Emergency crop surgery question

[Cpgrnwd]

I hope she pulls through!

 

[azygous]

Sounds like she coming along like the star she is. Don't forget to keep constantly checking the incision for signs of infection. It's rare, only happened in one case I've assisted with here on BYC. There was swelling and redness, and an oral antibiotic was immediately started, and healing then progressed to its successful conclusion.

Have an antibiotic on hand just in case unless you already have her on one.

 

[Opiumbrella]

Sounds like she coming along like the star she is. Don't forget to keep constantly checking the incision for signs of infection. It's rare, only happened in one case I've assisted with here on BYC. There was swelling and redness, and an oral antibiotic was immediately started, and healing then progressed to its successful conclusion.

Have an antibiotic on hand just in case unless you already have her on one.

I have antibiotics on hand. I would have just done them to be safe but she has dealing with severe sour crop for so long, I fear it would complicate things.
But I just changed her bandage. No redness or swelling. Stitches holding firm. Starting to see signs of healing. And she is crazy sassy today. Mad that she is only getting small amounts of food frequently instead of being able to just eat her fill. And mad about being in the cage she is doing really amazing.

 

[Opiumbrella]

I hope she pulls through!

She seems to be doing amazing

 

[NanaK]

And she is crazy sassy today. Mad that she is only getting small amounts of food frequently instead of being able to just eat her fill. And mad about being in the cage she is doing really amazing.

Glad she is doing so well. She's a trooper!

 

[Llegsmacedo]

Do you think you might want to try crop surgery yourself? I can walk you through it step by step. It's not complicated. You would need a competent helper to assist you. The only hard part is gluing the incision back together when you're finished cleaning the contents out of the crop. There is very little risk involved as the crop has no moving parts. The only risk is infection, but an oral antibiotic can help that.

I am considering performing crop surgery myself as I am in a similar position to the original creator of this thread where I can’t find a vet to operate on my sweet chicken. She ingested a large amount of nylon string and it is balled up in her crop. I have never performed any type of surgery before and am quite hesitant but seems like my only hope in saving my chicken. Do you recommend gluing the incisions instead of stitching?? Stitches are the main thing I’m worried about. If glue is an option what type and do you have any other advice?

 

[Llegsmacedo]

She seems to be doing amazing

Did you end up doing the surgery yourself???

 

[azygous]

If you wish to do this surgery, here are the supplies you will need, as well as an assistant. Review all of the instructions carefully.

Supplies to assemble:

A helper
Vetericyn wound spray
Betadine or alcohol
Saline wound flush
Sharp, sterilized cutting tool such as a one-sided razor blade or Xacto knife.
Sterile gauze
Tube of super glue
Latex gloves
Bath towel
Scissors to cut away feathers from incision site

Surgery:
-Wrap hen securely in a bath towel confining wings and feet, but leaving the crop exposed. No anesthesia is required. No pain meds.
-Have your helper hold the hen on her back on a hard surface or table.
-Locate the spot where the lump is most concentrated.
-Trim her feathers away so just skin is exposed.
-Prep the site with Betadine or alcohol to remove external bacteria.

Make a one inch incision in the skin. Do not cut any deeper than the outer layer. This will expose the crop sack.

Next, cut a one-inch opening into the crop sack, slightly offset to the outer cut. This is very important. You should be able to see the obstruction, grass or maybe something else that shouldn't be in there.

Putting slight pressure on the crop, push the obstruction toward the opening and pull it out. Continue until you can't get anything else out of it.

Irrigate the inside of the crop with a generous amount of saline until the saline comes out clean.

Dry the incisions by patting with sterile gauze. First apply super glue to the edges of the inner incision. Hold the tissue together until it bonds, about one minute. If it doesn't hold, apply more glue and continue to hold it until it bonds.

Glue the outer incision as you just did the inner one. Spray the incision liberally with Vetericyn. This promotes the tissue to grow together and heal. Do this twice a day for the next two days.

Feed only soft food such as yogurt, soft boiled egg, apple sauce, or gruel made from mixing water into her feed until it's soupy for the week following surgery. Give her a dose of Nutri-drench each day for five days.