Salpingitis? Calcium? Antibiotics?

Oh, goodness. That’s a lot. But I paid as much when I had a hen hospitalized years ago. Didn’t tell DH what it cost. Super bummer he thinks the infection is secondary to something else.

Don’t worry too much about her appearing worse after sedation. I’ve experienced the same. Glad they hydrated her.

Sorry you and she are going through this.

By the way, my chic​
 
Oh, goodness. That’s a lot. But I paid as much when I had a hen hospitalized years ago. Didn’t tell DH what it cost. Super bummer he thinks the infection is secondary to something else.

Don’t worry too much about her appearing worse after sedation. I’ve experienced the same. Glad they hydrated her.

Sorry you and she are going through this.

By the way, my chic​
I'll have to read about shell gland problems......It seems strange that she was so normal and then suddenly Friday evening she was just totally changed in her behavior. From zippy to zapped. If the cause of the infection is egg yolk peritonitis does she have any chance of recovery? The vet seemed to think the opaque area (cancer?) could be a cause. Is the antibiotic the ER vet prescribed effective at all? I asked him about Baytril, told him we would never, ever consider eating my dear pet and certainly will toss the eggs but he said he didn't want the FDA on my doorstep. I think I could get Baytril at the local farm store tomorrow. When I went there yesterday I didn't recognize the generic name and they told me it was only an anti=inflamatory so I didn't realize it was actually an antibiotic. Ampicillin is supposed to arrive on Tuesday. Could cancer cause an infection? Wouldn't she become more gradually ill instead of suddenly going downhill so quickly? I found out the vet who saw her is actually an intern........who works at the hospital where he suggested I move Blondie so she could get IV hydration.

I don't know what I'm going to do about Thanksgiving. We're driving my 91 year old Mom, who has dementia, to my brother's place south of Houston....a 9 hour drive. We'll be gone two nights. Either my husband will have to stay here and do the medication , which is difficult, or we'll have to see if we can board her with the avian vet who has taken care of my Cockatiel. I told him we could take her with us to my brother's place and I'd set up a recovery area in the back of our Suburban while there....But, nine hours with my poor Mom asking the same questions over and over plus the smell of chicken poop doesn't sound like a situation which would inspire genuine feelings of thankfulness........
 
I'll have to read about shell gland problems......It seems strange that she was so normal and then suddenly Friday evening she was just totally changed in her behavior. From zippy to zapped. If the cause of the infection is egg yolk peritonitis does she have any chance of recovery? The vet seemed to think the opaque area (cancer?) could be a cause. Is the antibiotic the ER vet prescribed effective at all? I asked him about Baytril, told him we would never, ever consider eating my dear pet and certainly will toss the eggs but he said he didn't want the FDA on my doorstep. I think I could get Baytril at the local farm store tomorrow. When I went there yesterday I didn't recognize the generic name and they told me it was only an anti=inflamatory so I didn't realize it was actually an antibiotic. Ampicillin is supposed to arrive on Tuesday. Could cancer cause an infection? Wouldn't she become more gradually ill instead of suddenly going downhill so quickly? I found out the vet who saw her is actually an intern........who works at the hospital where he suggested I move Blondie so she could get IV hydration.

I don't know what I'm going to do about Thanksgiving. We're driving my 91 year old Mom, who has dementia, to my brother's place south of Houston....a 9 hour drive. We'll be gone two nights. Either my husband will have to stay here and do the medication , which is difficult, or we'll have to see if we can board her with the avian vet who has taken care of my Cockatiel. I told him we could take her with us to my brother's place and I'd set up a recovery area in the back of our Suburban while there....But, nine hours with my poor Mom asking the same questions over and over plus the smell of chicken poop doesn't sound like a situation which would inspire genuine feelings of thankfulness........
What a rough time you were having. How bad is she? I’m wondering if you should wait to start the antibiotics until after you return.

I don’t know the answer to your question. I had a hen who is treated with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and hormone implant for years. Three years, actually. The antibiotics were just a couple times here and there. In the end, she ended up having advanced ovarian cancer that had spread to a bunch of organs. I don’t think cancer causes infections, but these poor hens are so prone to reproductive issues, it’s certainly possible they could have both at the same time.
 
I should also mention that chickens are prey animals, and therefore tend not to show discomfort or weakness until they’re in pretty bad shape.

I have had a couple hens go rapidly downhill, and it turned out to be a septic infection. I have also had a couple hens with cancer, who were very, very subtley showing symptoms, and then it suddenly got worse.
 
I'm afraid to postpone the antibiotics......I'm still hoping to get some guidance from the avain vet I've used before. She put a hormone implant in my cockatiel when she was continually laying.
 
The medication listed in post 2 enrofloxacin is the generic Baytril. You can get it within a few days shipping. The sulfa antibiotic is something safe that vets are allowed to prescribe. It is similar to Bacteim and can treat many infections as well as coccidiosis. Micstrahan has a good suggestion to wait on the antibiotics until after your trip. That is what I would do. Chickens are known to have cancer and reproductive disorders often. They don’t live long sometimes. You really need to spend time with your mother and have a good trip. You could use the sulfa until you leave, and then start again when you come back. Or you can switch to another. In the meantime try getting her to eat and drink. Most people try moistened chicken feed and scrambled egg or tuna. Oats by themselves are not that good for chickens.
 
The medication listed in post 2 enrofloxacin is the generic Baytril. You can get it within a few days shipping. The sulfa antibiotic is something safe that vets are allowed to prescribe. It is similar to Bacteim and can treat many infections as well as coccidiosis. Micstrahan has a good suggestion to wait on the antibiotics until after your trip. That is what I would do. Chickens are known to have cancer and reproductive disorders often. They don’t live long sometimes. You really need to spend time with your mother and have a good trip. You could use the sulfa until you leave, and then start again when you come back. Or you can switch to another. In the meantime try getting her to eat and drink. Most people try moistened chicken feed and scrambled egg or tuna. Oats by themselves are not that good for chickens.
Thank you for the information. I just received the very extensive report from the ER vet and haven't had time to really go through everything. Blondie seemed a bit better today. I did better at giving her the meds this morning. Hopefully the antibiotic is working and she is in less discomfort as well as getting the extra calcium boost. I'm thinking egg yolk peritonitis may the the most likely problem, but I have to understand whether the extra tissue is cancer. It was not found to be fluid. I have a lot of Thanksgiving tasks to get done but I'll try to give an update if possible. My husband is going to stay here to do medication for Blondie. I let the girls have much more time in the "play area" today and they were all, including Blondie, scratching and eating small plants, etc. Blondie was not up to her usual speed, but today was an improvement over yesterday. She did seem to get tired at the end of the afternoon. I brought her in again tonight, which we will continue so she will be warm at night. I had to do some juggling of chickens to different runs in order to control one of Blondie's pen mates who is having a very hard molt and likes to quite literally "throw her weight around". Hopefully I can carefully read the medical report and see what I need to do. Thank you for the information about oatmeal. I thought since it was a whole grain it would be a healthy snack.
 
Blondie is outside in the sun today with her group and seems to be doing fairly well. She is pecking and scratching as well as digging in the dirt box. Other issues are described below...

The radiological report assessment reads: Generalized soft tissue/fluid opacity of the coelom-There is no distinct, organ specific, or well-defined mass effect to explaine the generalized fluid opacity or mass effect in the coelom. The increased opacity noted in the coelom is in the area of the kidney, bowels or transitional reporductive tract (oviduct). Differentials should include ectopic eggs, follicles, foreign body reactions or displaced organ tissues (oviductal torsion/herniation, etc.) Medulary hyperostosis is consistent with chronic laying. A contrast study, ultrasound, or whole body CT may be most assistive to try to identify the tissue involved or better visualize it on radiographs. With the history in this patient, infectious salpingitis and hypocalcemia are high differentials and the clinical may recommend supportive management, blood work, and supplementation to assist with any hypocalcemia present contributing to lack of normal shell formation in this patient.
Note: I was told contrast study, ultrasound or CT could cost as much as $1,000...........

My husband stayed home with Blondie while I was gone and gave her the twice daily antibiotic (Trimethoprim-Sulfa), Metacam, Calcium Glubionate and Entyce (supposed to help increase appetite). We've been keeping her inside at night so we know she will be warm. During days of rain we've had her inside the laundry room along with one of the Barred Rocks. I finally figured out how to get her weight on the Cockatiel's scales. When I took her to the ER on Sunday 11-20 they weighed her at 2.16 kg. The first time I was able to weigh her she weighed 2.05, yesterday evening she weighed 2.07. On days it has not been raining I have taken her out in the morning to spend the day with her age mates. I've monitored to be sure she isn't being bullied. She typically seems fairly normal, pecking at weeds, etc. I've seen her drink water and yesterday afternoon she did run to get treats with the other girls....I gave them bits of cheese and small pieces of a turkey hot dog which she seemed to like. It is difficult to tell how much she is eating or drinking but now that I can monitor her weight I can at least tell if that is going down. She has passed normal poop but this morning, just after I took her out of the crate in the laundry room she passed a very liquid yellow blob with a green stringy bit and a good bit of some clear fluid that ran over the newspaper
DSC_0052.JPG
...photo attached. This is the first non-normal poop since Friday night 11-18. Does the yellow color mean this is part of another egg yolk? Is this still her body trying to get rid of infection? Or maybe the turkey hot dog was too much for her system.

Last night I was encouraged because she was more active and I saw her eating at least a bit. Normally she would love some scrambled egg but she hasn't been willing to touch that. My Cockatiel loves English peas (cooked frozen) so I tried some of those and Blondie ate several of those. She also ate some of BB's bird seed which is mostly millett. This morning I could not get her to eat anything except 5 or 6 peas. We moved the mobile coop so the girls have new grass/weeds today and they are all, including Blondie, seemingly scratching and finding things to eat.

I don't know what to expect as far as her possible recovery. I'm hoping the antibiotic was started soon enough to take care of the infection. I don't understand if infection could possibly cause the opacity in the coelom or if that indicates neoplasia (cancer or benign growth). When I spoke to the avian vet who has treated my Cockatiel she emphasized that chickens are not long lived and typically have reproductive issues....which I knew. When my Cockatiel had chronic egg laying the vet inserted a hormone pellet beneath the skin on her back between her wings to stop her from laying. I don't know if anything like that could be done for Blondie.

I have enough of the vet prescribed antibiotic to last for several more days. I also have the amoxacillin I ordered online but I am hesitant to give it to Blondie because of the lecture (almost threatening) the ER vet gave me. He even recorded on the case notes that I had asked about illegal antibiotics and had been warned that I would be breaking the law to give anything on the FDA unapproved list. He told me he would not want to see the FDA at my door.....I'm actually wondering if he would turn in my name and address because of the way he recorded my questioning about Baytril.

I have enough of the Metacam to keep giving it for another couple of days. I've noticed that Blondie does seem to possibly be in some pain when she tries to sit down and rest on her chest. She kind of squats down but is still supporting all her weight with her legs. Maybe that is normal and I'm just noticing it. Would it be helpful to put some sort of roost in the crate where she sleeps at night?

Anyway any input, advice, suggestions, help in understanding the information I've been given would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 
I would save my money for CT scan. It sounds like she has solid egg masses in her abdomen from salpingitis. It can be from E.coli or other bacteria, and make enter the abdomen via the vent or from the blood stream. Many who have the money and a willing vet may get a hormone implant to stop the hen from laying up to 6 months, so no more eggs are produced. The yellow dropping looks like egg material, typical of reproductive disorder. I would try to keep her eating and drinking, and keep her as comfortable as possible. The antibiotics could help extend her life, but are not going to cure her condition.
 
Blondie is definitely doing better but obviously must have reproductive issues since some of her poops look like they contain egg yolk. I took her to the avian vet this afternoon in hopes the same type of slow release hormone implant done for BB could help Blondie. The vet said it would most likely be helpful but she cannot do it because it is illegal iin the US. She said she is already pushing the envelope to do this in parrots and I asked if possibly Blondie could be considered an unusual parrot.........Unfortunately no.... She said Blondie has a very slight bit of swelling and I should continue the antibiotics and calcium prescribed by the ER vet. No way to confirm without invasive measures but avian vet says reproductive cancer is common in chickens due to breeding changes through many years which were made to increase egg production. I still have several days worth of the sulfa antibiotic prescribed by the ER vet. I also have the ampicillin purchased online but if cancer is the problem I don't know that a stronger antibiotic would help in the long run. She doesn't seem to be in pain and I'm going to keep letting her spend days with the flock unless it is wet outside. I have spent a lot of money in trying to give Blondie the best chance of recovering. I've been willing to spend the money partly because I lost my first pet chicken, Speckles, due to egg yolk peritonitis. Due to circumstances beyond my control she was an only chicken and my husband and I both grew extremely fond of her. I didn't know anything about egg yolk peritonitis and maybe gave up on treating her too soon. I've always regretted that I didn't do every single thing possible to save her so I'd hoped to give Blondie the best treatment that seems reasonable. If she does not do well there will probably be a problem with the other chickens picking on her. Just have to monitor and see what happens. I do appreciate the advice and suggestions which have been given here. We've been having nice weather since Thanksgiving so that has been good as far as letting Blondie out with the other girls.
 

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