Impact or Sour crop or both?

[BrinellP]

We are a week in today and her crop is impacted again. It's smaller than last night so I know things are passing through. I wonder if she has something stuck farther down in her system? She's had sandy watery poop this past week. Every now and again she passes about an inch long piece that looks like bound up grass. Kind of like when a dog eats lots of grass then passes it.

I'm not sure what to do now. Even if I clear her crop there seems to be something farther down. She otherwise seems perky and eating like crazy. Do I let her be until she seems to be suffering and put her down? There's nothing I can do if it's past her crop.

I'm really upset about this. I thought we had it

 

[rebrascora]

Hi
Hope you enjoyed your trip away.
I've been waiting with baited breath for an update on her. If she no longer has access to straw/hay/grass and she is passing fibrous material in her poop, then there is hope that she will eventually manage to clear her system and it work normally again and I would start gentle massaging again. However, if she has had access to and been eating more fibrous material and clogged herself up again, which was the problem I had with Vippy several months post surgery, then you have to weigh up the practicality and quality of life being kept without access to anything fibrous, against further surgery. I agree that if she is impacted beyond the crop, it is not feasible to operate.
You may find however that her problem is that her crop has been stretched beyond it's elastic limit and become pendulous and sediment is depositing in the saggy part at the front below the outlet level to the gizzard. A crop bra would help to lift and support that and hopefully prevent it silting up. Does that make sense?

 

[BrinellP]

Once again thank you so much for helping me with Ginger. She hasn't had a solid poop since the surgery. Always watery with sand in it. Which is why I'm thinking it may be farther down. I think I'll try the massage again. Should I kennel her again and takeaway food? Maybe give her yogurt? We did leave the hay in the nesting boxes. I didn't have time to change it out for something else. We've had it for a 11/2 years with no problems. I'm sure the alfalfa we gave them a month a go was the problem. Although they had it all winter and all was well.

There is grass that grows around the outside area. It's not really feasible to try and keep that away. As much as I want to save her I don't want to be paranoid about everything around her or what she may get in to.

If it's because her crop is stretched out how would I know that's it? I've never seen a crop bra. Would this be a temporary thing or for as long as she lives? If we needed to do surgery again how soon could she handle it do you think? I'm worried that her crop would be weakened by another surgery and we would back here.

This is so frustrating!!

 

[rebrascora]

I would be loath to do surgery again so soon and I can entirely understand the problem of removing access to all fibrous material. With Vippy, she recovered really quickly and put weight on and was laying again in exactly a month from surgery. Unfortunately she went back to eating straw/grass though as soon as she had access to it and several months later she was impacted again. Sadly I left it too late to do the surgery the second time and she was so emaciated, her system had shut down. That will not always be the case, but just like some people develop an alcohol addiction (or sugar addiction in my case), even though they know it is bad for them, they can't help themselves and perhaps there is a pleasant feeling associated with having a full crop that they crave.
You can buy a crop bra or make one. If her crop goes down with massage, it would suggest that it may just be pendulous and benefit from a bra, so I would isolate her again, offer only liquid/soft foods (scrambled egg, yoghurt, elecctrolytes and vitamins) and massage. You should be able to feel if the impaction is sandy sediment settling in a low part of the front of the crop, like it has sagged forward or if the impaction feels like it did before the surgery....ie a squishy mass. If it is appropriate, a crop bra may be a temporary necessity for a few months or possibly required to be worm permanently. It is trial and error. I've not used one so far as Vippy didn't have that problem.

I can understand your frustration. All I can do is wish you the best and say that I'm here for you if I can help.

 

[BrinellP]

*****Update*****

After my last post my husband and I decided to let her be a chicken. I put her back in with the other girls, let her eat normal food and scratch in the sand. But, since I can never just give up, I kept massaging her crop, about four times a day. I was also giving her two tsp olive oil and one molasses with water a couple of times a day. I figured it might help things move through a little easier and if it didn't, it didn't. And guess what?? Friday morning when I went out to check crops, hers was normal!! I checked it three times. I actually teared up a little. I just couldn't believe it. I had an agility trial this weekend and could only massage at night. But she was still normal this morning. If there's such thing as a happy dance. I think I did it.lol

I can't thank everyone enough for the support. Especially Barbara. You were constantly encouraging and believed I could do it. Thank you so much. Ginger and I appreciate it so very much!

 

[rebrascora]

That is such wonderful news! I am so delighted for you and her!

I have been wondering how she was doing, but not daring to ask, so I really appreciate the update. I would think that perhaps some of that stuff had gone down into her gizzard and was taking a lot of processing to pass it from there, but hopefully she will go from strength to strength now. Well done for not giving up on her!