Impacted/Doughy Crop + Stool Question, 5-1/2 mo Silkie hen

[Swbertrand1]

UPDATE, Thursday morning, Sept 30:

After a thorough amateur physical exam of Peanut yesterday afternoon, I'm beginning to believe we're dealing with an Impacted Gizzard. What makes me think that, you ask?

When we put a thumb and index finger on either side of her abdomen just below her vent and move them forward being sure that we're on the inside of ribs, pelvis, and/or keel-bone and squeeze gently, there is a defined, hard mass just above the last inch or so of her keel-bone where the small and large intestines should be. Size is somewhere between a Silkie egg and a regular size hen egg. It's quite firm.

At first we thought we might be feeling a Bound Egg (Egg-Binding), but a lubed finger told us that is no egg as it's not in the Vagina or in the Shell Gland; it's lower in the body cavity (see yellow circle on diagram below). None of our other 6 (six) Silkie hens have this mass in that area, or if the gizzard can be felt in them, it's much, much smaller.

Strangely enough, it hasn't slowed her down, even though we thought she had started a downward slide a few days ago. We've held off on the MS treatment, opting to stay with Coconut Oil, Moist Feed, and Pro-biotic Water. Her crop is massaged regularly, and feed is getting through, just not the volume needed.

We held off on the MS treatment as we're waiting on the tubes needed to administer that amount of water at one time.

EDIT: This kinda makes sense too, since she has always been one to eat LOTS of grass in the yard...

 

[Swbertrand1]

Peanut is seeing an avian specialist Monday morning. I'm (we're) 95% certain this is an Impacted Gizzard.
We started a mild MS flush with a syringe, but it takes "forever" to get the volume in her without a tube!
The upside is that she's still alert, very active, has an incredible appetite, drinks regularly and on her own, preens, and is incredibly happy and loving. Wish us luck.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Peanut's weight history since this issue began. She's lost 6 ozs of weight, approaching 1/2 of a pound:

15-Sep	2#-2.5oz
16-Sep	2#-1.5oz
17-Sep	2#-1oz
18-Sep	2#-0.3oz
19-Sep	2#-0.1oz
20-Sep	1#-15.9oz
21-Sep	1#-15.6oz
22-Sep	1#-15.4oz
23-Sep	1#-15oz
24-Sep	1#-14.8oz
25-Sep	1#-14.9oz
26-Sep	1#-14.6oz
27-Sep	1#-14oz
28-Sep	1#-13.6oz
29-Sep	1#-13.5oz
30-Sep	1#-14oz
1-Oct	1#-12.6oz

 

[Swbertrand1]

Stool Samples.

Note that she has not had access to grass in close to a week. These photos cover about 5 different excretions during the day yesterday (Friday).

@azygous would love to hear your input here. It seems like she's getting just a little unblocked at a time, but I'm stunned at the amount of grass she's expelling considering it's been since about Monday that she was able to access any grass.

 

[azygous]

Your hen might benefit from some flushing. It's a good sign that this grass keeps showing up in the poop, which means her body is trying to move it through, albeit slowly. A good flushing couldn't do anything but help.

I'd go with a three-day Epsom salt flush. One-teaspoon magnesium sulfate to half cup warm water tubed into the crop all at once twice a day for three days. Food and water can continue to be provided free choice.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Your hen might benefit from some flushing. It's a good sign that this grass keeps showing up in the poop, which means her body is trying to move it through, albeit slowly. A good flushing couldn't do anything but help.

I'd go with a three-day Epsom salt flush. One-teaspoon magnesium sulfate to half cup warm water tubed into the crop all at once twice a day for three days. Food and water can continue to be provided free choice.

We're doing the flush, but it's a painful process for her and us doing it via syringe. We're still waiting on the syringe and light rubber tubes, so the little bit of MS she's getting is laced with some Dulcolax as is her feed.

Question: Do you feed a bird that's on a 3-day flush?? She's losing weight as shown two or three posts above, and I'm worried that she'll slide far more quickly without some feed.

She does have an appointment with an avian specialist on Monday morning...

 

[azygous]

I never withhold food from any chicken I'm treating. I allow them to decide if they they wish to eat. Of course, I offer such foods as I feel are appropriate for the issue I'm treating. Nourishment is crucial to healing.

Yes, syringing that much fluid into a sick chicken is very stressful. That's why I prefer tubing. One invasive procedure is preferable to many repeated ones.

 

[Swbertrand1]

I never withhold food from any chicken I'm treating. I allow them to decide if they they wish to eat. Of course, I offer such foods as I feel are appropriate for the issue I'm treating. Nourishment is crucial to healing.

Yes, syringing that much fluid into a sick chicken is very stressful. That's why I prefer tubing. One invasive procedure is preferable to many repeated ones.

She HATES the syringe, but she's a trooper too. I'm scared to tube that much fluid, especially MS, into her with a tube - can't image MS feels very good in the lungs!
I'm scared I'm going to fill too full and aspirate her, a challenge to NOT do with a syringe!

She's still got a super-healthy appetite, which is good, still VERY active, and even managed to break out of her ICU coop this morning. She's a sneaky one!

Thank you as always for your sage advice! Here's Peanut in the last few days "dancing" LOL! Ok, she's really not dancing, rather working on a foot feather, but the photo looks like it to someone that knows no better, like my parents

 

[Saaniya]

Thank you! I think you're on the right track based on my study of Salpingitis in the last few hours.

She got her first dose of 125mg of Amoxicillin about an hour ago. I'll give her another about 10pm tonight, and then have her on 9am/9pm schedule for 10 days.

.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Peanut is seeing an avian specialist Monday morning. I'm (we're) 95% certain this is an Impacted Gizzard.

What did they vet say?