This is kind of a continuation of my last thread.
My 2 year 8 months old Silver Spangled Hamburg hen Ildi is not doing well.
Had an abscess above her left eye in late December, and has had it opened and drained (scooped out) three times at the vet. She was on antibiotics for three weeks. 2 days from the end of the third course she started to go downhill very quickly. She was extremely pale, lethargic, cold feet, didn't want to eat or drink. I tube fed her the day before taking her to the vet as soon as it opened the Tuesday after MLK day.
He thinks all the antibiotics made her stomach feel upset (killed all the gut bacteria) so she doesn't want to eat, so I have probiotics and special dog/cat food to give her, but I haven't really noticed any improvement, and I feel like she's getting worse. She's not as pale as before the vet, but still not back to normal, and she's not interested in food or water at all. She pretty much just sleeps all the time. I've been syringing water and the dog/cat food to her, but I still don't think it's enough. Her poop is super dark green (which I have been told is starvation poop).
So, this is my plan:
I am going to tube feed her 3 times a day, and these feedings should equal the full amount of food she should be getting in a day, as well as keeping up the probiotics until she isn't starving anymore.
So, I need to know:
How much water should a 2.4 lb (2.7 lb before her medical issues) hen get in a day?
How much food should she get in a day (by volume)?
And what is your best, most nutritious and easiest to tube feed slurry recipe? And please be as specific as possible. What are the exact proportions of ingredients you use? If you're using baby food, what kind/flavor is it? I've been having problems with the food getting stuck in the tube and the end of the tube coming off the syringe and shooting out everywhere, and I don't think I have it in me to clean up another disaster mess like that again (it was EVERYWHERE! On the walls, blankets, shelves, etc. Just awful)
I have a 6 mm catheter tube that I use for feeding. I am open to getting a bigger one if you think it would be advisable. Please let me know what to buy.
And on top of it all I think her abscess is coming back. The skin above her left eye is starting to get puffy again, and this time she's holding the eye closed (she didn't before). And I could be crazy, but I'm pretty sure I saw bubbles in her right eye last night, so could it be she has some kind of respiratory thing too now?
Any help/tips/advice/comforting words are welcome. I'm so worried about her, and so tired. I'm at my wits end. Please help me. T_T
@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @DobieLover @casportpony
My 2 year 8 months old Silver Spangled Hamburg hen Ildi is not doing well.
Had an abscess above her left eye in late December, and has had it opened and drained (scooped out) three times at the vet. She was on antibiotics for three weeks. 2 days from the end of the third course she started to go downhill very quickly. She was extremely pale, lethargic, cold feet, didn't want to eat or drink. I tube fed her the day before taking her to the vet as soon as it opened the Tuesday after MLK day.
He thinks all the antibiotics made her stomach feel upset (killed all the gut bacteria) so she doesn't want to eat, so I have probiotics and special dog/cat food to give her, but I haven't really noticed any improvement, and I feel like she's getting worse. She's not as pale as before the vet, but still not back to normal, and she's not interested in food or water at all. She pretty much just sleeps all the time. I've been syringing water and the dog/cat food to her, but I still don't think it's enough. Her poop is super dark green (which I have been told is starvation poop).
So, this is my plan:
I am going to tube feed her 3 times a day, and these feedings should equal the full amount of food she should be getting in a day, as well as keeping up the probiotics until she isn't starving anymore.
So, I need to know:
How much water should a 2.4 lb (2.7 lb before her medical issues) hen get in a day?
How much food should she get in a day (by volume)?
And what is your best, most nutritious and easiest to tube feed slurry recipe? And please be as specific as possible. What are the exact proportions of ingredients you use? If you're using baby food, what kind/flavor is it? I've been having problems with the food getting stuck in the tube and the end of the tube coming off the syringe and shooting out everywhere, and I don't think I have it in me to clean up another disaster mess like that again (it was EVERYWHERE! On the walls, blankets, shelves, etc. Just awful)
I have a 6 mm catheter tube that I use for feeding. I am open to getting a bigger one if you think it would be advisable. Please let me know what to buy.
And on top of it all I think her abscess is coming back. The skin above her left eye is starting to get puffy again, and this time she's holding the eye closed (she didn't before). And I could be crazy, but I'm pretty sure I saw bubbles in her right eye last night, so could it be she has some kind of respiratory thing too now?
Any help/tips/advice/comforting words are welcome. I'm so worried about her, and so tired. I'm at my wits end. Please help me. T_T
@azygous @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @DobieLover @casportpony
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