Paralyzed quail hen

[Quailophile]

Help! My quail hen, Dottie, (picture in avatar) suddenly became paralyzed. She was fine, then she couldn't stand up. She can move her legs, but in spazzy way, and she can't stand. She can also use her wings to right herself if she falls over. She's eating and drinking, pooping and still laying eggs. I don't think she hit her head. Her enclosure has a net on top, nothing hard. No injuries on her, no swelling. She lives inside with my blind hen. She's almost 2 y/o. All my quail eat the same thing, and all the others are fine.

I have her in a little box with shavings and food and water cups within reach. I added vitamins, selenium, E and aspirin to her water, with no improvement.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your Quail.

Let's see if anyone has some suggestions for you. @Kiki @Nabiki

 

[Nabiki]

I know you said that all of your quail eat the same things, but what are you feeding them?

Is there a chance that she flushed and hit her head? You may not notice any swelling if she hit her head.

She is not young, but less than two years isn't old enough to be thinking it's age related. Did you consult a veterinarian before adding all of those things to her water? For example, how much aspirin did you give her? Overdosing on selenium can also cause problems, and it is also possible to overdose on other vitamins.

In the meantime, make sure she's warm, and you may want to separate her from the other birds.

 

[Quailophile]

I know you said that all of your quail eat the same things, but what are you feeding them?

They get a 50/50 mix of Modesto Milling organic chick starter and MM layer, with all kinds of vegetables, fruits, mealworms (dry), sprouts, etc. A little ACV in the water. They all lay like crazy and look great.

Is there a chance that she flushed and hit her head? You may not notice any swelling if she hit her head.

She lives inside with my blind hen, because she's small, and the other hens made her life miserable outside. The pen I have inside has a net top, nothing hard. It came on her very sudden on Saturday. I heard a ruckus, and when I looked, she was like this.

She is not young, but less than two years isn't old enough to be thinking it's age related. Did you consult a veterinarian before adding all of those things to her water? For example, how much aspirin did you give her? Overdosing on selenium can also cause problems, and it is also possible to overdose on other vitamins.

Those are pretty standard treatments for nervous system disorders. I just added it to her water, and gave her a few drops in her mouth to start. There's only one bird vet here, and she has a waiting list of at least a month. She also charges something like $200 just to walk in. I did write to the poultry people at UCD, but I haven't heard back yet.

In the meantime, make sure she's warm, and you may want to separate her from the other birds.

She is separate, in a little box where it's easy for her to reach her food and water. But she's pooping on herself, horrible cecal poops. I had to wash her this morning. I think I may have to euthanize her, which I've never done except to a pigeon I found that was horribly injured, and I threw up afterwards. And its hard, because she's bright eyed and alert.

 

[Nabiki]

It sounds like you're doing what you can for her. The feed sounds fine, so I would suspect injury of some sort, possibly a stroke.

It won't hurt to give her a couple of days to see if she improves, but if she doesn't, it will probably be kinder to cull. I understand how hard that can be. If you do cull, if you really want to know, you can send her to a state lab for a necropsy. Since you've already written to UC Davis, that might be a good choice. UC Davis is one of the best veterinary schools in the country.

 

[Quailophile]

It sounds like you're doing what you can for her. The feed sounds fine, so I would suspect injury of some sort, possibly a stroke.

It won't hurt to give her a couple of days to see if she improves, but if she doesn't, it will probably be kinder to cull. I understand how hard that can be. If you do cull, if you really want to know, you can send her to a state lab for a necropsy. Since you've already written to UC Davis, that might be a good choice. UC Davis is one of the best veterinary schools in the country.

You are in Petaluma? I'm down here in San Francisco. Do they charge a lot for a necropsy? How long would you give her? I just made her a sling chair with a box and some fleece fabric. She seems to like it, and is eating really ravenously.

What do you think is the best way to cull, if I have to?

 

[Quailophile]

Dottie in her sling chair:

 

[Nabiki]

You are in Petaluma? I'm down here in San Francisco. Do they charge a lot for a necropsy? How long would you give her? I just made her a sling chair with a box and some fleece fabric. She seems to like it, and is eating really ravenously.

What do you think is the best way to cull, if I have to?

Yeah, I'm in Petaluma, so we're pretty close. I hate to cull, so I'd probably give her as much as a week, total. If she's not improving in that time, she's not likely to.

The costs for the tests depends on what you're testing for. Here is the list:
https://cahfs.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/lab-tests-fees

Some of the tests are quite inexpensive, others more. Don't freeze her.

I cull with shears. Make sure they're sharp, and just take the head off. Have a good grip on her wings so they don't flap and splatter blood everywhere.

Here's an article on how to process, which includes how to dispatch.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-process-your-quail-including-gory-pictures.75834/

 

[Quailophile]

OK, thanks so much. I don't have a good pair of shears, but I have really good Felco pruners. Would they work?