Prolapse in 1 week old

[ditzyanne]

No big change in 8+ hours. She's loud, her vent still appears prolapsed but not inflamed, and I don't think she's passed much besides urates since I saw her this morning.

I'm introduce another chick from the brooder, and see if it improves the sick chick's appetite and behavior. I'll keep an eye out for pecking, of course. Tonight I may try preparation H to see if that might reduce the swelling/encourage recovery.

 

[Eggcessive]

Hydrocortisone cream or the ointment is good to use as well. Hopefully, she will eat and drink more. That would help.

 

[ditzyanne]

Tried hydrocortisone cream because I couldn't find any hemmeroid stuff, oops! She's gotten clogged up with urates again.

Offered scrambled egg to her, to see if I could get her to eat *something*. Still waiting to see if it works.

I let another chick in with her for about 5 hours. Seemed to enliven the sick chick, and she was happy enough to spill food but I didn't see her actually eat any.

She's walking very stiff and holding her wings more stiffly, as well. Is this a nutrition issue, a constipation issue, or something else entirely?

 

[Eggcessive]

I wish I knew. Can you try giving more electrolytes and fluids?

 

[ditzyanne]

Well, I thought she was gone late last night. She had moved off the heating pad and got herself nice and cold. Once I had her warmed again she still seemed barely awake; I started more or less forcing the fluid issue by dipping the tip of her beak repeatedly into a fairly strong nutri-drench solution. She appeared to swallow a tiny fraction of a mL every fifth dip or so. I checked on her ever 1-2 hours, forcing her beak to dip (by raising a spoon to where her head was drooping, or by actually dipping her head) each time I saw her.

By morning she'd left 5 spots on the paper towel, all of them watery! Prior to this she'd only left 2 droppings since I put her in isolation almost two days ago, so let's call it a good sign! Also makes me think she ate more than I saw when the other chick was with her.

She is still weak, stiff, and wobbly, but she's able to move on her own and is vocalizing far more clearly than at the bad points last night.

I left her with access to moistened feed, half-strength Nutri-drench water, and some moistened scrambled egg. No oil today since she passed plenty of fecal matter.

 

[Eggcessive]

That does sound like some improvement. Your hard work caring for her hopefully is helping. It sounds like her digestive tract is working some. I would continue to feed her electrolyte water and some raw egg and mushy chick feed, and of course some dry crumbles when she can eat.

 

[ditzyanne]

Failure. I re-arranged her setup and gave her the food & water access at about 7am before work, while she was upright and opening her eyes. My mother went to check in at 9am and found her stiff, so she must have passed no later than 8. Pretty fast decline at the end there.

Thank you so much for your help and support at all hours these two days! I think her prolapse was severe enough that natural recovery simply wasn't going to happen no matter what home remedies were used, but it felt necessary to try.