watery crop

[wasatusay]

Woke up to much better poo, more normal but still a little loose. She had food in her crop, I gave her a small dish for overnight. She wanted to go outside and fussed a little (more normal behavior for her) I let her out for a few minutes so the other hens could she was still ok.
It is now about 1 o'clock and her abdomen still feels empty and I can feel the hard cyst. Her crop has gotten softer since this morning but not smaller I think it may be just filling back up from her drinking. No more poo. I am hoping for the best but I just have a sinking gut feeling. It is a bit like a roller coaster ride with not guaranteed out come.
Yes I am lucky they are here. They are the only vet here that handles everything from horses right down to hamsters and birds. It is just a shame that when you need your everyday chicken looked at you pay the exotic animal price. I still will not tell DH that it was actually 70 bucks and not 30. They did an excellent job setting and casting Maude's leg years back when she was a pullet after one of my dogs ran into her.
This was Maude with her cast
http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n142/DCINSC/chickens/?action=view&current=BROKELEG.jpg

 

[wasatusay]

Today has been what seems a long day. The tumor seems to be winning. No passage of anything all day and crop is backed up with fluid. The abdomen is seems to be thick, almost clay like and void of fluids you would normally feel and you can also feel the tumor mass. Maude is resting peacefully in the house, warm and snug and in no pain. I am most certain she will pass tonight. Some days being a chicken mom is really hard.

It will be a long night setting up so she knows she is loved and not alone for her long journey. Thanks for your support. At least she taught us something about tumors and chickens, I never knew before.

 

[MissJenny]

Oh, I am sitting right there beside you. Being any kind of pet mom is very very hard -- when they wrap their fins and feathers and paws around your heart there is no easy way to just 'et 'em go. My heart goes out to you and to Maude.

Jenny

 

[BarkerChickens]

I hope she pulls through the night!!

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

for Maude and you. Hoping for peace for you both.

I wonder, could the cyst be an internal egg (do not know Maude's age or laying status - sorry)? I know Speckledhen has some hens going thru this - the internal laying.

 

[wasatusay]

Quote:
Not internal egg that was first thing checked, it is a tumor cyst on the intestine . Still sitting up with her comforting here and there, making sure she is warm and gets petting. Pretty weak.
It is an internal cyst that grows in their intestines. From what I understand it is genetic, and kills at about 3 years +old and that is what she is. She has no eggs or egg bound, vet checked that first. If you feel her abdomen which should be soft and squishy you can feel the hard turmor's like hard clumps/ lumps/masses almost like stiffness of clay, most of hers are on the right side, every thing after that point feels like clay were in should feel like ...well your belly, fluid filled and squishy. I have never heard of this before but it appears to be not un-common. Only hope that what I have found out can help you diagnose something similar if you are hit with it. For the breeders, I am to understand that the tumors are genetic and passed on. In my case I am a back yard flock not a breeder so it is recommended to cull the blood line that carries the tumors. My flock of concern are muts so that is not much help. you can read my previous posts of my flock and it will tell you the mixes.

I cry tonight as she goes out of the world but have memories of here her and new members to the flock to keep me up in spirits. It was a life I brought into the world, loved, enjoyed and helped out of the world. She is a well loved animal, more than I can say for most of the world. Thank you all for such good words. But in the end let this show us that we need to read and read many places to understand the flock he hold dear and most 'to date ' places (vets) do not. Where is that country doctor that takes eggs for payment when I need one. Nothing they could of done either but I think of all of you doing what you can with what you have in these time and 99.8% of vets would turn you out if you brought a chickens into the office.
When I took Lucy the rescue chicken to the vet for a second prolasp vent. When the doc gave me a bill of over70 dollars for tub of tylan" once its open its yours" I was told by some ole fuddy dud make the comment that , that would be a boiler chicken'....I corrected him that it was was broiler chicken that fell off a slaughter truck months back that I rescued. at 45 days old with baby blue eyes. She grew into a wonder chicken, huge , friendly and brave. I gave her 6 moths of excellent care and freedom she could never believe. 70 bucks for a tub of tylan was worth every penny. sorry to be so mush about it by I am tired and have a long night of making sure my girl knows I am here for here not to mention the bottle of wine to either keep my sanity or knock me out too..I have a good grip on the ole boot straps and will sleep on the couch checking in on her all night. nothing like passing over all alone
Once this is past and I am coherent again due to lack of sleep and worry I will be glad to fine all information and post it.. Right now I am stressed, tired an my mind is on my bird being comfortable If only my tears could be medicine"
Sorry if I type-oed or made odd sense but really tied and few sips of drink to ease my pain of missing her and finding just the right place to put her. God bless my little Maude! and thank you all so much for letting me be fool over what most people see as a foolish dumb animal. How wrong ignorance makes the world see its self.

 

[wasatusay]

Knock me over with a boulder! I sat up until about 3am with Maude. With nothing else that I could do I rubbed her belly and talked with her. I figured she would be gone by day break. I woke up at 0800, checked on her. There she was with big green, white watery poo on the paper. Took her out to change the paper and she poo on the paper on the floor.

The second poo was green but not as bright with white and watery, but also had a few tiny pebbles. She started pecking in the sand box. ate a few crumbles a few grains of oyster shell and then at 10am pooped again.

, still green and watery. I have never been so happy to see chicken poo! She then showed in interest in my biscuit and ate a some crumbles I put down. I felt her belly and it is getting squishy like it should, not like clay. I was almost in tears I was so happy and shocked. We went outside for a while and she pecked some millet and sunflower seeds without the husk and even nibbled a little grass, tried a taste of the wet cat food I had bought here. Not wanting to over do it we came back in and she wanted to be in the sand box to peck around and then just sit and rest. Took her back out at 11 and pecked some more. She even wanted to challenge my big jersey giant hen. Head up, tail up only thing I didn't get was the tail wag.
I am at a loss for words at how she did this turn around?!!! Not out of the woods yet and will keep her inside on the tylan water and rub her belly some more. Maybe someone was listening to me in the wee hours of the morning when I asked "please don't take my Maude girl yet"? Crop is still soft but I see food going in as little as it may be. Keeping my fingers crossed. The vet did tell me that on a slim chance the antibiotics could make the tumor decrease, maybe I just got lucky for once?

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

for Maude - what great news for the morning.

 

[wasatusay]

As of tonight 810pm. Today started out full of surprises and is ending the same. Maude has been going up hill all day. She took an interest in the millet and then decided that she was taking over the scratch box that I scattered it in. Around 3 I decided to go into town north of here to Southern States feed, they have a lot other feeds stores don't have. Got some Kicken Chicken omega 3 + oil that you add to your feed and picked up some electrolyte mix. When I got home Maude and the young white Japanese bantam (different story) were both in the, what should be dining room, but is DH computer building room. I had stopped and got my self some coleslaw on the way home. I put a spot of it on the paper just to see if that would interest Maude and WOW she went crazy over it and ate about 2 tablespoons over the rest of the day along with bits of every thing else. She has more selection of stuff than a breakfast bar. I am feeling like a rock has been lifted. I am just amazed to see a bird that was so far down on the rebound, I have never seen that before. I guess it is true that chickens know best what they need to eat, too bad they can not tell us. I found a small semi loose brown and white poo behind her when I put her in her box tonight so my hope is lifted just that much more. I am so tired from the past 6 days I feel like I will be safe in knowing I can get a good nights sleep without worry that something bad will be there in the morning.
I do still feel the hard mass but in does not feel as big, but still there.
BYC is such a good place to share good and bad, Thanks all!, will post if anything changes.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Whooo - we are birds of a feather - you, Maude and me! I love coleslaw also - yummy!

So glad she is perky and eating.

Interesting that the cyst/mass is down - is that the antibiotics do you think? Fantastic call on the fluids under the skin for her, it is amazing how much support like that helps.

Thanks so much for sharing so we can learn.

Get a great night sleep!