Impacted Crop Surgery (with video)

[kdtcameron]

We discovered our favorite little bantam hen, Gidget was wasting away due to an impacted crop. I have been nursing her for the past few days, trying a number of the solutions I have read throughout the forums. Once I realized that no real progress was going to be made (that would actually save her) I got help from our vet.

For any of you that may be interested, please take a look at the video of her surgery today...

very gross - but awesome and interesting too.

Hope this helps someone. Our dear little banty is now recuperating nicely and has begun to have normal poops again too! Just praying for a full recovery. (I have the coolest vet in the world)!

Disclaimer: We do not ordinarily take our chickens to the vet. We usually try to treat minor illnesses, etc. at home or allow nature to run its course. Life however does not always follow an exact or rigid formula - so, for this circumstance we chose to get her treated and are very glad with our decision.

 

[pwand]

My hen got impacted by straw, she also was soured from it. She is on the top of the pecking order. No issue around not getting food. Just seems to want to eat it. We had to remove the straw from the crop. You might want to make her an apron to cover her crop, she will try to peck at it. Thanks for sharing the video, its a great video.

 

[StarSpun]

This is INCREDIBLE! Thanks for posting this video. I must have said OMG out loud like 100 times watching this (with a couple of other words thrown in at points, ha ha!). It's amazing how much came out of her!!

What a beauty too, so calm and docile. What did the vet use to numb the area?
Hope she makes a full recovery soon!!

 

[kdtcameron]

Thanks, as you can tell from the video, we were all amazed too. The vet used lidocaine to numb the incision area, which stings at first, but helped a lot. Poor thing fell asleep a few times during the procedure... probably from relaxing and also from fatigue from trying survive the impaction.

Thanks for the apron suggestion. I'm not sure how to make one, but will figure something out. Sure beats the idea of a cone of shame. haha.

 

[ten chicks]

Excellent video,many lives will be saved by posting this. I do believe this can safely be done at home,also possibly more vets will now try this procedure after seeing video and realizing it is a pretty straight forward surgery and not to difficult.

I have a couple of questions if you don't mind answering. Approx how large was the incision? The internal stitches in crop,believe your vet said they will stay permanently,is this correct? Approx how many stitches were placed on external incision? What penicillin did she prescribe(injections or pills)? Local anesthetic was just lidocaine? Was the incision made to the right of crop or center of crop?

NOTE: Many will ask about the lidocaine(local anesthetic)b/c we always say to not use anything ending in "caine/cane",i know that lidocaine can be safely used,but it is not recommended unless you are a vet or understand that if used incorrectly it is toxic to birds. This is why we say to not use,b/c too much can kill,rapidly in fact.


Thank you for sharing this video,

~Mia

 

[kdtcameron]

I will attempt to answer the questions that I am able to, but as I am not the vet and would not have been comfortable performing this myself, I did not get too many specifics on procedural execution.

The incision site was about 1" - 1-1/2" opening. She made the initial cut directly on the enlarged area/mass and a subcutaneous incision into the crop following that. I was unable to tell whether placement of that second incision was directly centered or off-centered on the crop. The internal stitches will remain in forever and the external stitches will stay in until they fall out on their own (about 4 or 5 months I believe). She did say that it was necessary to stitch the crop twice, which she did.

The vet sent me home with pre-measured syringes of penicillin and showed me how to get help administering the daily injections. It is important to place the needle into the "meaty" areas of the bird - ordinarily the breast, but she's so thin she instructed me to use the thigh.

The vet only used lidocaine and administered the dose herself. She studied aviary science in veterinary school and I felt comfortable trusting her expertise in what was a dire situation anyway. I would not recommend that anyone do this on their own. I am not sure I would personally recommend anyone do any of this on their own, but I know different people are more comfortable with various levels of intervention. That said, Gidget did not have any adverse reactions to the anesthetic and is up and about, steadily increasing her appetite and food intake. The hardest part has been getting her to drink anything, which seems odd to me, but so far to good.

Sorry I couldn't answer any more questions than that... hope this helps.

 

[pwand]

I used fleece for my apron. i quickly cut it out without any pattern and cut holes and put her wings in one, took a guess on the other hole for the other wing then a hole for her head. I sewed in the front on each side to hold it in close but lose. I cut away excessive fabric to form the apron.

 

[ten chicks]

Thank you for the information,it is very helpful.

My comment regarding doing this procedure at home was intended for those that have no vet,and without removing impact bird would die. A vet preforming this surgery is the best option,but most vets will not treat chickens. I personally would feel very comfortable preforming this surgery at home,but then again i have stitched up animals before.

 

[pwand]

Try tube feeding water if you feel she isn't getting enough. I had to do that for a few days. Search link on here about tube feeding, Kathy put one together, with videos. Easy to do, wrap her in a towel. If her poop goes back to diahrea, suspect sour crop. Hopefully you won't have that problem, mine did. I treat her with Fluconozole.

 

[pwand]

Thank you for the information,it is very helpful.

My comment regarding doing this procedure at home was intended for those that have no vet,and without removing impact bird would die. A vet preforming this surgery is the best option,but most vets will not treat chickens. I personally would feel very comfortable preforming this surgery at home,but then again i have stitched up animals before.

Crazy glue can be used instead of stitches. It works. Saline solution can be used as well to flush out the crop after removal of impaction. We boiled salt and water to make ours.