Ovarian cancer in Rhode Island Red? Please help!

[oakhavenmama]

My sweet Big Red, age unknown but probably 4-6, has been ailing. A prolific layer, several months ago her eggshells started becoming thin, then wrinkled. Then she started dropping soft eggs at night in the hen house. I took her to the vet, who x-rayed her. The vet said her ovaries looked enlarged and thought it might be ovarian cancer. Her bones were also very transparent, so she was low in calcium. She also put her on antibiotics. The next day I realized her crop was sour and so another vet added fluconazole to the mix. She has also been taking a calcium supplement because of her thin shells.

She does not like oyster shells or commercial feed.

In the meantime, her crop is full in the mornings, and I'm massaging it a couple of times a day. She will not wear a crop bra! Tried that. I got it to empty each day but has gone back to stasis.

Because of Red's prolific laying and calcium deficiency, I started inducing 14 hours of artificial night, and she stopped laying. Hooray. But then she started molting, first time in the 2 years I've had her. So I thought it would be ok to start giving her more light each day, so as to not shock her system.

Then last night after I massaged her crop, she passed what looked like a huge egg white. I put her in her crate and this morning, there was a soft shell and what looked like egg particles, maybe tinged with a little blood. But not one bit of poop.

I have an appointment this afternoon with the vet, which is getting expensive as I also have a kitty who possibly has intestinal lymphoma.

Does anyone have any experience, strength and hope, or maybe suggestions? The vet will want to xray her again, which costs $150, plus the visit. Should I have her put down?

Thank you all for your help.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

4-6 what? Months? @casportpony @ChickenCanoe
@Eggcessive

 

[Eggcessive]

She is definitely having a problem with her oviduct. Chickens only have one functioning ovary or oviduct. There bones may appear hollow because they are birds and that allows them to fly. Have you ever noticed any sneezing in your chickens? Infectious bronchitis or IB can cause problems with the egg shell gland portion of the oviduct. Wrinkled shells or thin and shell-less eggs are common. It also could be due to a calcium/vitamin D3/phosphorus deficiency. I have also seen this in an injured hen, my best layer of hard shell large eggs who was attacked by a dog, and nevered again laid an egg with a shell. So I would try giving a 1/2 of a human calcium tablet with vitamin D for the next week, to see if it makes a difference. It would be good as well to have your vet start an antibiotic such as Baytril (enrofloxacin) or Cipro to treat bacteria such as E.coli and mycoplasma which can cause infection in the egg tract. Those infections can lead to salpingitis and oviduct impaction, especially after an egg has broken inside.

 

[oakhavenmama]

4-6 what? Months? @casportpony @ChickenCanoe
@Eggcessive

Years.

 

[oakhavenmama]

She is definitely having a problem with her oviduct. Chickens only have one functioning ovary or oviduct. There bones may appear hollow because they are birds and that allows them to fly. Have you ever noticed any sneezing in your chickens? Infectious bronchitis or IB can cause problems with the egg shell gland portion of the oviduct. Wrinkled shells or thin and shell-less eggs are common. It also could be due to a calcium/vitamin D3/phosphorus deficiency. I have also seen this in an injured hen, my best layer of hard shell large eggs who was attacked by a dog, and nevered again laid an egg with a shell. So I would try giving a 1/2 of a human calcium tablet with vitamin D for the next week, to see if it makes a difference. It would be good as well to have your vet start an antibiotic such as Baytril (enrofloxacin) or Cipro to treat bacteria such as E.coli and mycoplasma which can cause infection in the egg tract. Those infections can lead to salpingitis and oviduct impaction, especially after an egg has broken inside.

The vet tested her for infectious bronchitis and it was negative. She's already taking a calcium supplement. We did an antibiotic when I took her in a month or so ago, then an antifungal, Fluconazole. She must have a block in her digestive tract since she did not poop even once last night. I guess I will just take her in and pay the $200.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Years.

4-6 years is a long time for a chicken, if you are just keeping her for eggs I would cull her, she is getting near that time. People say even with poultry pets for eggs should be culled after their second year, but that’s too short! Do whatever you feel is right.

 

[FluffTheDuck]

Which is just cull her, pay the vet to fix her, fix her yourself, don’t deal with it, etc.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any mineral oil or coconut oil? You can give a spoonful of mineral oil, mixed into some cooked egg or wet feed. Or refrigerate some coconut oil for a few minutes, and give some pieces equaling a tsp. orally with food. They like to peck at those pieces usually. That may lubricate her GI tract to help things move along.

 

[oakhavenmama]

Do you have any mineral oil or coconut oil? You can give a spoonful of mineral oil, mixed into some cooked egg or wet feed. Or refrigerate some coconut oil for a few minutes, and give some pieces equaling a tsp. orally with food. They like to peck at those pieces usually. That may lubricate her GI tract to help things move along.

That's a great idea, thank you so much. She loves raw egg and I'll melt some and mix with it. So weird that she all of a sudden stopped pooping. Granted I have been helping her along, but her poops had looked pretty good.

What do y'all think about going back to 14 hours of darkness? She wasn't laying any soft shelled eggs when she was having that.

Thanks to all who have responded.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, placing her in a dark room or crate for 16 hours per day is what many do to stop them from laying temporarily. Then let her out for 8 hours of light, so that she can eat, drink, and walk around.