Help!! My chicken swallowed a 2 foot rope!!

[momgoose]

My buff orphington swallowed a 20 inch piece of 1/4" cotton rope earlier this afternoon. I just walked out there and was able to pull about 8 inches out of her craw but the rest is already in further. What should I do? I was thinking cutting it off and hoping it passes would be the best thing but she can't eat or drink with it hanging out like this. HELP PLEASE. I'm anxiously awaiting your reply. Thanks Terri

 

[janinepeters]

Can you try a little harder to pull it out? Is it really stuck firmly in there? I think intestinal impaction is inevitable, if you leave that string in there, and intestinal impaction is deadly. If someone doesn't respond ASAP with a solution more elegant than pulling it out, and you really cannot pull it out, I would probably call a vet and beg for emergency advice over the phone. Sorry, this probably doesn't help much!

 

[momgoose]

I pulled as hard as I dare. Her tongue pretty much starts sticking out if I pull harder. Shes walking around but distressed shaking her head (I put a large knot in it way too big for her to swallow. again)
If I walk into a vets office this time of night here it's automatically a minimum or $300.00. Thanks for answering though. I WILL call a vet though. This town stinks for "televet-medicine" though. Thanks for responding so fast though! I gotta do something pretty quick she's ticked off.

 

[momgoose]

Well, it's dark, she was distressed so I cut it off at her beak. She's a fairly large hen, so hopefull it'll pass in the next couple of days. I'll re-post with the results whatever they are. I dosed her with 5 cc of vegetable oil that might hopefully help it slip through. Keep your fingers crossed for us...

 

[PoultryGirly]

Good luck and keep us updated!!! Did you call the vet???

 

[momgoose]

I found ONE emergency vet in the entire city of Tucson that 'does birds' and their office wouldn't even connect me with the vet. They said they "can't give advice over the phone" and that they would have to "see her". I really feel bad about not rushing her into a vet but as I said before, an animal emergency after hours, in this city, in this state, means that just walking into an emergency clinic is going to cost more than five years worth of routine health care for a relatively healthy animal.
I took a cat into an emergency clinic one evening that had broken a piece of a small bone in the joint in her back leg and I payed them $560.00 to walk out with her leg splinted, two x-ray films, some liquid pain medicine and a referral to an orthopedic surgeon. The next day, the orthopedic surgeon pinned the bone and resplinted the leg. That cost $585.00. Now why did a splint, two x-rays, an exam and some pain medication cost the same as another exam, anesthesia, an IV, antibiotics, surgery, some basic lab tests, more pain medication, recovery, and two follow up visits? Emergency veterinary medicine is a lucrative business in this town!

Sorry I had to rant.
I hope she does okay. I had found another post on this site where someone squirted some oil down the gullet of a chicken that had swallowed a piece of nylon rope (same diameter but shorter) and then pulled it out. I think my chicken already had rope into her stomach and possibly into the small intestine so pulling it even with oil wasn't an option. Maybe the oil will help it pass. Tomorrow, I'll keep a close eye on her and soak some bermuda pellets in some water and a little additional oil-maybe give her some canned pumpkin and see if I can encourage it to pass a little more quickly. I just worry about it causing an impaction more than anything.
Thanks for your concern and I will repost the results, whatever happens. Maybe it would help someone else make a more informed decision in the future.
Terri
PS This emergency vet is about 20 miles across town from me too!!

 

[ecorso]

You can post your problem online for free and they answer within 9 minutes, and yes, they have bird specialists:

http://www.justanswer.com/

You pay nothing. If they answer your question, you report that they answered it and they get paid I assume by the sponsors.

You do have one thing going for you. At least the cord is cotton, which breaks down where poly doesn't. I would assume that the grit that they have at the far end of their digestive tract will also help to break it down. Make sure she has access to grit. You mentioned you use vegetable oil. I know that my vet uses mineral oil for horses that get impaction or colic and petrolatum, (Laxatone) for cats that have a blockage, such as fur balls. I don't know that a chicken would voluntarily take in fur ball ointment though. The vets use a tube that goes through the horse's nose into their stomach to deliver the mineral oil. I don't know if that is because it is the fastest way to get it down, the only way to get it down or whether it is irritating to the throat? Try the above website though. I have read their answers to many questions and they appear to be in the know.

 

[PoultryGirly]

Just Answer isn't free. I just tried it for one of my questions.

 

[PoultryGirly]

How is she?

 

[Country4ever]

I'm curious how she's doing too. I would keep giving a bit of oil. It may take awhile for the cotton to break down.
Don't feel guilty not rushing her to an expensive vet. Even though we care very much for these animals, sometimes the reality of things just won't let us spend that much money on them.
Let us know how she's doing.