HELP PLEASE - Sick Buff Orpington. Crop Issue

[StellaBeann]

Hi There,
My Buff Orp, Winnie is having some sort of crop issue. I noticed her on Friday acting really lethargic and not wanting to free range with the others. I isolated her. Sat/Sun she drank a ton of water, but would not eat. She would perk up if I offered her Mealworms.
Yesterday no improvement, i noticed in the morning that her crop had not emptied. It is not hard. It is squishy, possibly doughy? I can feel some hard chunks or grit in there. She will let me massage it, which I've been doing a few times a day. I've asked some people for help via IG etc. and have gotten some ideas. Yesterday I did two doses of a baking soda/lemon/cinnamon/ginger mixture. She does fairly well with me using a syringe. No improvement by this morning. Crop is still squishy. So I tried a stool softener ( Dulcolax , non stimulant) this morning. She is no longer drinking water on her own, so I have been syringing water w/ probiotics into her. I was told that the Ducolax requires a lot of water to work, and to offer her watermelon, she ate a couple tiny pieces but not much. It has been 3 1/2 hours since I got the pill into her.
She is still pooping a few times a day, although small amounts & slightly runny. Normal color. No worms.

Yesterday she did eat a little bit of yogurt.. If she thinks she hears the bag of mealworms, she starts looking for them, and she will eat tuna. But nothing else. I haven't been letting her eat a ton of any of those, because I'm worried about her crop not emptying.
I don't notice any sour smells, although because of the treatment yesterday her breath just smells like cinnamon...

Any ideas? I put a call into a vet, but they still have not returned my call. Seems like people around here don't consider chickens high priority...


Someone told me to tag you and see what you think..
@TwoCrows

Thanks so much!

 

[crazy rooster34]

sounds like a I'mpacted crop, I've never dealt with a impacted crop so ill link this to help you
How to Treat Impacted Crop, Sour Crop, and Pendulous Crop hope that helps

 

[TwoCrows]

I am sorry you are having issues with your girl!

This doesn't sound like an impaction if the crop is more squishy, although something could be going on further down in the gizzard. But I think you can skip the Dolculax. A doughy crop is one you can squeeze and it holds it's shape like bread would. A doughy crop usually develops after the system has been slow for quite some time and the yeast are growing like mad. But it sounds like just a sour crop at this point. Those little gritty things you feel in her crop are yeasts growing. Sometimes they grow larger and attach themselves to the inside wall of the crop and become a doughy crop if left untreated.

Sour crops develop for a few reasons....it could be as simple as she ate things she shouldn't have eaten or is just low on good bacteria, or she is internally laying, she has a Coccidiosis or Worms, she could have canker, or she is sick in any other way.

If she checks out well on an abdomen check (no water belly), her comb and face are bright red, no blood in the poop or too much urates (indications of Cocci) you might assume this is something simple? Without a bunch of tests it is hard to say.

BUT...if she were my girl, I would get her started on Acidified Copper Sulfate. This stuff will knock out all Cocci, many species of worms, help with Canker and kill of E.coli infections, and will wipe out all yeast infections from beak to vent. Copper Sulfate will clean her completely out. I do not recommend any antibiotics as these will cause a yeast explosion. You can get Acidified Copper Sulfate at many feed stores or on line. I get most of my stuff from this place, they ship fast and they aren't too expensive... https://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=340

You might also vomit her first thing in the morning only. Hold her forward only and only hold her forward for 1 to 2 seconds once the gunk comes up, then stand back upright. Repeat a couple of times until you get as much out as will come out. Some birds won't release this liquid but if she will allow it, she will feel instantly better after. This sour gunk is toxic and makes them sick.

As for what she can eat, meal worms are easy to digest, as is hard boiled eggs, all protein foods are great for intestinal issues because they do not cause yeasts to thrive. Chopped up apple is easy to digest and helps to break down yeast. Stick to water soluble foods and no grains, seeds or free ranging for a while.

 

[StellaBeann]

Thank you.. I have read about trying to get her to vomit, but I'm so scared to try, that I might aspirate her.... ugh...

 

[TwoCrows]

Don't do it if you are scared too. I have birds that are easy to vomit and others that breath it all in. I don't vomit those birds if they need it, I use crop bra's on birds that I can't vomit and this helps move it through them faster. But vomiting does help them to feel better. It's not imperative that you vomit, she can run it through her system. So don't do it if you think she will gag.

 

[StellaBeann]

Its going to take 2-4 days for delivery for the ACS . I called every feed store in a 20 mile radius.. no one has it... Have you ever tried doing the monistat? or another anti fungal?

 

[TwoCrows]

Its going to take 2-4 days for delivery for the ACS . I called every feed store in a 20 mile radius.. no one has it... Have you ever tried doing the monistat? or another anti fungal?

Definitely use either Gyne-Lotrimin or Monistat. Either of these will keep the yeast infection under control. If this is a simple case, it may cure it completely. If not, the Copper Sulfate will kill the yeast. I find the Lotrimin (Clotrimazole) works much better than the Monistat. You can get the Lotrimin at Walgreens, generic is fine too and cheaper. Get the 3 or 7 day stuff, 1% or 2%.

Good luck with her, I hope she gets to feeling better soon!!

 

[TwoCrows]

Oh and dose her with 1ml 3 times a day on the vaginal creams for 5 to 7 days.

When you get the Copper Sulfate, mix it as 1/4 teaspoon Copper per gallon of water. Use plastic waterers only. It is safe to dose the entire flock if you wish too. Make a new batch daily. What I do if I am only treating one bird is get a plastic milk jug and mix up a gallon and fill up her water only on this for a few days. But always offer fresh up daily, don't keep the same water out each day. Use this for 6 or 7 days and see if she doesn't improve. If she still has a sour crop, something else is going on internally causing this sour crop.

 

[StellaBeann]

Hello,
Just an update.. I took my sweet Winnie into a vet yesterday because I just couldn't handle watching her suffer anymore. He picked her up and right away said that the crop was a secondary issue. He flipped her onto her back and she immediately stopped breathing. Her comb and face turned blue and she was choking. Took her minutes to catch her breath. He said he could feel fluid and a mass near her belly.. So he said it could be 3 different prognosis.. All not good. He offered to test them to find out and, since they were all going to be bad outcomes, I opted to just put her to sleep so she wouldn't have to suffer any longer. After they euthanized her, he came back into the room and told me that he was able to palpate her belly a little bit more aggressively once she was gone. And he said there is definitely a softball sized mass in there. He then syringed it with a needle, because he wanted to see what the fluid from it looked like, because that would tell him right off if it was an internal laying egg disaster, or a tumor. He said based on the color of the fluid he was 99% positive it was ovarian cancer. The tumor was so big and pressed so high up into her belly that it was preventing her from digesting her food, and it was pressing into her lungs when she was on her back. She's not suffering anymore. I feel so bad, she was probably in pain for a long time, but she hid it so well. I had felt around her belly numerous times, feeling for an egg. But never felt anything. He told me I probably wouldn't have because it was so high up and deep into her belly.
Just wanted to let you all know the outcome. Thanks so much for offering ideas & help!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello, 
Just an update.. I took my sweet Winnie into a vet yesterday because I just couldn't handle watching her suffer anymore.  He picked her up and right away said that the crop was a secondary issue.  He flipped her onto her back and she immediately stopped breathing. Her comb and face turned blue and she was choking.  Took her minutes to catch her breath.  He said he could feel fluid and a mass near her belly..  So he said it could be 3 different prognosis.. All not good.  He offered to test them to find out and, since they were all going to be bad outcomes, I opted to just put her to sleep so she wouldn't have to suffer any longer.     After they euthanized her, he came back into the room and told me that he was able to palpate her belly a little bit more aggressively once she was gone. And he said there is definitely a softball sized mass in there. He then syringed it with a needle, because he wanted to see what the fluid from it looked like, because that would tell him right off if it was an internal laying egg disaster, or a tumor.  He said based on the color of the fluid he was 99% positive it was ovarian cancer.  The tumor was so big and pressed so high up into her belly that it was preventing her from digesting her food, and it was pressing into her lungs when she was on her back.    She's not suffering anymore.  I feel so bad, she was probably in pain for a long time, but she hid it so well.  I had felt around her belly numerous times, feeling for an egg.  But never felt anything. He told me I probably wouldn't have because it was so high up and deep into her belly.  
Just wanted to let you all know the outcome. Thanks so much for offering ideas & help! 

Oh I am so so sorry!! These reproductive cancers are quite common in hens. And yes, chickens are so good at hiding their illness. But you did all you could for her and I am glad she is no longer suffering. She knows you loved her. I do hope your heavy heart heals soon.