Need help determining what is wrong with my hen

Veronique1

In the Brooder
May 7, 2018
12
13
47
Troutdale , Oregon
Any thoughts out there ? I have a hen , Cathy , who I was sure had bumblefoot , but now I'm not so sure. She did not have the usual scar on the pad of her foot , the infection was on the top of her foot. I applied a drawing salve even though there was no exit , for a few days and kept her indoors. There was no improvement ,in fact her entire foot became swollen and hot. At this point she was given 4 intramuscular Penicillin ( since it seemed to be a staph infection ) 0.33ml per kg every other day. I was also advised to try to draw some of the fluid from the foot firstly to alleive some of the pressure. When I attempted to do this , and using a 22 gauge needle I was horrified to have a fountain of bright red blood come out of the tiny puncture the needle had made. At the end of the Penicillin treatment , there was no improvement , infact the infection had now travelled up towards her thigh.
At this point she was still eating and drinking , even though her appetite seemed to be dwindling. I supplemented her food with Kaytee and her water with Nutridrench. I have also been applying cold compresses to her foot and leg. She has also been able to walk all through this , and is being kept indoor
At this point because she was showing no signs of improvement she was immediately started on a 5 day treatment of Baytril.
It's been 3 days since the end of the Baytril treatment and I am tube feeding her because she no longer wants to eat , however , she still drinks on her own and seems really thirsty. She spends most of the day 'asleep' . I'm not sure if it can be described as lethargic. Another curious observation I've made is that she seems to have a kink in her neck. I have done lots of research and cannot find an illness with the set of symptoms that she is presenting with.
I have included a few pictures.
So here is some of the information you might need to be able me
1 She is a Dominique , 2 1/2 years old and weighs 4.2 lbs
2 she has an infection that started in her foot and has travelled to her thigh
3 she is being tube fed but drinks on her own
4 her poop was bloody after being treated with Penicillin and at that point it was decided that she be treated with Baytril
IMG_20200115_161317325.jpg
I intend treating her myself as I have not found a vet that is willing to treat chickens
 

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Any thoughts out there ? I have a hen , Cathy , who I was sure had bumblefoot , but now I'm not so sure. She did not have the usual scar on the pad of her foot , the infection was on the top of her foot. I applied a drawing salve even though there was no exit , for a few days and kept her indoors. There was no improvement ,in fact her entire foot became swollen and hot. At this point she was given 4 intramuscular Penicillin ( since it seemed to be a staph infection ) 0.33ml per kg every other day. I was also advised to try to draw some of the fluid from the foot firstly to alleive some of the pressure. When I attempted to do this , and using a 22 gauge needle I was horrified to have a fountain of bright red blood come out of the tiny puncture the needle had made. At the end of the Penicillin treatment , there was no improvement , infact the infection had now travelled up towards her thigh.
At this point she was still eating and drinking , even though her appetite seemed to be dwindling. I supplemented her food with Kaytee and her water with Nutridrench. I have also been applying cold compresses to her foot and leg. She has also been able to walk all through this , and is being kept indoor
At this point because she was showing no signs of improvement she was immediately started on a 5 day treatment of Baytril.
It's been 3 days since the end of the Baytril treatment and I am tube feeding her because she no longer wants to eat , however , she still drinks on her own and seems really thirsty. She spends most of the day 'asleep' . I'm not sure if it can be described as lethargic. Another curious observation I've made is that she seems to have a kink in her neck. I have done lots of research and cannot find an illness with the set of symptoms that she is presenting with.
I have included a few pictures.
So here is some of the information you might need to be able me
1 She is a Dominique , 2 1/2 years old and weighs 4.2 lbs
2 she has an infection that started in her foot and has travelled to her thigh
3 she is being tube fed but drinks on her own
4 her poop was bloody after being treated with Penicillin and at that point it was decided that she be treated with Baytril
View attachment 2009624
I intend treating her myself as I have not found a vet that is willing to treat chickens
 
My thought is “Having done all, Stand..”
maybe give her a rest? Antibiotics are exhausting and so is force feeding. Maybe give her 24 hours for her to let you know if she wills to live or die? I know it’s kind of simple but I believe you have done Everything a good person can do.. maybe the rest is up to her? All the best..
 
Sorry about your hen. Have you added any new birds to the flock in recent weeks or months? Was she vaccinated for Mareks disease? If you should lose her, I would recommend getting a necropsy by your state vet to find a cause of her serious illness. Wry neck and the leg issue may be signs of Mareks disease. Hopefully not, but worth finding out.
 

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