Necropsy *warning- graphic!*

[Cragg Klefor]

Some insight would be very much appreciated with this please.
Chicken was approx 2.5 years old. Ex-battery. I have her 14 months.
She never walked since I received her. Vet could not find anything wrong with her bones, they thought maybe she had an infection which was left untreated. Perscribed antibiotics for 1 week, no improvement (I don't know what anti bi was - clear liquid. Was then perscribed another antibiotic (i have found out now it was Tylan 50), no improvements.
Appetite was great. Pain level seemed high when weight put on right side. Up until death she could clutch with both feet but had claws clenched at all times. Many, many cases of bumblefoot (bumble toe...). Epsom salt baths and bandages with medical sprays mostly took care of these. Amoxicillan needed at times. Was on amox for 7 days before deceased. Full week before death was gasping many times during the day and night. Appetite remained until final day. I thought it must be her feet infected again but could not find source of infection. On proper inspection after death could also not find obvious infection.
This hen never laid since I received her. However, her comb became bright red in final weeks, she seemed chirpier than ever, and then there was a fully formed egg inside her on inspection.
She was on pain medication every day which I gave to her in cat food (hense all the fatty deposits I assume). She was eventually culled.

My observation (very inexperienced though) on opening her was her lungs. They literally fell apart on touch. As if disintegrating. Respiratory Disease??? Apart from final week her breathing seemed normal, no nasal discharge, bright eyes.
Any thoughts or observations would be greatly appreciated please.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She never walked since I received her.

Pain level seemed high when weight put on right side. Up until death she could clutch with both feet but had claws clenched at all times. Many, many cases of bumblefoot (bumble toe...)

Full week before death was gasping many times during the day and night.

This hen never laid since I received her. However, her comb became bright red in final weeks

then there was a fully formed egg inside her on inspection

My observation (very inexperienced though) on opening her was her lungs. They literally fell apart on touch. As if disintegrating. Respiratory Disease???

I'm sorry for your loss
Sometimes opening them up leave us with more questions than answers.
Did you get the fully formed egg out of the oviduct or just feel that - was it with a shell or was that possibly a lash egg? Where was that located?

Lungs disintegrating does sound like respiratory disease.

 

[Eggcessive]

Great job on the necropsy, Cragg. Sorry for you loss, though. Was the egg inside the organ (oviduct) in the last picture? I am certainly not an expert on necropsies, but just learning, so I don’t know if I can be that helpful. I don’t see the lungs in the pictures. They are found in the back, up under most of the organs. I have only seen them on one necropsy, but they were almost flourescent red in color, and very spongy and easily torn. Did the liver have tiny white spots in it? That is what I see in the pictures. If so, that could be significant for possibly cancer. Hopefully others will comment.

 

[Trux]

I commend you for doing such a thorough picture history of the necropsy! I do agree with Wyorp Rock that sometimes a necropsy will leave more questions than answers. Sorry for your loss.
Being the lungs just fell apart as you say, would lead me to believe a respiratory problem as well.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Thanks all.
@Wyorp Rock yes I removed the egg and it was a perfectly formed egg, shell and all. No sign of lash at all. I 'think' it was in the oviduct but I really don't know anything about the internal organs.
@Eggcessive you are right, it was her liver, not lungs which fell apart on touch...

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Thanks all.
@Wyorp Rock yes I removed the egg and it was a perfectly formed egg, shell and all. No sign of lash at all. I 'think' it was in the oviduct but I really don't know anything about the internal organs.
@Eggcessive you are right, it was her liver, not lungs which fell apart on touch...

Edited to add, I don't think she was egg bound as she was pooping up until the end, also she had a bath soak yesterday (culled last night) for her feet.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Great job on the necropsy, Cragg. Sorry for you loss, though. Was the egg inside the organ (oviduct) in the last picture? I am certainly not an expert on necropsies, but just learning, so I don’t know if I can be that helpful. I don’t see the lungs in the pictures. They are found in the back, up under most of the organs. I have only seen them on one necropsy, but they were almost flourescent red in color, and very spongy and easily torn. Did the liver have tiny white spots in it? That is what I see in the pictures. If so, that could be significant for possibly cancer. Hopefully others will comment.

And yes that is the egg inside the oviduct on last picture, and yes the liver seems to have tiny white spots on it. I didn't know that was a sign of cancer.

 

[coach723]

Agree the liver doesn't look good. Could have been cancer or lymphoid leukosis. Did you by chance look at the bones in her feet/toes where bumblefoot had been an issue? Depending on the severity of any of that, it's possible that it got in the bones there (osteomyelitis) and infection spread. Just a thought. This has some pictures of what that might look like:
https://watermark.silverchair.com/p...JE3JS2NwhgomaAwUR6KEj969RGlTS-K_cHgi1jPEA30Cw

 

[fur-mum]

I think you did a very good job taking care of her, just based on the pictures of the oviducts. To me, it looks like, not only is there an egg ready to go, it looks like there are also developing follicles as well. My guess is she was going to start laying again soon. To me that says you took very good care of her, as rough as she had it to start with. I'm sorry you had to make the difficult decision to cull her.

 

[Cragg Klefor]

I think you did a very good job taking care of her, just based on the pictures of the oviducts. To me, it looks like, not only is there an egg ready to go, it looks like there are also developing follicles as well. My guess is she was going to start laying again soon. To me that says you took very good care of her, as rough as she had it to start with. I'm sorry you had to make the difficult decision to cull her.

Thank you. Very difficult decision, I will miss her dearly.