Need some input, RIR hen still not doing well

[1dog1cat6chicks]

My original thread about Rhoda is here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/hen-not-right-comb-purplish-less-active-etc.1465737/

As was suggested, I got some fish amoxicillin. Rhoda has now had five doses (five days) of this. She is still in her 'convalescent' ward, near food and water; she's not gone outside as she can't seem to navigate the ramp to get back in on her own. Mostly she just lies on the bottom of her little area.

She seems ever-so-slightly better, but still not well. She does get up on her feet, but her tail is still down and she's just not herself. Her comb is not as red as normal, more pinkish now.

I am tempting her with mealworm and some cat food, but I don't think she's eating much. I also put probiotics in her water (thinking of how antibiotics can effect a human....), but I'm not sure she's drinking a lot either.

Her poop is now kind of greenish. Not sure what that indicates.

Could she possibly have egg yolk peritonitis? I've read differing things on that, seems like it could be the case; also have read differing opinions of the ultimate outcome of EYP. I know she can't be 'diagnosed' on an internet forum, but there are no poultry vets around here; I'd just like the input of those of you who know way more about these things than I do.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jen1989]

does she have any fluid build up around her abdomen? by abdomen I mean below her vent. The green poop in my experience usually happens when the birds not eating enough food, has she lost a noticeable amount of weight?

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

I don’t think she had fluid buildup, at least not that I can tell by a quick feel.
She may have lost some weight but she’s never been a hen who enjoys being picked up so I can’t say for sure. She’s been picked up more in the past couple of weeks than in her whole life!

My thought is to finish the second half of the antibiotic course and if she’s not doing better by then, well, I don’t know If she’s unable to get in and out of the coop on her own, that isn’t something I can deal with in the long term.

 

[Jen1989]

I don’t think she had fluid buildup, at least not that I can tell by a quick feel.
She may have lost some weight but she’s never been a hen who enjoys being picked up so I can’t say for sure. She’s been picked up more in the past couple of weeks than in her whole life!

My thought is to finish the second half of the antibiotic course and if she’s not doing better by then, well, I don’t know If she’s unable to get in and out of the coop on her own, that isn’t something I can deal with in the long term.

If its something treatable, some kind of infection, finishing the antibiotics course will help her. The main thing is to make sure she stays hydrated, and try to get some food into her while she finishes the antibiotics

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

One more thing I noticed. I mentioned that her poop is kind of green, which I understand could be from not eating enough. Today I noticed that the poop contains completely undigested food--it's the cat food I was trying to get her to eat. Is this normal? Or does it indicate some other problem?

Yesterday after we gave her her pill, we decided to let her into the main part of the coop to see her friends. She actually managed to get down the ramp and go outside. She even pecked around at the ground a little and tried to scratch (though it didn't seem easy for her)…then she lay down in a dust hole. We put her back inside a few hours later, not knowing if she could get UP the ramp.

Today I also put her into the main part of the coop and she went outside. Again she's in a dusting hole. It's just going to be too hot to keep her inside this afternoon. Put the food and water out too (it's normally kept inside), and apparently the other five were STARVING and DYING OF THIRST because they mobbed the feeder and waterer. Silly chickens.

So...any thoughts on the undigested cat food nuggets?

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

If its something treatable, some kind of infection, finishing the antibiotics course will help her. The main thing is to make sure she stays hydrated, and try to get some food into her while she finishes the antibiotics

I have no idea how much she's drinking or eating. She does seem to eat the mealworms when I give her some (daily), and she obviously eats some of the cat food....she eats a little of her feed too. Not sure how to get her to eat/drink; that's part of the reason I had her confined, so she was near the food and water....

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

Rhoda is one pill away from finishing her course of fish amoxicillin. She is still not right. In the course of my reading about what might be wrong, I’ve discovered a vet who sees chickens who’s only about 18 miles away. I think I’ll call tomorrow and see about getting her an exam and possible euthanasia

 

[mangotangolango]

Hope she get's well

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

Hope she get's well

Thanks. I don’t hold out a lot of hope. She is just not anywhere near her normal self, and it seems if the antibiotics were going to help we’d see a bigger improvement at this point. She’s improved very slightly but she’s a long way from normal.

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

Hopefully someone will respond to this question. Rhoda had bumblefoot a year ago and we treated it with tricide neo. She seemed to recover just fine. Given her recent lameness and now her general decline, could this possibly be a staph infection internally that never completely went away after the bumblefoot?

I did talk to the vet and my schedule isn’t working with theirs this morning so they are to call me back about bringing her in later this afternoon or tomorrow afternoon.