Meatballs -vs- M&Ms/Skittles (Chicken Poops)

[MarcyG]

It's fun to see if a guess you made is right or wrong. Let us know what happens.

Here's what happened at the Vet with my hen, GaGa, this afternoon:

The Vet performed a throat swab as far down as she could go. Under microscope examination, she did not see anything suspicious, just the usual throat bacteria. She did say that the "yellow swollen mass" previously seen on the side of her throat was no longer there. She said the Metacam and Clavomax meds I've been giving her may have helped that go away.

She did notice some dark red bloody tissue farther down. It's possible it could be a tumor.

She administered some Ivomec drops on the back of GaGa's neck, just in case the problem is caused by gapeworm. She said we'll know soon if it's gapeworm, as the gapeworms will leave her body, and her appetite will gradually return.

GaGa was weighed in at 4.24 lbs. A month ago, she was well over 5 lbs, closer to 6 lbs. The Vet also prescribed Tri-meth Sulfa tabs (antibiotic) for me to give GaGa 2x/day. She said if her appetite does not improve in the next 2 weeks and/or if she continues to lose weight, it would be best to put her down, as she's slowly starving herself.

I'll update here with any new news. Thanks all, for your feedback and support.

 

[azygous]

Thanks for the update. Try to keep hopeful. Sulfa antibiotics can sometimes augment other antibiotics and do the trick.

It will be interesting to see if she's been hosting gape worms. Whenever people post here with chicken throat issues, they immediately suspect gapeworm, even though it's rare. You may actually have a case for real. Take pictures.

 

[MarcyG]

Thanks for the update. Try to keep hopeful. Sulfa antibiotics can sometimes augment other antibiotics and do the trick.

It will be interesting to see if she's been hosting gape worms. Whenever people post here with chicken throat issues, they immediately suspect gapeworm, even though it's rare. You may actually have a case for real. Take pictures.

Thanks Azygous - will do. If it IS gapeworm, that will be good news, as it is treatable!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She administered some Ivomec drops on the back of GaGa's neck, just in case the problem is caused by gapeworm. She said we'll know soon if it's gapeworm, as the gapeworms will leave her body, and her appetite will gradually return.

She did notice some dark red bloody tissue farther down. It's possible it could be a tumor.

Your vet should be able to do a fecal float and see gapeworm eggs.
Ivomec might be effective in treating Gapeworm, but personally I think it would have been better to use Fenbendazole or Valbazen for treatment of worms. I'm not a vet nor expert, but dark bloody tissue could also be Capillary worms (again, a fecal float should reveal eggs).

I hope your hen gets better soon.

 

[Eggcessive]

Some say that ivermectin has lost effectiveness against worms in chickens. Many use it for mites and lice still. I would get some SafeGuard Liquid Goat wormer at Tractor Supply or other feed store, and give her 1.5 ml for the next 5 days, and that will treat gapeworms and capillary worms.

 

[MarcyG]

Your vet should be able to do a fecal float and see gapeworm eggs.
Ivomec might be effective in treating Gapeworm, but personally I think it would have been better to use Fenbendazole or Valbazen for treatment of worms. I'm not a vet nor expert, but dark bloody tissue could also be Capillary worms (again, a fecal float should reveal eggs).

I hope your hen gets better soon.

Thanks for your feedback, Wyorp Rock. The poops coming out of GaGa are few and far between, and when they do occur they are smaller than a skittle (thus, the title of this thread)! When I took her to the vet there was no poops in her system to check.
The “dark bloody tissue” was observed when the Vet looked in her mouth, deep down. There were no bloody poops.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thanks for your feedback, Wyorp Rock. The poops coming out of GaGa are few and far between, and when they do occur they are smaller than a skittle (thus, the title of this thread)! When I took her to the vet there was no poops in her system to check.
The “dark bloody tissue” was observed when the Vet looked in her mouth, deep down. There were no bloody poops.

Poor girl! I hope the medication helps and she starts to improve.

I wouldn't necessarily expect bloody poop for worms, but it's possible.
http://www.sprcentre.com/sprc/Worm_Control_in_Poultry.htm