Old (but relevant?) article on Egg Peritonits

[CaptainSamH]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...nd-other-egg-problems-causes-and-cures.66179/

So I found this article when assessing the symptoms I've been seeing now in two chickens (one a full-grown hen and one a 27 weeks old pullet). The hen has since passed and I've got the pullet on SMZ-TMP antibiotic after a visit to an avian vet last week, who ruled out coccidiosis, but could not give another diagnosis without further testing. We don't really have the resources for that testing or for an extended stay at the vet like the author of the article. So I've been getting the SMZ into her orally (with a syringe), but wondering if I should try to replicate what the author of the article did. (I did see the glucosonate at the TSC in the bovine section...). Is this a crazy idea?
Any thoughts from the super smart folks on this awesome board?
May try and call the vet back too... Thanks in advance y'all!

 

[chrissynemetz]

I don't have any advice, I was just wondering how she's doing?

 

[CaptainSamH]

Thanks for asking! It's been a busy couple of days, but I think I'm seeing progress. I've basically figured out how to get the antibiotic syringed into her beak myself, though she is NOT a fan and it's a little sticky. But we have a morning dose and a nighttime dose - hopefully I'm not totally screwing up her sleep pattern.

I still feel like she's considerably underweight (her keel is still quite pronounced), but based on the recommendations I've gotten here I've been able to get her eating with some enthusiasm - her favorite is the tuna, she's eaten almost an entire can over the last day and a half along with a bunch of other stuff. I give it to her intermittently and have mixed a variety of goodies in with it at different servings, like crushed up calcium citrate, papaya enzyme, electrolyte/probiotic powder and yogurt. She's still having some rice and squash and I've added her feed - both wet and dry (Nutrena Hearty Hen) - with some grit back into her regimen.

I'm not sure if it's good news yet, but her poop appears to be a bit more solid today - less grassy and maybe more digested? I stopped giving her mealworms, because it looked like they were still fairly intact in the poop and I wanted more digestible stuff. Though she still has some wet stool, her urate is waaay different than it was before I brought her in and got the meds in her - it's not wet and stringy(?) anymore, it's actually coating the solids and not in a puddle around them. (Is that too gross of a poop elaboration?)

Anyway, I hope what I am seeing is real progress and not just my wishful thinking and I really hope I can bulk her back up - I assume if I can't do that then she won't survive, right? I don't actually have a diagnosis - don't know if this article is relevant or another on Clostridium Perf-something - I just have her behavior, poop and weight loss to go on and some mystery soft-shelled eggs that may or may not have been hers. Fingers crossed and grateful for this community!