Hen died - causes?

[callieisspooky]

My sweetest RIR passed away last night. She was only 8 months old. I'd taken her to the vet several days before because one morning she stopped putting any weight on one leg. The vet said one ankle/knee was swollen and tender, with no wounds. She gave me a choice of 1) medicating with antibiotics and painkillers to see if she improved over a week, or 2) going straight to an X-ray (which would have been $400). I went for option 1 and that was apparently a huge mistake Can you think of a reason why she might have died?

 

[Blackberry18]

I had a chicken that had a broken hip, which I healed her from. I separated her from the rest of the flock, with easy access to feed and water, on hay that was piled 1.5 feet thick. What did you do?

 

[callieisspooky]

I separated her, medicated her, gave her a very soft bed of straw to help gently support her leg, padded her perch to ensure her good foot stayed that way (per Drs orders, but she didn't use her perch). She snuggled in to the soft bedding and would occasionally hop up for food/water, but slowly began to lose interest. I thought maybe she was eating/drinking when I wasn't watching, but looking back I think she may have given up on it altogether. Her "injury" seemed to appear overnight, in her coop, so I doubt it was an injury but I suppose you never know. I feel so awful.

 

[Blackberry18]

It's all right. You did all you could. I suppose that something could have been wrong with her besides a broken leg.

 

[callieisspooky]

The vet's necropsy revealed a tumor. So I guess there was nothing I could do after all, but had I known earlier I would have had her euthanized. Poor Jazzy.