Hen with suspected peritonitis can't walk or stand - help!

[LaFleche]

We've decided to put her down as she's very weak and it's probably best for her that we end her suffering.

Thank you for the update. It was the sensible thing to do, as there really is no cure for this condition.

Will you have a necropsy done?

 

[TJ1000]

Thank you for the update. It was the sensible thing to do, as there really is no cure for this condition.

Will you have a necropsy done?

I believe so too, it's better we let her go peacefully.
We've decided not to have a necropsy in the end, though we did consider it, we thought it would be better to let her go and leave her as she is.
None of the other chickens in the flock are sick so we don't think she was infectious (though coincidentally we sadly had one die purely of old age a couple of days ago).
Update: she's gone now, very peacefully and calmly, we've decided to get her cremated.

 

[Spareribs]

Update on this one - we managed to treat her EYP successfully with the antibiotics but she's still paralysed. We thought it was vitamin deficiency so we tried everything in terms of vitamins, fortified drinks etc. but she's just getting weaker to the point that she's completely lost all balance. We've decided to put her down as she's very weak and it's probably best for her that we end her suffering.
Thanks guys for all your advice on here.

sorry to hear that, I too have a hen with peritonitis, it got better at first but back again 4 months later. I had another who couldn't walk & gave her cat food broth, I was going to suggest calcium in the water too

 

[TJ1000]

sorry to hear that, I too have a hen with peritonitis, it got better at first but back again 4 months later. I had another who couldn't walk & gave her cat food broth, I was going to suggest calcium in the water too

Sorry about your hen too, EYP is such an awful illness for them.
Oh okay, interesting about the cat food broth. I have heard that calcium can help and we tried giving her lots of calcium but she didn't seem to improve. After her infection was treated her paralysis pretty much got worse every day, she was completely unable to move.

 

[Spareribs]

Thank you so much for replying, EYP sadly seems inevitable for my 7 year-old rescue hen (UK). Keeping poorly hens is a lonely job but I've tried all sorts of remedies and will gladly share if it helps just one hen - I only have 4 (a small garden) trying to use spare time on research - our UK vets are great but rescue hens are pretty worthless here, probably everywhere. *I syringed cat food broth or sardines (both illegal food here!) to several poorly rescues, they were in a box not moving - took about a week to recover - also trying iodine on my EYP hen, better than not trying

 

[TJ1000]

Thank you so much for replying, EYP sadly seems inevitable for my 7 year-old rescue hen (UK). Keeping poorly hens is a lonely job but I've tried all sorts of remedies and will gladly share if it helps just one hen - I only have 4 (a small garden) trying to use spare time on research - our UK vets are great but rescue hens are pretty worthless here, probably everywhere. *I syringed cat food broth or sardines (both illegal food here!) to several poorly rescues, they were in a box not moving - took about a week to recover - also trying iodine on my EYP hen, better than not trying

That's okay! Yes keeping sick hens is hard work and especially rescues have weaker bodies due to the stress they've been under. Keeping rescues is so rewarding but at the same time very intense as they get sick easily. I've also got a small flock (3) and I've had 2 sick ones in the past couple of weeks - the one who had EYP and didn't make it, and I've got a non-rescue with sour crop at the moment.
Yes exactly - always worth trying everything as there could always be a miracle cure!

 

[plang28]

So sorry about your hen . I would like to say that the Mareck's vaccine is considered a "leaky " vaccine so birds vaccinated are carriers for life and can infect a flock and not show any symptoms at all . Kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it .