Sick hen with foamy yellow poop. Help! Update: Diagnosed with egg yolk peritonitis

[Fowl Mouth]

Very interesting thread, and I am not going to add anything productive... however, I wanted to say as gross as it may be, that monstrosity from 4 days ago looks like a bacon wrapped State Fair snack of some sort...

 

[gander007]

Yes, this has definitely been a huge learning experience!

Our vet called today with the pathology report. He said it was mostly proteins, consistent with those in egg yolk. They were also filled with a high concentration of bacteria, consistent throughout the mass. Pretty much what I expected to hear. He gave us ten more days of Baytril, just to make sure the infection is completely knocked out.

Over the course of a few hours this morning, she deposited three more things that look like shriveled up yolks. They're the first weird things to come out since the monstrosity a few days ago. They're sticky, but not wet. Here's a pic, for the curious:



She is continuing to do better and better every day. Her color has been improving and her comb is starting to stand up again. She has more stamina now, is starting to put on a teensy bit of weight, and insists on spending the afternoon outside, although she does still walk into the house for bedtime. She has resumed her position at the head of the flock unchallenged, which is good since I don't think she could handle a challenge very well yet. She is almost back to her old self again.

We are still uncertain about a long term solution. She is about four years old, and should be laying less and hopefully stopping soon... We've been saying that for a while though, starting two years ago when she began laying shell-less eggs all the time (Something attacked her pretty badly and she hasn't laid a normal egg since). We could wait and see if this becomes a problem again and get her more Baytril if it does. I have also read about people just keeping internal layers on a constant low dose of Baytril. We could give her a hormone implant, but those can have strange effects on hens like making them go into a heavy molt and altering their personalities. Or we could spay her, which would be a permanent solution but is a very dangerous procedure. There are lots of pros and cons and maybes for each option, it's hard to make a choice. Any thoughts are welcome!

This is one of the best learning experiences I have had in a wile thank you for sharing with us ...

You are doing a great job

 

[emmaie892000]

Although I will say I have NO idea what I'm doing, I haven't heard of many hens past four that lay regularly anymore. If I were you, I would keep her on a low dose of Baytril for the rest of her laying career.

 

[wendyrun]

Wow, amazing to have read through your story as we're facing a similar situation. My hen has been ill since last fall. A few months back we had to get her treated at a different vet and they did recommend to drain her abdomen.

We were told surgery was probably the only option bc they felt it was possible she might have a tumor as well and that she would not last long after draining off the fluid if we didn't try surgery. I talked to my regular vet later, and just wanted to take the least invasive course of action. So we've been waiting.

I was just wondering why we can't give her something to stop her from ovulating - so I'll be curious what you decide to do.

 

[Hanna8]

Very interesting thread, and I am not going to add anything productive... however, I wanted to say as gross as it may be, that monstrosity from 4 days ago looks like a bacon wrapped State Fair snack of some sort...

Oh dear! I didn't think it was possible, but now it seems even more gross!

Although I will say I have NO idea what I'm doing, I haven't heard of many hens past four that lay regularly anymore. If I were you, I would keep her on a low dose of Baytril for the rest of her laying career.

I haven't either. Most stop around around two, from what I've heard. That might just be layer breeds though. But she's been doing a great job of chugging along and laying those messy shell-less eggs for ages... Hopefully she will stop very soon! She's been laying them less and less often for the past few months, but I'm not sure if that is because she is retiring or because of the internal laying or both. I am definitely considering the long-term use of Baytril, I just want to weigh all of my options very carefully before I jump to a decision. What is your rationale for the low dose of Baytril over the other options, if you don't mind my asking?

Wow, amazing to have read through your story as we're facing a similar situation. My hen has been ill since last fall. A few months back we had to get her treated at a different vet and they did recommend to drain her abdomen.

We were told surgery was probably the only option bc they felt it was possible she might have a tumor as well and that she would not last long after draining off the fluid if we didn't try surgery. I talked to my regular vet later, and just wanted to take the least invasive course of action. So we've been waiting.

I was just wondering why we can't give her something to stop her from ovulating - so I'll be curious what you decide to do.

I'm sorry you had to go through all this too. It is a pretty terrible thing. How is your girl doing now?

Our vet elected not to drain my hen because she was still breathing fine and he didn't want to open the doors for further infection. He also said that he thinks the infection might be in her ovaries as well, but immediately added that he usually diagnoses chickens that are already dead and that we should take everything he says with a grain of salt. He wants to go the least invasive route as well, but doesn't know what that is exactly, since he doesn't do much with chickens.

Have you read up on hormone implants? They stop ovulation. People use one called Suprelorin, which can last for six or twelve months. Here's a link to a thread with more info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...tops-hens-with-egg-peritonitis-laying-anymore
(It has since become available in the US)

That is what I would go with for sure if it weren't for the strange side effects some birds get. I haven't been able to find any sort on information on how common those side effects are though, so I could be worrying about something that is highly unlikely to happen.

 

[mama2girlies]

I just recently went through this with my sweetest hen Lovey. She responded great to Baytril but now vet suspects she has a tear in her oviduct which is causing her to drop eggs into her abdomen. That means she will soon be sick again. Have you checked into hormone therapy and spaying? I wondering if there has been any success with these treatments. My vet said spaying is very expensive.

 

[casportpony]

A friend of mine was quoted $1500 to spay a hen.

-Kathy

 

[wendyrun]

Have you read up on hormone implants? They stop ovulation. People use one called Suprelorin, which can last for six or twelve months. Here's a link to a thread with more info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...tops-hens-with-egg-peritonitis-laying-anymore
(It has since become available in the US)

OOH thanks for the link - I have not read a single thing to be honest so I will check that out.

I just had to delete the book I wrote about what debates I had in my head about Lucy's condition and what treatments we should do. She's starting to decline again. I had to take her somewhere other than my regular vet when she got sick again, and they were emphatic that surgical solution was most likely to give best chance for her to improve. I never had the chance to talk w/our doc about least invasive options beyond getting her through this crisis.
She perked up immediately and did amazingly well after they pulled off that fluid. They rehydrated her and I took her home. I talked to my vet afterwards, and we agreed if she started to go downhill again, I would bring her and we'd decide from there.

Based on what they told us the last time, she would have already died if there were something else going on other than a malfunction in her reproductive system. The fact that it's been this long makes me feel more confident to find a way to enjoy her life in the backyard free from discomfort.

Unfortunately, I found out from our vet that they are not equipped to do hormone therapy. They just don't have the meds, and said we should have vet school treat her again. I am going to look for pro-biotics this weekend to see if that will shore her up and I'll take her to see them next week. I am hoping they can drain off the build up and see if they can do hormone treatment. Today she will be getting a warm bath and a soak, as well as some alone time in the crate in our back room - heating pad, blueberries, dried meal worms, and someone to make sure she's getting some fluids (and no, she does not like that part).

If anyone knows which bacteria are the 'right' ones, I'm grateful not to try to read the print on the package I saved from last time. I don't know if it's all the same ones - I've got some used to treat my finches too, but all of it is old and probably not viable...

OH, and Kathy - second that figure for a spay - that is about what vet school told me for surgery as well.



ETA - who am I kidding - this is still way too long. my apologies for all the 'blah blah blah'.....

 

[Fowl Mouth]

A friend of mine was quoted $1500 to spay a hen.

-Kathy

Wow. And I thought feral cat spay costs were insane.

 

[emmaie892000]

Oh dear! I didn't think it was possible, but now it seems even more gross!



I haven't either. Most stop around around two, from what I've heard. That might just be layer breeds though. But she's been doing a great job of chugging along and laying those messy shell-less eggs for ages... Hopefully she will stop very soon! She's been laying them less and less often for the past few months, but I'm not sure if that is because she is retiring or because of the internal laying or both. I am definitely considering the long-term use of Baytril, I just want to weigh all of my options very carefully before I jump to a decision. What is your rationale for the low dose of Baytril over the other options, if you don't mind my asking?



I'm sorry you had to go through all this too. It is a pretty terrible thing. How is your girl doing now?

Our vet elected not to drain my hen because she was still breathing fine and he didn't want to open the doors for further infection. He also said that he thinks the infection might be in her ovaries as well, but immediately added that he usually diagnoses chickens that are already dead and that we should take everything he says with a grain of salt. He wants to go the least invasive route as well, but doesn't know what that is exactly, since he doesn't do much with chickens.

Have you read up on hormone implants? They stop ovulation. People use one called Suprelorin, which can last for six or twelve months. Here's a link to a thread with more info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...tops-hens-with-egg-peritonitis-laying-anymore
(It has since become available in the US)

That is what I would go with for sure if it weren't for the strange side effects some birds get. I haven't been able to find any sort on information on how common those side effects are though, so I could be worrying about something that is highly unlikely to happen.

Well, I'm not an expert, but out out of the options, I don't know about keeping her on the Baytril forever, but until she naturally stops laying, because in my opinion, any laying in her case may hurt. Also, it doesn't seem as invasive as surgery or some other options.