Sick banty, going on 3 days, no change

[4chicksN4boys]

My little banty has been down for 3 days now. This is sooo hard to watch. She can’t stand, though she flops around in the crate we have her in. She will attempt to stand but just falls right over. We have to sit with her at all times or she falls over and can’t get up…its just sad.
She will not drink, we’ve been giving her water/ electrolytes through a dropper and soaked on bread, but now she no longer wants soaked bread. I also started her on antibiotics on the advice of the man at the co-op. I have tried giving her vitamins but I guess she can smell that and refuses eat/drink anything with vitamins in it. She will not eat anything except for cooked corn, dry bread and nibble on a little grass. She ate a little egg shell and yogurt yesterday but today she doesn’t want it. She’s had green runny poop mixed with some thicker white poop. It’s VERY stinky!…we have her in the house and when she goes, it stinks the house up.
I just don’t know what else to do…I hate seeing her like this and just wonder if there is a chance for her to recover? We could never end her life, she is my children’s pet, but it’s just heartbreaking to see her like this. How much longer could she hold out like this?
Is there anything else I can do that might help her?

 

[mypicklebird]

You are doing the supportive care you can do, so now you can either take her to a vet and see what they think or continue supportive care and see what happens.

If she was injured, there is a chance she will recover. If she has Marek's (virus), it is highly unlikely she will recover (this typically causes progressive paralysis starting in the legs). If she has a bacterial infection somewhere- antibiotics may help her.

This is harsh, but I think this is true--If she is suffering- and not getting better, the ending of life by you or someone else such as a veterinarian or chicken keeping neighbor friend- is the humane thing to do, the last thing your kids need to see is a pet dying on it's own. Most pets (and chicken pets) do not die nicely in their sleep- it will be a protracted gasping and flapping affair when the bird becomes overwhelmed by dehydration or whatever the underlying problem is.

 

[mypicklebird]

drat double post