What's wrong with her vent? "PICS"

[LuvBantums]

I'm still pondering the photos trying to make some sense of what I'm seeing. It appears the vent is plugged. Is that what you see in real time? Is it solid material blocking the cloaca?

After giving her the last salt batch and accessing her vent more.....it looks like her outer ring area of her vent looks like it's dead skin!?! does that make any sense?

 

[azygous]

I'm beginning to think she has a very serious infection involving her cloaca. The yellow material looks like infected tissue and pus.

Do you have some latex gloves? If not, please check your hands carefully for any scratches or open sores. You don't want to risk having this bacteria invade your own body.

Next, you really need to poke through that yellow stuff and see what it's made of. Gently poke a finger into the middle of the vent and try pulling some of it away. Be very careful and stop the second you see any blood oozing from it.

We need to know if it's solid and plugging the vent. We need to know if it's an infected prolapse blocking the vent. If it bleeds, then that's probably what we are dealing with.

 

[azygous]

She's straining when she tries to poop. Her last poop was more solid but I feel I'm going to loose her if I don't do something soon

You are doing something. We are close to figuring out what this is, and then we will come up with a treatment plan. She may be blocked at the vent with infection and we will attempt to open that first so she can poop. Likely that is why she's declining rapidly. Then we will need to decide how to treat the infection, if that's what it is.

Stay with me. We are close to having a handle on this, I believe.

 

[LuvBantums]

You are doing something. We are close to figuring out what this is, and then we will come up with a treatment plan. She may be blocked at the vent with infection and we will attempt to open that first so she can poop. Likely that is why she's declining rapidly. Then we will need to decide how to treat the infection, if that's what it is.

Stay with me. We are close to having a handle on this, I believe.

I did get a little of her vent open and tried very gently to wipe away more. I let her sit in the salt bath again and it seems to make her feel good. I have some doxy, but I don't want to give her that if I don't have to. It really looks like her outside ring of her vent is dead tissue. I have exam gloves I've been using. I did make her bleed but just a tiny bit while I was wiping her vent with a cloth. It's getting so late here and I'm trying to stay awake for her, because she will not make it through the night if I don't. Thank you soooo much for your help. Is there anything I can do to make her comfortable or give her something to keep her going?

 

[azygous]

We will both be a bit late to bed tonight. We need to get her vent cleared enough so she can poop. You started that. Grease your gloved finger and insert it very gently into the center of the plug. Go in about an inch or less until you feel her vent push back as if she wants to poop, then withdraw your finger. That is precisely what we want to get her to do - poop.

What is "doxy"? We need to give her some oil to lubricate her digestive track so the backed up poop can begin to soften and move. I'm inclined to try a molasses flush as it's even faster than oil would be to get her opened. One teaspoon of molasses in a quarter cup of warm water and get it all syringed into her beak. (Enemas are too dangerous for chickens.)

 

[BigBlueHen53]

 

[azygous]

I looked up "doxy". It's tetracycline, a form that is very excellent for this application. It's comforting to know you have it at the ready if we decide this is an infection and not simply a poop-blocked vent.

 

[micstrachan]

@azygous thank you for helping OP. @LuvBantums how is it going with your girl?

 

[azygous]

It's going on eleven here. I will just summarize and wrap up what I think might be going on with this hen and what I believe we need to do to treat it. I believe she needs help immediately or she may not live until morning.

I am not there, wish I could get hands-on so I know first hand what's going on, but here's how I see it from the pics and the bits of info you've supplied.

I think she has a plugged vent and is constipated. Poop is backed up, and it doesn't need to be that way for too long before it can kill a chicken. So first step is to open the plug. If we had more time, I'd advise a teaspoon of coconut oil orally, and another in an hour, but she needs faster resolution. That's why I advised a molasses flush. It will stimulate diarrhea and it should open her up within an hour.

After than, another Epsom salt bath to gently debride the external vent area. This is the necessary first step in treating infection. Care must be taken not to lacerate or perforate the tissue inside her vent as it may be swollen and exposed. I believe some of this could be infected for some reason we probably won't be able to figure out. This will cause the tissue to inflame and swell and possibly bleed, all contributing to blocking the vent. I'm pretty sure infection is already well underway, and if not, it is inevitable.

Therefore, you will need to start her on the doxy. Give her 50mg now. In the morning give her .25mg and the other .25mg in the evening. You will probably continue it for a full ten days.

Each day, twice is better, she should get a salt bath and clean away any necrotic tissue. Treat with Vetericyn wound spray and a topical antibiotic ointment. She may need more oil orally if she is straining to poop.

I hope we got this in time. I'm so sorry if we didn't.

 

[LuvBantums]

We will both be a bit late to bed tonight. We need to get her vent cleared enough so she can poop. You started that. Grease your gloved finger and insert it very gently into the center of the plug. Go in about an inch or less until you feel her vent push back as if she wants to poop, then withdraw your finger. That is precisely what we want to get her to do - poop.

What is "doxy"? We need to give her some oil to lubricate her digestive track so the backed up poop can begin to soften and move. I'm inclined to try a molasses flush as it's even faster than oil would be to get her opened. One teaspoon of molasses in a quarter cup of warm water and get it all syringed into her beak. (Enemas are too dangerous for chickens.)

Quick update. I did all the above and I believe tall grass might be in play here. I have tiny fingers and her vent was so scared/swollen that I couldn't go but a tiny fraction. She then pushed out more solid (which looked to be grass), but it wasn't much and I had to stop to give her a break. I blew dry her feathers from another salt bath and gave her the molasses flush (she didn't take but maybe a tbls or more. She is resting now and I will be up the rest of the night I'm sure. I can only pray she makes it through the night. I do have preparation H if need be. I'm sure I will be on here soon, but for now I need a little sleep and so does she. Thank you so much and if there is anything you can think of that needs to be done.....please let me know.