Hello, please excuse the long post, I wanted to include as much info as possible...my 3-4yr old rescue large breed hen, Pearl, has been poorly for several days, her weight is currently ok. She has a history of sporadic laying of soft shelled eggs and suffered a prolapsed vent and subsequent infection last summer and another similar infection (without the prolapse) in September. Both treated successfully with Baytril and Metacam.
Current symptoms (last 36 hours)...lethargic, eyes closed most of the time, mucky bottom, crop a bit squashy but I think it is filled with water as she's drinking a lot. She has been having trouble holding down food/liquid and has 'vomited' quite a lot but has kept down the latest food and water she has had, on/off diarrhoea (white, brown/black in colour mainly). Comb has flopped over and has darkened on the tips. No smell at all from her mouth as did think of sour crop.
She first started showing signs of being under the weather 2-3 weeks ago, lethargic, loss of appetite, on/off diarrhoea and bottom getting a bit mucky (same symptoms she had the previous year)...treated her with a 3 day course of Baytril and Metacam...there was a slight improvement but a week later she got poorly again.
Took her to the vets...her abdomen was quite solid and vet suggested egg peritonitis although on internal examination she couldn't feel anything and said Pearl wasn't showing any signs at all of laying /getting ready to lay (she hasn't laid since last summer) and diagnosed an infection and to treat with a slightly higher dose of antibiotic (Baytril again).
On return from the vets she was very distressed and started 'vomiting' food that she has eaten 2-3 days previously (presume it had been sitting in her crop) and then wouldn't eat at all. Tried the dose of Baytril and she brought that back up instantly. Thought she would die overnight but still here this morning so phoned vet with my fear of egg peritonitis (as she has been sitting a little bit penguin-like) and he suggested 8 drops of Metacam daily on food for a few days and hopefully she would be ok. (Not heard of this as a treatment for it?!)
She is drinking lots of water and has started eating again today...I'm giving her plain probiotic yoghurt and mashed up hard boiled egg mixed with plain cottage cheese...about a teaspoon every hour or so. So far she's kept that down.
The discolouration on her feathers is the liquid she has been regurgitating...you can also see it splattered all over the towel behind (sorry,
yucky!)
She looks awful bless her and, although not totally sure what is wrong, I know the prognosis isn't promising but she's trying so hard to keep going so I don't want to give up on her.
Is there anything else anyone can suggest I could be doing? I have read about an Epsom salt bath...any opinions on this??
Any help/suggestions/opinions much appreciated.
Current symptoms (last 36 hours)...lethargic, eyes closed most of the time, mucky bottom, crop a bit squashy but I think it is filled with water as she's drinking a lot. She has been having trouble holding down food/liquid and has 'vomited' quite a lot but has kept down the latest food and water she has had, on/off diarrhoea (white, brown/black in colour mainly). Comb has flopped over and has darkened on the tips. No smell at all from her mouth as did think of sour crop.
She first started showing signs of being under the weather 2-3 weeks ago, lethargic, loss of appetite, on/off diarrhoea and bottom getting a bit mucky (same symptoms she had the previous year)...treated her with a 3 day course of Baytril and Metacam...there was a slight improvement but a week later she got poorly again.
Took her to the vets...her abdomen was quite solid and vet suggested egg peritonitis although on internal examination she couldn't feel anything and said Pearl wasn't showing any signs at all of laying /getting ready to lay (she hasn't laid since last summer) and diagnosed an infection and to treat with a slightly higher dose of antibiotic (Baytril again).
On return from the vets she was very distressed and started 'vomiting' food that she has eaten 2-3 days previously (presume it had been sitting in her crop) and then wouldn't eat at all. Tried the dose of Baytril and she brought that back up instantly. Thought she would die overnight but still here this morning so phoned vet with my fear of egg peritonitis (as she has been sitting a little bit penguin-like) and he suggested 8 drops of Metacam daily on food for a few days and hopefully she would be ok. (Not heard of this as a treatment for it?!)
She is drinking lots of water and has started eating again today...I'm giving her plain probiotic yoghurt and mashed up hard boiled egg mixed with plain cottage cheese...about a teaspoon every hour or so. So far she's kept that down.
The discolouration on her feathers is the liquid she has been regurgitating...you can also see it splattered all over the towel behind (sorry,
yucky!)
She looks awful bless her and, although not totally sure what is wrong, I know the prognosis isn't promising but she's trying so hard to keep going so I don't want to give up on her.
Is there anything else anyone can suggest I could be doing? I have read about an Epsom salt bath...any opinions on this??
Any help/suggestions/opinions much appreciated.
