I'm at a loss?

[TJAnonymous]

OK, I have no idea how to manage this one.

A few days ago, I noticed one of my Ameracauna hens squatting like she needed to poop but nothing came out. I thought perhaps she was egg bound. I was going to catch her that night when she was roosting but we had severe weather so I couldn't go out. Two days passed. I managed to catch her and bring her inside late last night to the quarantine cage. She was in there for an hour or so before I could come back to her with the intention of a closer examination and a warm water soak.

When I came back to her, I noticed she had pooped some in the crate. It seemed rather dry but no worms or blood. She smelled God awful though. I soaked her in warm water. She pooped more in the water. I couldn't get a really good look at her vent but I thought maybe she had poop stuck around her vent. I washed her really good. She did NOT like me picking at it. I rinsed her really well and put her back in the crate.

This morning she had pooped in the crate and it looked the same, a little dry. I was gone all day. Came back this evening and she still smells awful. Gave her another warm water soak with Epsom salt. I gently felt around her vent and noticed it felt hard. I felt that yesterday but assumed it was dried poop. She gets really upset when you press on it. I wrapped her in a towel so I could get a decent look this time.

Yeah, this does not look good. It almost looks like the tissue around her vent is necrotic? She is eating and drinking. I don't even know what would cause something like that? The tissue is not flexible at all. It is very hard. I gave her some Calcium Citrate just because I thought it wouldn't hurt.

@Wyorp Rock
@Eggcessive
@azygous

Have any of you ever seen something like this before? Any suggestions on how to treat it? Or is she beyond help?

 

[azygous]

Can you get Manuka honey? I would cleanse the vent well, dry it off and put Manuka honey on it, applying it several times a day. It does look necrotic, but it may still be treatable.

Is she dribbling a watery fluid from her vent? Does it smell acrid, sharp and very unpleasant? I think she may be egg bound and she has probably been prolapsing for a while now, thus the dried out vent tissue. It must be kept moist, thus the Manuka honey.

Give her the calcium citrate in the morning again. It will help with contractions to expel the blockage that is causing this.

Be sure she has several layers of towels to absorb the fluids she's losing. I usually place paper towels on top the old bath towels in the crate so they can be easily changed when they get soiled.

Make food and water available, and a little sugar and Nutri-drench in the water can also help.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Can you get Manuka honey? I would cleanse the vent well, dry it off and put Manuka honey on it, applying it several times a day. It does look necrotic, but it may still be treatable.

Is she dribbling a watery fluid from her vent? Does it smell acrid, sharp and very unpleasant? I think she may be egg bound and she has probably been prolapsing for a while now, thus the dried out vent tissue. It must be kept moist, thus the Manuka honey.

Give her the calcium citrate in the morning again. It will help with contractions to expel the blockage that is causing this.

Be sure she has several layers of towels to absorb the fluids she's losing. I usually place paper towels on top the old bath towels in the crate so they can be easily changed when they get soiled.

Make food and water available, and a little sugar and Nutri-drench in the water can also help.

Yes, she is dribbling what looked like watery poop. And it does smell putrid. The first time I soaked her, I felt her abdomin to see if I felt anything. Didn't feel any egg or anything out of the ordinary. I also tried to very gently feel inside her vent to see if I could feel anything that shouldn't be there... I couldn't even get the tip of my finger into her vent because the necrotic tissue is so hardened.

I'm not sure if I have manuka honey. I might... I will definitely check. Would coconut oil or mineral oil work if I don't?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I agree, it looks like she may have prolapsed at some point and the tissue has dried, become necrotic.

The material that's surrounding the vent will become hard and crusty, so soakings and keeping that moist can be helpful.

If you don't have the honey, I would use whatever you have on hand. Coconut oil or mineral oil will work.
She may heal o.k. but this is going to take a while, that material will probably slough off, but it's also going to have like a buildup slightly inside the vent too.

 

[TJAnonymous]

OK, no manuka honey. I have local honey and raw honey from Brazil, but no manuka honey.

Tonight after her soak, I did spray it with mineral oil just because it was so hard and I hoped to soften it up. I also have coconut oil that I can put on it.

A couple of other thoughts... Naturally I'm concerned about infection. Would it make sense to crush up some aspirin to mix with the mineral oil and apply to the necrotic tissue?

I also have Betadine soap. And vetricyn.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Oh, I also have a prescription cream that will debride dead tissue. (My husband suffered major burns on his arm a few years ago.) I would have to find it though in our med supplies... Would that be useful?

Along those lines, I also have a TON of Vaseline gauze. I could cut strips and cover the outer edges of the tissue.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have no idea what the cream is.

You can use raw organic honey if you wish or the mineral/coconut oils.

The main goal is to keep the tissue moist with ointment. Not sure I'd use vaseline gauze, it will get poop on it and you would have to change frequently.

Infection is possible, you may want to cleanse the wound well with betadine or spray it with betadine after soaking, then apply your oils/honey.

If you have an antibiotic on hand, that may be helpful as well.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I have triple antibiotic (no painkiller) and I also have metronidazole that I can give.

 

[azygous]

Manuka honey is not for eating. It's a first aid item. It's very, very thick and stiff, easily adhering to the wound. It would be worth ordering some. Meanwhile, do as @Wyorp Rock suggests.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have triple antibiotic (no painkiller) and I also have metronidazole that I can give.

Do you have any Amoxicillin, Tetracycline(s) or Baytril?

Metronidazole would not be my choice to treat infection like this, but do your research and you may find it would work o.k. It's most commonly used to treat Canker (Trichomoniasis) in poultry.