Mass in abdomen -- egg?

[liddlefiddle]

4 yo ameraucana is lethargic, watery poos and huddling with penguin stance. She has a mass in her abdomen on the left side. It feels like an egg and I can move it around, up towards the vent, but I cannot feel it from inside the vent (there is tissue between the interior of the vent and the mass). The mass moves back into the belly after I move it.

I have her isolated, on calcium, giving warm baths and lubricating the vent. She's been like this for four days. Eating, drinking and pooping okay, but clearly in distress, huddled in her cage.

Is she eggbound? It seems very far away from the vent, but also feels like an egg shape. Internal laying? A tumor/cyst? Feeling lost and would appreciate any input!

 

[coach723]

Is vet care an option? If they x-ray or ultrasound the mass they may be able to tell you if it's egg or tumor etc. and what may or may not be able to be done for treatment. Usually an egg bound bird cannot poop normally and if they don't pass the egg will die pretty quickly, so it doesn't seem like that is the issue if it's been 4 days. Sometimes without being able to see what is going on inside it's hard to know. Was she laying normally up til now?

 

[liddlefiddle]

Is vet care an option? If they x-ray or ultrasound the mass they may be able to tell you if it's egg or tumor etc. and what may or may not be able to be done for treatment. Usually an egg bound bird cannot poop normally and if they don't pass the egg will die pretty quickly, so it doesn't seem like that is the issue if it's been 4 days. Sometimes without being able to see what is going on inside it's hard to know. Was she laying normally up til now?

Thank you for the suggestion. A vet is not in the cards, so I’m on my own for this.

 

[coach723]

Then I would continue what you are doing, see if you get any improvement. If the bird doesn't make it, a necropsy would let you know what happened. I hope she improves and recovers.

 

[liddlefiddle]

Thank you so much for your insight. I appreciate it!

 

[liddlefiddle]

She didn’t make it through the night. After she passed, I was able to squeeze out the mass through her vent. I opened it up and looks like an internally laid egg? But I’m not entirely sure as I’ve never seen one before. Pictures below.

Wondering if I could have gotten it out while she was still alive…

 

[coach723]

That looks like lash material, from salpingitis. I will put a link below that has information and some pictures. It's infection/inflammation of the oviduct. All of that matter is mostly pus. Some birds will pass some, which can give you a clue, some birds do not pass any, it just builds up inside. It is notoriously resistant to treatment. Sometimes a very firm bloated abdomen is the only clue. It's often not known until necropsy. I'm very sorry for your loss. But there was really nothing you could have done for her. I've lost a fair number over the years to it, no treatments I have tried have worked. It's usually pretty advanced by the time you are aware, they hide the illness really well.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/

 

[Bawkbok]

I'm sorry you lost your hen to this awful condition. It's fortunate she didn't linger too long in discomfort. We lost a hen to this as well but as mentioned by Coach723, ours developed the hard bloated abdomen which was our clue something was wrong. She ate, drank, pooped and acted normally - until she didn't. It's a terrible thing. I'm sorry you lost your girl.

 

[liddlefiddle]

That is a very helpful analysis. I appreciate all of your efforts to educate me.

That looks like lash material, from salpingitis. I will put a link below that has information and some pictures. It's infection/inflammation of the oviduct. All of that matter is mostly pus. Some birds will pass some, which can give you a clue, some birds do not pass any, it just builds up inside. It is notoriously resistant to treatment. Sometimes a very firm bloated abdomen is the only clue. It's often not known until necropsy. I'm very sorry for your loss. But there was really nothing you could have done for her. I've lost a fair number over the years to it, no treatments I have tried have worked. It's usually pretty advanced by the time you are aware, they hide the illness really well.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/salpingitis-lash-eggs-in-backyard/