hard one, especially once you became attached to the bird as a pet, it's really horrible, and takes a terrible hit on your soul on that day, but as a loving responsible pet owner is something you have to be able to do, because one day, you might find yourself having to do that. Also, being realistic, if you plan on keeping chickens, and getting more, a trip to the vet to put it down is going to get expensive after a while. I consider it doing one last act of love for my bird, helping it go peacefully, and not dying alone in a corner somewhere, or being pecked at and tore up by the others. The bird gets to pass with someone she knows and is more comfortable, less scared.

This is going to sound really corny but well... here goes..
I used to raise Bearded Dragons, and other lizards. I had a friend (who unfortunately has passed of cancer many years ago) who raised them too. Both of us, well, became more attached to our menageries than probably was best for someone raising animals to sell later. She'd bring some of her dragons over, and we'd throw them together in the bath tub, to have some fun, while we hung out, and had fun. anyways, we made kind of a pact, that when the day's came when one of our 4 legged Cheeto snatchers had to be put down, the other person would do it, so if I had one, she'd put it down, and vise versa because it was just easier that way. Yah, real great pair of emotional train wrecks we were huh? Anyways, when necessary, it worked VERY well, because the animal was attended to properly, and there was less of an emotional thing to deal with as well. Possibly you could arrange that with someone in your area as well to help in times of need? I know it sounds totally stupid saying this, but NOT having to worry about that kind of stuff when it's on your lap, is a huge relief. Anyways, Ive rambled long enough.

One final comment: Are you going to do any type of necropsy to see exactly WHAT it was or just bury and let nature take it's course? might be helpful to see exactly what did cause this, and if it's possibly preventable in he future.

Again, sorry for your bird passing, but you did the right thing and helped her to the best of your abilities.

Aaron