Lash Egg??? graphic pictures warning. Could she survive???

[zinkie]

I have a very sick 3 year old barnyard mix. Swollen belly, thin. I brought her in 6 days ago and have been getting some food down her. Her vent was nasty and a very smelly yellow goo has been coming out of her along with clean and green/dark stuff. I wondered if she was egg bound and put on a glove and put my finger in her vent. I could feel course material, thought it was maybe broken egg shell, managed to get some of it out of her. It was yellow- looked like cooked egg yolk. It was uncomfortable to her, so I just left her be. Over last few days I have continued to give her Tylan 50 each day and got a few bites of food down her.
She seemed a bit more perkier to day so I put the gloves on and tried again. this is what I dug out. I could tell there is more in there, but stopped because it seemed to hurt her.

It is hard and almost like sand, but is in clumps until pushed then it will break apart. As you can see, I got quite a bit out. Is it a lash egg???

 

[Eggcessive]

That looks like "cooked egg" material that is common in egg yolk peritonitis. Many times they can get E.coli bacteria inside the abdomen, and the E.coli can appear yellow as well. Below is a lash egg that has been cut open. She probably feels pretty lousy. EYP and salpingitis do not have good outcomes, and antibiotics don't help much. If it is E.coli, Tylan won't help much. A vet could give you a better one. I'm not sure that you can still buy Baytril or enrofloxacin (which is not approved for chickens in the US) online, but it would be a better antibiotic to use. Give her some probiotic plain yogurt during and after antibiotics. I would really consider putting her down soon if she is still suffering. Here are some links to read and the Baytril link:
http://scoopfromthecoop.nutrenaworld.com/tag/laying-issues/
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2014/12/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard.html
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/poult...eproductive-system/egg-peritonitis-in-poultry
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/959119/baytril-enrofloxacin-sources

photo by FinnMcMissle

 

[zinkie]

Ya, I have seen many lash eggs on web. But it is not really rubbery- more like sand. I also have some terra-vet 10. Is that a better choice? She has perked up since I got that stuff out of her. I have been giving her plain keefer.
Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Terravet is oxytetracycline I think, and is used the same as Tylan, so no it would not treat EYP or E.coli. Here is a link to read with pictures of E.coli egg yolk peritonitis:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publications/6/diseases-of-poultry/178/escherichia-coli-infections/

 

[zinkie]

Anyone else have experience with this? Could she survive?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Is she pooping? What does that look like?
Is she drinking at all?

 

[zinkie]

This is her poop. She has taken a few bites on her own today- but I have basically been forcing stuff down her- a few grapes, some wet food, egg, nutria drench, keefer... stopped the antibiotics. I am just unsure if I should put my glove on again and try to dig more yellow stuff out of her or it it a futile attempt......

I don't want to cull her if she has a chance.

 

[Eggcessive]

I really wasn't saying initially that she had a lash egg, only to show what a lash egg looked like with the picture. She may have egg yolk peritonitis from her symptoms, but I am not a vet. There is no cure. I would not force her to eat, but just offer her chopped egg, tuna, some plain yogurt for probiotics, and water. Plans need to be made though if she is suffering. A vet can put her down or you can read up on ways to humanely euthanize her if the time comes. That is a part of raising chickens, to not let one suffer. EYP is so very common in backyard flocks jnfortunately. Just keep her comfortable as possible.

 

[zinkie]

Yes, of course. Thanks. I will give it another day and see.
Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

How many days of antibiotics did she have before you stopped them (Tylan and TerraVet?) Is there any way you could take in several of her droppings to get a fecal float for worms and cocci, plus a gram stain to look for enteritis? (I wish I had suggested that yesterday.) Her poops do seem to look like she might not be digesting her food well. The yellow color seems like it may be egg yolk related, but liver problems could make the white urates look yellow. I think I would start the Tylan again so that she gets 5-7 days worth at 1 1/2 ml twice a day given ORALLY. If she has enteritis, that can treat some types. It depends on the bacteria involved, and other antibiotics (amoxicillin, penicillin, bacitracin, and neomycin) plus probiotics are sometimes used to treat it.