Hen hasn't moulted for 2 years - bare bum and rear area

[MandS]

She is tail down and miserable. She slept well and the wound is not red today (it is also covered in honey).

She is not eating much at all but is drinking lots. She must have already consumed half a teacup since she got up 45 mins ago.

She wasn't keen on mash. Tried some but just carried on drinking. I did notice she also is dribbling water if she bends down, so she really is filling up her crop with water. The vet did say to me yesterday that she may drink a lot after the op because she could be dehydrated, however it does seem a bit excessive.

We mashed up some sweetcorn, which she got very excited about and ate all of it, but we only gave her about a teaspoon.

Later I'll give her some tuna in spring water (not brine) and see if she'll take any of that.

The objective is to get nutrition into her but also protein to help her regain such a huge loss of weight.

She is tired and also she's not on any pain relief such as meloxicam, so probably is in some discomfort. I was surprised he didn't offer any but he didn't, so I will ask him tomorrow at her appointment.

I was meant to be going on a family trip out for a family birthday meal but I don't think I can go and leave her, so today, she takes precedence and everyone else will go without me.

I've got to remember, this is only really day 2 and it's not even 20 hours since the operation.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is she pooping at all?

She may also have a blockage in the gizzard. Hopefully she will improve over the course of several days.

If it's not even been 20 hours, then it's not been a full day yet, let alone 2

I've got to remember, this is only really day 2 and it's not even 20 hours since the operation.

 

[MandS]

Thank you!

She has done two poops today but they were lots of liquid and very very little material - however I guess she was on starvation diet for 36 hours before the op, so perhaps things need time to build up.

But BOY has she been drinking. So much so that when she stoops down to eat anything, she expels water. I could not get her to eat much if any mash. Had to give her mashed up sweetcorn (yes, she went for that), tuna (about a teaspoon of it - and she loved that) and then some mashed potato, which she ate about a dessert spoons worth. She wouldn't touch scrambled egg however.

So, really she has not eaten much. The wound itself has feathers stuck to it because of the honey, but we washed it tonight and then re-applied the honey (which we do twice a day) and it looks clean and not angry red any more. The outer skin "hole" is about the size of a dime or 5p coin.

She stands around most of the time with her eyes closed. Tail is down but she hasn't fallen over. When we clean her, she just stands there with her eyes closed and lets me get on with it. She HATES having the antibiotic out down her throat though - that is the only fight we have. She is a feisty bird but she is meek and mild at the moment. Hopefully, she will get better.

If it is a blockage in the gizzard, what happens then? How do we know, does it clear itself, does it require surgery? I just don't know any of that.

We have our follow-up tomorrow - about 22 hours from now, so I will mention this along with the other zillion questions I have for him!

Thanks again @Eggcessive

 

[MandS]

I'm afraid Peggy is dying.

She made it through the night but her crop is not emptying. She cannot stand and, although she's tried to eat, she is basically fading away.

We got her to the vet this morning but he said that there's nothing he can do, so as she was gently slipping away, to take her home and let her die with us.

I'm very upset because I tried everything. Something is blocked elsewhere. She was getting some poop through and even last night did a small wet one which contained some material poop.

But it's not to be. My beautiful, feisty and green-egg laying girl will be gone. Called Peggy because she has her fourth class missing on one leg. The seller offered to get us another one, but no, we wanted her. And what a beautiful girl she's been.

Thank you all for trying to help me.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear about Peggy

 

[MandS]

I'm sorry to hear about Peggy

Thank you.

I'm now kicking myself in case it was something I've missed.

She had lash eggs earlier in the year but after antibiotics, she stopped and laid a few normal eggs, then stopped laying.

I've checked for worms - never saw any and her roomies are fine.

It's now evening here, several hours after we took her to the vet, and she's just quietly sitting, eyes closed, very occasionally opening them and looking briefly. She's slipping away slowly.

I'm just so sad but angry with myself at the same time that I could have missed something.

 

[mamajos]

Please take comfort in knowing you have done all you could to help your precious bird. Sometimes our best intentions don’t lead to the result we receive. None our pets would die if we had our way here. I’m so sorry it did turn out this way, but try to focus your thoughts on memories of her. Don’t beat yourself up. Bless you and your Peggy.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'm so sorry for your dear hen.

I had a rescued hen named Magnolia. She presented similarly. It started with crop issues and slowly got worse: lethargy, poor color, no eating, significant weight loss. I treated the crop issue, but it didn't help anything. She died in her sleep in a crate inside my house.

Then I remembered she'd passed some lash material months prior. It wasn't hard, and it was only a small amount. I posted pics here, and the general consensus was that it was urates she passed after being so badly dehydrated before I rescued her.

A necropsy revealed she had salpingitis and that it had been raging for months. I felt so so so guilty, but after a while I realized there really wasn't anything I could have done.

But as sad as I was about her suffering, I realized that in her time with me, she'd seen grass for the first time and felt sun for the first time. She had love and care and dignity and freedom. I still feel sad when I see pictures of her because she was such a good girl. But I am comforted by the fact that I did the best I could, and the best I could was better than having her neglected and then discarded like trash in her previous "home."

I hope you feel some of that same solace. You have done an ama ing thing by giving her a good life. Hugs to you, my friend.

 

[MandS]

You beautiful people. Thank you

@mamajos - you are so right. If we had our way, they'd be with us forever. Thank you for your kind words.

@Aunt Angus - thank you, that's a very comforting thing to hear and I'm sorry you lost Magnolia but as you said, what a lovely time she had with you. It made me think that this time last week, I filmed Peggy scratching away in the garden like she was on a mission to find bugs. She had a nice life I hope and mine was the richer for having her.

@Eggcessive - as always, thank you.

Bless you all and thanks