Would you do treatment, or put down?

[Zahboo]

Spot went to the vet and we just got back. He has antibiotics, tubefeeding and some Recovery medicine. He has a neurological issue from an unknown cause and has dropped a ton of weight this week. The problem is is that after we've spend the $100 today and for tomororw, we can't CAN'T afford anymore, and it'd just the first step, he would need 10 days of the treatment. There is no payment plan. I'm thinking to build him up two days would make a harder fall... What would you do? Tomorrow he goes in at 8. Should we do treatment that we can't finish or just ask them to euthanize?

 

[Yvonne37894]

need more information
what is spot ie dog cat chicken horse

 

[Elite Silkies]

Is this a dog? I just don't know what to tell you, if you can't afford the vet visits, there isn't much you can do. I would talk to the Vet and see what they recommend.

 

[Zahboo]

Spots a chicken... Sorry I thought that was a given. He's a mottled cochin bantam.


He has dropped weight that you can run your hand up and down the sides of his keel. He pecks at his food but just doesn't get any in his crop, it doesn't make sense. The vet said he needs 10 days. We can't do 10 days.

 

[justbugged]

It seems to be my week.

With the neurological problems you could be just prolonging his misery, and he will die any way. If it's merricks disease you won't save Spot no matter what you do, and you could kill any other chickens you have plus any chickens and other wild birds with in a 10 mile radius of you home. I would cull now. I know it hurts, but with chickens it is often the kindest gift we can give to our animals. I would question a vet that gave me a treatment plan that didn't include some type of diagnosis. It could be that they don't have the heart to tell you that your pet is gravely ill, or that they can't tell with out a necropsy. If you don't have unlimited funds, as nor as do I have, then it is safer and more humane to euthanize the bird.

The rest of my story is that my Son in Law called last night, he had found an injured crow in the middle of a busy road way. SiL got the bird home and calmed down, and then assessed it's injuries. The crow had a shattered wing and a collapsed lung at the very minimum it's injuries. DSiL the wonderful kid, and he is has a lot of experience with wild birds while he was growing up in the Netherlands. He knew that it was unlikely that the bird would survive until morning, so he called me up to go over the best ways to put the bird out of it pain and misery. It's really sad that I know how to do it. But it still isn't fun. We all need reassurance that we are not adding to an animals suffering, just because we can't or don't want to deal with the inevitable.

I hope someone else has a better answer that makes more sense under the circumstances.

 

[Zahboo]

The vet said it wasn't merricks. That's the reason he went to vet is I have birds for sale and didn't want to sell until I knew. He said possibly moldy food, eating a sick mouse, but can't pin point it.

 

[justbugged]

I am really happy that it isn't merricks. That is a very good thing.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Sounds like you have gone the extra mile... done what you can. I would not risk anyone else. I'm so sorry.

 

[Elite Silkies]

I don't think the decision is any easier regardless of what kind of animial it is, but JMO I would put him down. There are some things that you can do for botulism and poisioning. There is a thread of what to give them. You may try that before you spend anymore money at the vet. Chickens hide their sickness well, until they are very sick and alot of times it is just too late to help them.

I'm sorry your going through this.

 

[Zahboo]

Just an update, he was put down and we decided to just bring him home and bury him instead of a necropsy. We pretty much nailed it down to him getting into something while free ranging and the neighbors do use pesticides on their garden, but I don't see how that could effect our plants if they aren't spraying it on ours. We have stopped free ranging until we find out what's going on though.