Just a heads-up, while there are no photos yet, there are going to be some pretty graphic descriptions about poo, bowel troubles, and human intervention.
***Update*** There is now a photo on Page 2
In mid-October, my Naked Neck hen, Iris, was exhibiting some bowel trouble when I found her rear end completely impacted by diarrhea and scabs around her vent. I took her inside, removed the scabs, and thoroughly cleaned the area. I continued to wash and apply Neosporin to the area for a few days. During this time, I noticed that her body seemed hotter to the touch than normal, she wasn't as active as usual, and she smelled like fermenting dung when I was close to her. She was also somewhat underweight. I took her to a vet who did a site inspection and took a biopsy (which turned back nothing) and got a prescription for Baytril.
For two weeks she took the Baytril twice a day and had a diet of regular feed, cracked corn as a treat, and water with electrolytes. At the end of the two week period, after she seemed to be getting better by gaining weight and with more regular, non-runny/smelly poops, she stopped pooping entirely for two days, with the exception of a few watery discharges with urates.
After two days of not pooping, I had taken her into a bathroom to clean the area. I also did a small manual check of her vent by putting my fingertip (with a glove, of course) into her vent to check for obvious blockage. I found she was extremely constipated and blocked up. I ended up manually removing a large amount (over a few ounces) of dung. Iris then was able to relive herself of what I assumed was the remaining amount. In all, I'd say she had almost a pound of poop lodged in there.
I kept an eye on her for a few days after that, but since it seemed like she'd returned to normal (went regularly and had a good consistency) I decided it was in her best interest to go back to the coop, since she'd been home for almost a month!
While she has seemed to be doing well for some time, around December 16th-20th I noticed she was having foul diarrhea again. Today I brought her back inside since her vent was plugged up with poop and scabs. Once again, her discharge smells like it's been fermenting. I also did a quick manual check and found she was constipated again. I tried to remove some of the poop, but she wasn't as patient as last time (who could blame her?).
What I'd like to know is what is causing her bowel troubles. Is it an infection? Worms? She has no other symptoms than the ones I've listed. What sort of treatment should I pursue now? Is there any way to get a definitive answer besides expensive vet tests? Iris is one of my more cherished birds, so euthanasia is not an option unless absolutely necessary.
***Update*** There is now a photo on Page 2
In mid-October, my Naked Neck hen, Iris, was exhibiting some bowel trouble when I found her rear end completely impacted by diarrhea and scabs around her vent. I took her inside, removed the scabs, and thoroughly cleaned the area. I continued to wash and apply Neosporin to the area for a few days. During this time, I noticed that her body seemed hotter to the touch than normal, she wasn't as active as usual, and she smelled like fermenting dung when I was close to her. She was also somewhat underweight. I took her to a vet who did a site inspection and took a biopsy (which turned back nothing) and got a prescription for Baytril.
For two weeks she took the Baytril twice a day and had a diet of regular feed, cracked corn as a treat, and water with electrolytes. At the end of the two week period, after she seemed to be getting better by gaining weight and with more regular, non-runny/smelly poops, she stopped pooping entirely for two days, with the exception of a few watery discharges with urates.
After two days of not pooping, I had taken her into a bathroom to clean the area. I also did a small manual check of her vent by putting my fingertip (with a glove, of course) into her vent to check for obvious blockage. I found she was extremely constipated and blocked up. I ended up manually removing a large amount (over a few ounces) of dung. Iris then was able to relive herself of what I assumed was the remaining amount. In all, I'd say she had almost a pound of poop lodged in there.
I kept an eye on her for a few days after that, but since it seemed like she'd returned to normal (went regularly and had a good consistency) I decided it was in her best interest to go back to the coop, since she'd been home for almost a month!
While she has seemed to be doing well for some time, around December 16th-20th I noticed she was having foul diarrhea again. Today I brought her back inside since her vent was plugged up with poop and scabs. Once again, her discharge smells like it's been fermenting. I also did a quick manual check and found she was constipated again. I tried to remove some of the poop, but she wasn't as patient as last time (who could blame her?).
What I'd like to know is what is causing her bowel troubles. Is it an infection? Worms? She has no other symptoms than the ones I've listed. What sort of treatment should I pursue now? Is there any way to get a definitive answer besides expensive vet tests? Iris is one of my more cherished birds, so euthanasia is not an option unless absolutely necessary.
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