Very sick orpington - Kidney failure? Please advise!

[SmithBrosChicks]

My beautiful buff orpington, Debbie, is very sick. We have seen the vet three times and I'm providing 24/7 care, but she is still struggling. Her symptoms are: pale comb, impaired vision (eyes appear normal), occasional panting, puffed feathers, watery diarrhea with bright green bits, lack of strength, thirst, crop not fully emptying, mushy crop. Capillary worms were found in a fecal float test two weeks ago. She has been treated twice with Albendazole. A fecal test yesterday was clear. When she drinks, there is a gurgling sound in her throat.

I am feeding her regular pureed meals and she has a good appetite. I am offering electrolytes in the form of Quick Chick. Debbie is 7 months old and her weight is very low - only 4 lbs. I have isolated her from the other chickens and and keeping her at the house. She sleeps a lot, often standing while sleeping. My best diagnosis based on the input of our vet is that she is down due to damage from the capillary worms. I'm concerned that she has moved into a stage of kidney failure and possible anemia. She is losing so much fluid through diarrhea.

My family is just devastated. If you have useful advice regarding the treatment of possible kidney failure, please share. Thank you ...

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

Thank you all for your suggestions and concern. After calling five local vets who wouldn't see chickens, I called the Hattiesburg Vet Clinic (the avian vet) to talk to them about my problem. The on-call veterinarian (who is not the avian vet) said if I could be there by noon, she could give me a tutorial. So, off I went with Debbie in tow! Two hours later, we were there.

After feeling the lack of breast tissue, the on-call vet was also stumped about where to give the injection. She called the avian vet. He instructed her and we pressed on. An assistant held Debbie like a baby with her stomach exposed and head up ... at about a 45 degree angle. The veterinarian sprayed the area surrounding her keel bone (below the crop) with a water bottle. She was able to separate the feathers to find the skin. She then injected the medication right beside the keel bone at a slight angle into the small bit of muscle that was there.

Now for the fun part ... she said, "It's your turn." She put a small bit of saline in the syringe and told me to "go for it." For easier penetration, she instructed me to angle the needle so that the longer end of the tip was closer to her skin. Although I didn't want to stick Debbie again (she didn't seem to mind too much) and I thought I might faint, I forced myself to do it. And, guess what??? I DID IT!!! Twice!!! Poor Debbie, although I think she actually slept through some of it.

My husband and I will do this on our own later tonight. Wish us luck!! Oh, I have been driving ALL day ... and making multiple stops to feed myself and Debbie. I'm tired. I'll post pictures of the insertion site tomorrow. This may be helpful to squeamish novices like me who need to give a skinny chicken a shot.

#TeamDebbie

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

Whew. I'm happy to say that we're home after a four hour round trip to the avian vet, Dr. Ricks, in Hattiesburg, MS. I have good and bad news. I'll share the bad first where I can end on a high note.

Debbie is very sick ... very, very sick. She weighed less than four pounds. The veterinarian was quite concerned. He thinks that if she holds onto life for 24 hours, she may have a fighting chance. Mississippi comes in last in a lot of things, but I believe we hit the jackpot with this incredible doctor and staff. He was incredibly thorough. He doesn't have a fluffy bedside manner, but I was quite impressed with his confidence regarding the care of birds. This was my main "take" of the day ... Birds cannot be treated like cats, dogs, goats, pigs, horses, or cows. They are completely different. One size doesn't fit all farm animals.

On January 20 and February 1, Debbie received steroid and antibiotic doses from the general vet that could have been fatal for her. This may be what ramped up her decline and has possibly put her in kidney failure. This news is difficult to digest. Very specific antibiotics are given to birds - gradually - not in one dose.

I thought I was going to lose my beautiful girl on our two hour drive home. Her breathing was so labored. At one point, I pulled over to pray for her and cry a bit. It looks as though God was listening ... on to some good news ...

We made it home. Debbie is under a heat lamp, she ate about half a cup of formula on her own, and drank nearly a cup of water. She is sleeping peacefully with no heavy breathing.

This is Debbie's course of treatment over the next few days / weeks ...

1. Weigh her twice a day to track any weight gain or loss.

2. Bowl feed (if she will take it) or tube feed 4-5 times a day. We will be mixing Exact Hand Feeding Formula by Kaytee with warm water and feeding about 15 cc's at each feeding.

3. Water can be offered, but if Debbie won't take it, she can get it through the food.

4. We will be giving Debbie injections of the antibiotic Ceftazidime twice a day (4 cc) for three weeks - injections are given in the lower chest directly by the keel bone.

5. Dr. Ricks suggested we use an infrared heat lamp to keep Debbie's area between 80 and 85 degrees. I'll be monitoring the temperature with a digital thermometer.

Today has been an amazing learning experience for moving forward as a successful backyard chicken lover. Debbie is our lap chicken. The others are great fun, but they're way too busy searching for treasures to sit with us. We have two boys, 13 and 17, who love this chicken as much as I do. Debbie certainly has a will to live and I'm going to do all I can to help her. Please send some prayers up that she makes it to through the next 24 hours. This time is so crucial.

I'll continue to keep you posted as things progress. Debbie says, "Thank you!" Right now she is poking her head over the top of her temporary home, a blue Tupperware container, in my living room. Yes, I know I shouldn't have a chicken in the house, but you just can't say no to this sweet face...

#TeamDebs

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

Wow, those vets are worth the weight of whatever you're paying them.
Hands on help and training.

Absolutely. No charge today for the lesson.

 

[aart]

Her bowel movements (TMI) seem to be a little more normal.

Poop info and pics are never TMI.
One of the best diagnostics.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

Been waiting all day for your update. Many, if not most, of us totally understand loving a chicken so much you're willing to drive four hours to get her the treatment she needs. It's a big relief to know she got the right treatment. If you hadn't made the decision you did, Debbie may not have survived.

Chickens can pull through some of the worst crises even though they went right up to that threshold of no return. She' going to make it. I can feel it.

Did the vet give her an infusion of fluids? Glucose? Fluids are critical. Did they show you how to tube fluids if she can't drink?

That's encouraging to hear that they can pull through ... even at the threshold of no return. That's where we were today. Her appetite has picked back up. She loves the bird formula and she is drinking well. Yes, if she refuses to eat, he instructed me on tube feeding.

He didn't give fluids today. I guess because she is drinking well?? She is warm and cozy sleeping under her heat lamp right now. I have a thermometer tracking the temp. I'll update again tomorrow. Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[aart]

Wow, those vets are worth the weight of whatever you're paying them.
Hands on help and training.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

How is sweet Debbie this morning?

Hi! I'm so sorry I'm just responding. Today was quite the day. To top it off, we have an old house (1942 model). I forgot to put the cover on the floor air intake after installing new air filters. I fell into the hole. Not kidding. I'm pretty bummed up, but lucky. It could have been much worse. Maybe I'll laugh about it one day.

Thank you for asking about Debbie. She is holding her own. I'm becoming a pro at giving injections, although it isn't easy. She ate 6 ounces of Kaytee bird formula today ... I've started feeding her from my palm which seems to work best. Her bowel movements (TMI) seem to be a little more normal. Unfortunately, she is still visually impaired, crazy thin, and open mouth breathing. I'm encouraged that she made it through the weekend. I see a little spark in there! This chicken is a fighter!

Thanks again. I'll tell Debbie you asked about her.

 

[SmithBrosChicks]

Hi friends. We're in the middle of a winter storm here in Mississippi. Yes, I said a winter storm in Mississippi. We're SO not ready for this. I've been working diligently to make sure my feathered girls are safe and warm enough. Storm preparations and a family Covid death explain my delay in updating you all about Debbie's condition.

I got up at 5 a.m. Thursday morning to take Debbie back to the vet. I knew she was struggling. Sadly, she had passed during the night. It took raising chickens of my own to realize how smart, loving, and fun they can be. Debbie was my hugger and lap sitter. We did everything we could to save her and she held on as long as she could. For the safety of my other ten girls, we are having a necropsy performed. I should have details in a week. I'll be sure to keep you all updated.

Again, I thank you for your advice, prayers, and support. Our beautiful "Debs" is going to be missed so much.

 

[azygous]

I would start the hen on an antibiotic such as amoxicillin or whatever you can get the vet to agree to provide.

I would stop the electrolytes, but you can put a little sugar in her water to keep her glucose up.

It sounds like an infection. She may be starting to get a yeasty crop, and an antibiotic would aggravate that, so miconazole or some other anti-yeast med would help keep that under control while the infection is being treated.