Hen with swollen throat

[HorseGirlAbby]

You can get copper sulfate at many places that sell pool treatment. Here is a post about how to acidify it by azygous in post 36:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...d-time-breathing.1341550/page-4#post-21996241

Thank you, that might be easier to find than the acidified version, and I have ACV I could put in it. That thread also made me hopeful, as that hen made a full recovery. I don’t think she was as far along as my Nessie though. I’m really kicking myself for not noticing earlier.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Nessie seems about the same as yesterday, but has more mucus in her mouth. I think she’s having more trouble swallowing today. Thankfully she can still breathe okay, with no gasping or opening her beak. She still also says hi very loudly when I go out to the coop! She refused to stay separate from my blind hen again today, so I just left her in with her. They’re not bothering each other, and probably enjoy the company. This is her enjoying the sun this afternoon.

 

[CeciliaSwift]

Yes, I think she is dealing with canker, a protozoan infection common in pigeons. You can try to remove any cankers that you can see inside the beak if they are blocking her breathing. They can extend into the throat, esophagus, and invade the crop wall. It might be too late to save her, but you can start treatment and try. If she seems to be suffering at any time, putting her down might be an option. I just finished looking for the Aqua Zole or metronidazole online, and no one seems to have it now without a vet prescription. I usually see it at Allivet, chewy, and other places, but it is not available without a prescription. You could try getting it from your vet. @casportpony may know another way.

My sick chicken was not eating. The vet recommended that I feed her bird formula. I mixed it with water and fed it to her with a syringe.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

My sick chicken was not eating. The vet recommended that I feed her bird formula. I mixed it with water and fed it to her with a syringe.

I’m scared to syringe feed her because her esophagus is nearly blocked off. The danger of her aspirating is very high. I’ve mixed water with her food to make it soupy, held it out to her, and she’s nibbled at it, but no more.

She’s still perky, which is super surprising given how tiny she is. She’s lost probably over half her weight, though she was pretty chunky to begin with. She’s not a big hen, one of the smallest I have. She has even more mucus in her beak today, but she talked to me when I went out there, and struggled when I tried to look into her beak. She’s a strong fighter, this one, and I just have to hope she makes it until the medicine gets here. It’s supposed to tomorrow. @Eggcessive, how should I get the medicine into her beak? I was thinking I’d crush up some of a tablet, dissolve it in water, and then syringe it into her beak. It’ll likely take a long time, and I’m still afraid of her aspirating it, but I’ve got to do it. Just a little bit at a time, and take it slow. That’s what I need to remember.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you could tube feed her, you could give the medicine or any food or water directly into her crop. You could crush the tablet and mix it in yogurt, and give it down the right side of her throat avoiding her airway (trachea.) Here is a good link about giving oral medicines:
https://unitedpeafowlassociation.or...en the mouth wide and,you or down the trachea.
There are goat feeding tubes and syringes online. A 14-16 French tube is good for feed. But you can use oxygen tubing or aquarium air tubing and a large 35 ml syring from you feed store for thin liquids, liquid egg, and yogurt.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some links about tube feeding:
https://bitchinchickens.com/2022/05/16/gavage-tube-feeding-chickens/

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Thank you. I really hope it doesn't come to tube feeding, because I'm really not confident in my skills. She can still swallow water and soft food, it just takes her a while. I noticed her drinking a lot of water yesterday, which I'm not sure is a good or bad sign. She's still hanging in there! She came out to free range with the others for a couple hours yesterday, and, though she spent most of her time standing in the sun, she did attempt to dust bathe a bit. The others aren't picking on her much, but there was a bit of a scuffle, which she won easily, and everyone steered clear of her after that. The medicine was supposed to get here yesterday, but didn't, so I'm hoping it will come today.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

The medicine came, and I gave her her first dose! I gave her a quarter tablet, 50 mg, because I'm sure she doesn't weigh more than two pounds. She's basically just fluff. I was really worried about how I was going to give it to her, and finally decided to just pop it in her beak and let it dissolve in her mouth. I had it held out in front of her as I was getting ready to open her beak, and she just reached out and gobbled it up. So hopefully we'll see some improvement soon!

 

[Eggcessive]

So glad that you got the meds started. Keep us up to date on her condition.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

Sadly, Nessie is much the same. There’s no more smell, so I think the medicine dealt with that. The canker has not shrunk at all, and she’s still very weak. She has been drinking water, but not eating. I did have another go with the tweezers last night, but didn’t get very far before I had to stop. There’s just nothing there to grab onto, and I know it extends pretty far down her throat. I don’t want to give up, but I have to take into account her future quality/length of life, and I’ve been thinking about putting her down before she gets any worse.