My first swollen crop issue

[jonalisa]

She is pooping? What consistency and exactly what's in it? If she isn't pooping she could also have an impaction somewhere along her digestive tract.

Pooping as normal.

 

[TwoCrows]

It just came! Do I need to isolate her or give it in the flock waterer?

I prefer not to isolate them from the flock if at all possible. You can make up a batch daily for the entire flock, just measure it up carefully. Make sure to give all of them probiotics or plain yogurt daily for 1 week after treatment as this stuff will kill off healthy gut bacteria and digestive yeasts. Mix 1/4 teaspoon Copper to 1 gallon water.

Pooping as normal.

Good at least we know she isn't impacted!

Keep us posted!

 

[TwoCrows]

And remember, you can add 3/4 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to this gallon of mix to make it more palatable. Use for 7 to 10 days.

 

[jonalisa]

Hey all, I have her in my kitchen in a crate. I have tried everything. After multiple revisions, I had a workable crop bra using vet wrap and bubble wrap...but while she had less fluid in her crop in the morning (on the roost), her crop was still full and firm with a very firm/'packed' wet-sand (almost like clay) consistency and weight,... and the size of a billiard ball.
She walked around today, shifting her chest every few steps and at dusk her crop is again very large, part thick and wet sand-feel/ with crumble/gravel-feel in lower areas...

Tonight I offered the acidified copper sulfate water and yogurt and in a crate. She's not doing well. ...breathing with mouth open, sometimes making a gurgling sound, sometimes a quick squawk sound.
I just now held her on my lap doing constant gentle massage for about 20 minutes. She stays very still, almost like we are just both hoping it will fix the problem. I feel small firm pockets of undigested crumbles that I can separate and a thick squishy-ness, but I don't feel any specific blockage.

I wish I could just open her up and empty her crop! It's so heartbreaking!
Anything else I can do? It's going to be a long night.

 

[jonalisa]

Very labored breathing!
Seems like slow suffocation?
Anything I can do???:

Edit: I am worried about putting a crop bra on her now as she is open-beak breathing.

 

[jonalisa]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hd7B5gZoWBgGAza46
Video.... Hope this link works. Was too big to upload.

 

[jonalisa]

Ok, well this morning I am thinking this is an obstructed crop.
I sprained my shoulder and can'thold her to syringe oil into crop, so I soaked cheerios in oil until mush and she ate that. Then I did crop massage and could feel not just the gravel-feel of the feed, but something larger - same texture but closer to the size of a large blueberry - possibly 2?
I massaged and think I broke up what I could feel, but hard to know as this was the far side of the crop, close to the breastbone. So I am waiting 20+ min and will try again.

When I do the massage, the crop becomes larger, softer and squishier, and after a time when I check her, the crop feels firm and packed...assume this is liquid passing .

 

[TwoCrows]

Ok, well this morning I am thinking this is an obstructed crop.
I sprained my shoulder and can'thold her to syringe oil into crop, so I soaked cheerios in oil until mush and she ate that. Then I did crop massage and could feel not just the gravel-feel of the feed, but something larger - same texture but closer to the size of a large blueberry - possibly 2?
I massaged and think I broke up what I could feel, but hard to know as this was the far side of the crop, close to the breastbone. So I am waiting 20+ min and will try again.

When I do the massage, the crop becomes larger, softer and squishier, and after a time when I check her, the crop feels firm and packed...assume this is liquid passing .

@jonalisa I am so sorry she is still struggling.

Sounds like her yeast infection is getting worse. It's possible she has an impaction in her gizzard or lower tract somewhere. You might try some Dolculax stool softener. Make SURE not to use the type with laxatives in it, only the plain stool softener with only Docusate Sodium, 100 mgs. This stuff will help to dissolve grass or any other stiff organic material that might to clogging up the works.

Prick open a gel cap and squeeze it onto something you know she will eat all of. Do this twice a day for a couple few of days and see if maybe an impaction of some sort is the issue.

If you have used the Copper Sulfate for 7 or so days, take a break from that and definitely offer up plain unsweetened yogurt or even human probiotics are good too.

 

[jonalisa]

@jonalisa I am so sorry she is still struggling.

Sounds like her yeast infection is getting worse. It's possible she has an impaction in her gizzard or lower tract somewhere. You might try some Dolculax stool softener. Make SURE not to use the type with laxatives in it, only the plain stool softener with only Docusate Sodium, 100 mgs. This stuff will help to dissolve grass or any other stiff organic material that might to clogging up the works.

Prick open a gel cap and squeeze it onto something you know she will eat all of. Do this twice a day for a couple few of days and see if maybe an impaction of some sort is the issue.

If you have used the Copper Sulfate for 7 or so days, take a break from that and definitely offer up plain unsweetened yogurt or even human probiotics are good too.

She's pooping normally though?

 

[jonalisa]

Over the weekend I did crop massage about every hour to 90 min... In the morning the crop feels swollen like a thick liquid with feed crumbles that I can feel at the bottom. As the day goes on every time I massage it, it seems to reduce down to a feel of wet but loose sand. It's much smaller than in the first 2 days of this issue, but still does not empty. Also in the first days she seemed very uncomfortable with massage but now seems to like it. Have given the acidified copper sulfate up to now, yogurt, olive oil mixed with mashed feed... Constant massage now about every 2 to 3 hours. I have her in the house in a crate because she seemed unbalanced on the roost and I also wanted to watch what she was eating.


So overall, smaller crop but not emptied in the morning.