*Update - Unsuccessful Spay. Anyone have experience with Suprelorin implant and/or spay? Egg yolk pe

[kculbert]

It was a bad week for chickens here. I noticed that my Australorp, Zelda had her tail down and when I picked her up to examine her, I felt that asites belly. The next day, my English Orpington, Big Fatty had a soft broken egg hanging out of her. Both girls are 2.5 years old. Zelda has never had egg laying issues before but hasn't laid an egg in at least a week. Big Fatty has always had egg laying issues - rubber eggs, dropped eggs, oversized eggs, thin shelled eggs, you name it.

I took both girls to the vet yesterday. Big Fatty looked good (and fat) but given her history we decided to give her the Suprelorin implant. She is my special girl and I don't care if she ever lays an egg again. She is a pet.

Zelda had an ultrasound and had at least three free floating eggs in her abdomen. The drained her and recommended spaying her. They sent me home with Baytril. I know there are options other than surgery to prolong her life. I know I could drain her abdomen and keep her on antibiotics to keep her around a little longer but I am hoping for a more permanent solution.

My husband was less than thrilled with the vet bill ($600) and even more unhappy with the quote for the spay ($700 - which I thought was pretty reasonable). He thinks I am crazy for even considering having a chicken spayed.

I have cried and cried about this. I know that Zelda could have the surgery and not survive. She could get killed by a hawk or come down with one of those mysterious chicken diseases and drop dead the day after surgery. She is so smart and beautiful and there would be a big whole in my life and the flock if she was gone. I am leaning towards the surgery so I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through a similar experience, good or bad.

Has anyone had a chicken spayed recently and if so, how did it go and how much did it cost? Did it solve the egg peritonitis issue?

Also, and recent experiences with the Suprelorin implant? Were there any side effects? How long did it last? My chicken had the six month one.

 

[kculbert]

Zelda was spayed today. It looked like she was going to make it. She was sanding up and even pecking at some food when she went into respiratory distress. They think she suffered a "yolk embolism." I feel very sad but I take comfort in knowing that I did everything I could. I gained valuable experience and know that I will not put another chicken through this surgery.

The chicken with the Suprelorin implant seems to be doing okay and I am praying she stays that way.

 

[Luvmy9hens]

Here are some pictures of Ellie while she was sick last week. My avatar is Ellie as a baby chick a few weeks old. She is VERY small. She weighs about a pound. My husband is used to seeing the chickens in the sink by now

This is how her problems began. She had not laid any eggs since last November. May 5th was her first egg since she stopped laying last fall - very small but perfectly shaped.



May 6th was a bad day for her. I came home from work and noticed that Ellie was looking a bit run down. She laid an shell-less egg in a dark corner under the kitchen cabinets some time during the day. I did not find it until after 5pm. My husband called her regular vet the next morning only to find out that she had left the practice and there were no longer any avian veterinarians on staff. Lucky for us, we found another vet about 8 miles from home. They scheduled Ellie's appointment for the next morning. I came home from work and noticed that Ellie had gotten much worse. I called the vet and scheduled an emergency visit for that afternoon (May 7th). At the time of her appointment she weighed 19.2 ounces. I knew that just as the last time, there was a membrane that had not been expelled and I was worried about the possibility of a systemic infection.

Throughout her illness, as tired and as sick as she felt, she wanted to be near us. She would walk over and fly up on our laps and settle down to sleep. In the next picture (May 8th), I had brought her into the bedroom where my husband was resting after working outside. I placed a towel on the bed before placing Ellie on the floor next to the bed. Ellie jumped up, snuggled up next to my husband (who was taking a break after working outside), and fell asleep. This day, and the next were the two most difficult days of treatment as Ellie refused both food and water. It was up to me to keep her hydrated. That meant waking up every few hours to ensure that she was getting enough nutritional support. I relied on her crop to guide me as to the volume that she was ingesting. At the time, mostly thickened liquids (baby bird formula Emer-Aid mixed with Rooster Booster).




May 9th - I expected to arrive home from work and find her dead. I kept bracing myself all day for what may have happened and tried to remain optimistic. Ellie was still refusing to either drink or eat on her own Her comb is NEVER this floppy. It was in fact, hanging over her left eye and obscuring her vision.



Sunday morning I called the vet and asked that she be seen. It was as though the antibiotics were not working and she was losing weight. The vet prescribed new medication, but the pharmacies in my area did not have it on hand. I asked that she receive a calcium booster and I would keep her on the same antibiotic. We were met at the office and Ellie was given a calcium injection. Cost - 13.00. THAT was a big surprise! Since Thursday, she had lost 1.6 ounces. I was worried as her keel was becoming a little more prominent. The big breakthrough came on Sunday evening when she took her first sip of water on her own!

On Monday Ellie returned to the vet for a checkup. She lost even more weight - another 1.6 ounces in 24 hours. Ellie had her blood taken that morning for a full blood panel. I was given 3 syringes of Cal-Nate (one to be given each day orally) until the results of her blood test came back. I was supposed to drive down to Albany (NY) that night about 3 hours away (work-related) and asked if I should take Ellie to Albany with me. It was possible being that she is so tiny and was so quiet and docile. It would be in an office setting and I would have been able to keep her close by feed her during the day as all she did was sit and sleep. The vet advised me to keep her at home in the event that emergency intervention was needed.

Ellie was fighting the feedings yet had no interest in eating on her own. I was worried that Ellie had forgotten HOW to eat solid food! She ignored her favorite foods and only nibbled at what was offered before discarding each piece on the floor. She continued to walk over to us and fly up to sit on our laps and wanted CLOSE proximity. I decided to wake up early the next morning (3am) for the 3 hour trip. In the meantime, I would show my husband how to feed and care for her while I was gone. The big breakthrough came very late that night when Ellie nibbled on a few soft spinach leaves! Since becoming sick, Ellie had completely stopped all vocalizations. As I held her before putting her in her box, I felt her her sides moving as they do when she "talks" but no sound was coming out.

I left in the morning after kissing Ellie good bye not sure if she would be there when I returned. I wanted to hold her one last time and as I did, out came the faintest of sounds. Almost like a contented purr. Now it was up to my husband to feed and medicate her as well as check up on her during the day. I was a pain in the butt constantly asking about her and how she was tolerating food, her meds, her progress...

I did not arrive home until Wednesday afternoon. As I pulled into the driveway, I noticed that my husband was not home. When we had last spoken earlier that afternoon, he told me that she was a little better than she had been. It was such a surprise when I opened the door to see her come running and "talking" a mile a minute! What a greeting! She pecked and pawed at my foot (she does this when she wants food). She looked wonderful and was back to her sassy self again! I was as happy as could be! As each day passes she continues to improve. We stopped the antibiotics after 10 days and have continued with the Cal-Nate. After one week, the Cal-nate will be administered 1x a week (more if needed).

Here are pictures of Ellie from 2013:










If Ellie's problems continue, I would like to get the implant for her as well. She has not laid an egg since this episode began last week and I want it to stay that way! I have also learned a wealth of information from you and I thank you for keeping the conversation going!

PS - I went out and bought some more organic Manna-pro layer feed. I will keep you up to date as to how she does with that.

 

[Wol1]

I've had two with egg peritonitis, both Golden Comets. I posted earlier on this thread. One, Honeybun, finally died from it. Her oviduct got inflamed from the infected egg in it, then more backed up behind it, it spilled over inside her. I took her to an avian vet who gave her a long acting antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. (If you live near Cincinnati, OH, Dr. Dahlhausen in Milford is a good avian vet. A long drive for us, but it was a relief when I found myself in a waiting room full of birds instead of cats and dogs.) She got better, took her back the following week, and he thought she was doing well, gave her another shot. We went on vacation and our daughter watched the farm. She kept a close eye on her, but I guess Honeybun was hiding it from her. Should have just had her take her back to the vet that week to be sure all was ok. When we got back, I took one look at her and knew it was back. Took her back to the vet who tried a different anti-biotic that works well at reducing inflammation in the oviduct. He thought she would make it. On Thursday, she didn't want to eat much. On Friday she wouldn't eat unless we fed her, bite by bite. Her droppings had become bright yellow, not curdled. Called the vet to update, they said they couldn't get her in until Monday. We managed to keep her alive over the weekend. First thing Monday am I was there with her. They kept her for 3 days and tube fed her, gave her sub-q fluids. Anti-biotics, etc. She just wasn't responding. The yellow poop was because her liver was infected/inflamed. The vet didn't think she would survive surgery. I decided to put her down rather than risk her dying in surgery. They gave her the shot and then I held her and talked to her and pet her while she drifted off to sleep. It was so peaceful. At the end she opened her eyes and looked around, saw me, looked at me for a few seconds, and calmly fell asleep. Of course I cried so hard I couldn't see straight for two days. And the unbelievable...they didn't charge me anything. At all. That made me cry even more.

The other, Sweetpea, I caught early and gave her penicillin shots and some Meloxicam (Metacam? an anti-inflammatory) that I had. She got better, then worse, so I gave her Ciprofloxacin that I had, 1/4 of a 500 mg tablet seems to work with my chickens. We kept her inside without much light (not completely dark, just no lights on). She got better and is now molting. So far, no more problems. She has been devouring crushed eggshells. I sprinkle them outside the barn when we let them out to forage at night. Some want them, some don't. I'm assuming the molt has stopped her from producing eggs. I've been taking her of the run and letting her eat her fill without rude interruption, and she is losing her boniness. I hope she recovers without relapse. If she does continue to have the problem, I will get the implant. Her health is more important to me than another egg.

I appreciate the description of the surgery/recovery time. Does anyone know the cost of the implant?

 

[Luvmy9hens]

Although Ellie had received injections in the past, I was told that the oral solution was a much safer option. Cost 13.95/bottle. It was actually dispensed by the veterinary clinic with a prescription type label. I am sure that any avian vet could prepare this for you. The oral amount that is dispensed is actually so small that the bottle should last a year or more.

 

[Wol1]

Quote:
And parasites. They decrease what the chicken's body can absorb. I think this has happened with mine. I need to treat very early in the spring.

Quote: I'm not sure. It seems to work for the factory egg farms. Or, I guess if they die, they're just inventory losses. My girls do forage. We have a portable fence which I move every few days. They are also let out in the evening to forage. And a few usually join me in the garden when I'm working. Lots of BIG juicy, crunchy grasshoppers right now.

My Rhode Island Reds, Black Australorps, and Ameracaunas have done well, with the exception of dear Mary Lou, who has one thing after another. The golden comets are sweet and friendly (except to the other non-golden comet hens), produce lots of eggs, and seem to have a massive mortality rate. If I had purchased these I would be horrified by what I had done by paying to bring them into the world. These were from our neighbors.

 

[kculbert]

Thought I would post an update. I decided not to give Big Fatty another suprelorin implant after the first wore off. She did start to lay again and there were a few odd shaped eggs that caused me some concern at first but most of her eggs have been normal. Her egg laying is tapering off as she ages and so I really don't worry too much about her any more. She looks great and has had no health problems at all in over a year. I would still recommend the implant to anyone with a chicken who is prone to egg binding or repeated laying issues. Every one is doing good (knock on wood) but I do have a vision-impaired Ameraucana who demands a lot of attention, but lays the most beautiful eggs and love to be carried around like a baby.

I hope all of you and your girls are doing well.

 

[kculbert]

Anyone? Scheduled for surgery on Monday and then boarding at vet so I don't have to take her on Memorial Day weekend trip to beach with in-laws who already think I'm weird. I am so nervous and feel like I am making an uneducated and expensive decision. Would love to hear from someone...

 

[Luvmy9hens]

Anyone? Scheduled for surgery on Monday and then boarding at vet so I don't have to take her on Memorial Day weekend trip to beach with in-laws who already think I'm weird. I am so nervous and feel like I am making an uneducated and expensive decision. Would love to hear from someone...

I have a situation similar to yours where the spay option was given. Ellie is a 2.5 year old Self-blue Old English bantam hen, and an INDOOR pet. Ellie was VERY for a week and we almost lost her. She laid a shell-less egg (May 6th) and the membrane stayed inside her for 6 days. She was brought to the vet and treated with Clavamox (antibiotic) and Cal-Nate (supplement). During that time, she lost her appetite and refused to either eat or drink. She was put on electrolytes and baby bird formula. She has since made a full recovery but will continue the antibiotics until the 10th day and remain on Cal-Nate for another week. It was also suggested that we install a full spectrum light over her area as vitamin D will help her to absorb calcium. This is the SECOND time that this has happened to Ellie. After the first time (and nearly 600.00), she stayed in the house. After paying that much money, I wasn't keeping her outside!

Better yet, get a blood test as I did for my Ellie to find out WHY she is having these issues. I was told that Ellie is deficient in Phosphorus, Potassium, and Calcium. I was told to get bone meal powder at a health food store and sprinkle it on her food each day. That may help with the egg laying issue and the shell-less, soft shelled, rubber eggs. I also don't care if she ever lays an egg again!

I would be afraid to have a chicken spayed. Very delicate surgery and very high risk of death. I was told that IF I wanted to get the surgery done, I would have to go to Cornell University and have Ellie see an endocrinologist.

 

[kculbert]

Thank you for the info, Luv.

I spoke with the vet and she said I needed to schedule the surgery asap since she already has ascites and a belly full of yolks. She has done this procedure before so I decided to go ahead with the spay. She is going in Monday and will stay at the vet for a week to recover in peace. I feel a huge sense of relief now that I made the decision, no matter what the outcome.

The chicken love of my life is the one who got the implant. It should last around six months and at that time, I will ask my vet about the tests that you had done. I know they drew blood but they were looking for bacteria. She has never laid internally but has always had unusual eggs. She is a large English Orpington and there is a reason her name is Big Fatty. She looks like a gloriously regal turkey walking through the yard so she could never be an indoor chicken. Her toes are almost as big as my fingers and her poop is just downright scary. Lol. I am hoping that keeping her from laying will keep her around for a long time.

I appreciate your response. It's nice to hear from people who really love their chickens.