Vent Gleet & Prolapse... desperate for relief

[dannagibson]

Hi friends.

I'm running out of google searches and keep hitting dead ends.

My current scenario is a 1.5yo Golden Sexlink named Betty. She developed vent gleet and it was NASTY. She also had vent prolapse, and I have been trying to follow all other recommendations to fix both these things for approx the last several weeks.

I have her in the garage, in a large dog kennel. I am feeding her a mix of feed and grit. We give fresh water daily with electrolytes and apple cider vinegar. She's drinking very well, and eating plenty.

Initially her vent gleet was so bad it was crusted like a big, hard scab. I used vetericyn and warm baths to clean that off over days. I would use preparation H and anti fungal cream around the vent and used as a lubricant to replace her vent to best of my ability. I am not a nurse and this part of the procedure is obviously not pleasant for either of us.

I thought she was really making great strides, but the vent gleet seems to be strong still, and I think she is still prolapsed daily. Which is breaking my heart.

She didn't lay any eggs for several weeks... but recently, she has been laying eggs daily again (in her confined space). At first, lots of blood... now, they seem to be cleaning up.

I have pictures of her progress and current status I will share.

Backstory:
I started this adventure with my kids. We had 4 backyard chickens and I am down to 2 sisters, Betty and Halle. I lost one girl to a hawk, and the other to a very severe prolapse and vent gleet... because I had NO clue what to look for. It was devastating for us all. I really don't want to lose another girl, for many reasons. Mostly, I don't want to give up on her...and of course I don't know what to do if I am left with 1 hen. Get more or give her away. They are both in the garage, in separate quarters so they're not lonely. I have the healthy one in a larger run, but she is over it as well. They miss being outside and I just really need some experienced advice... that may give me glimmer of hope!

Side note: chicken veterinarians are very hard to come by where I live.

The side by side photo is Nov 23 vs Nov 26 - big improvement
The other two are today.....

 

[Kiki]

I don't think you're dealing with vent gleet I think you're dealing with a bacterial infection.

Is a vet an option for antibiotics?

 

[dannagibson]

I don't think you're dealing with vent gleet I think you're dealing with a bacterial infection.

Is a vet an option for antibiotics?

I am not getting very far with vets around here that see chickens and have any availability. I was under impression vent gleet WAS a bacterial infection! I will check in to that more (vet) for sure

 

[Eggcessive]

Did the scabbing occur just before you discovered the prolapse vent? It might have been the result from vent pecking. If there was vent pecking, there may be a need for an antibiotic, but those can be hard to get over the counter for chickens without a vet.

Did her rearend smell bad before she had the prolapse? Vent gleet is an old fashioned term, but it usually is caused by a fungal infection. It smells bad, and there usually is red raw skin and a continuous dribbling of poo or urates.

If there is vent gleet, antibiotics might make it worse, but if there is bacterial infection, they may help. Vent gleet is usually treated with antifungal medication, such as Nystatin, sold online without a prescription as “Medistatin” for pigeons. You can also use Nustock cream around the vent.

It seems like it is taking a long time for the prolapse to keep popping back out. You could stop her from laying by confining her to a dark crate for 16 out of every 24 hours, and that can take several days to achieve. But it might be easier to keep pushing it back in. Here is a good article about prolapsed cloacas to read:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/prolapse-vent-causes-treatment-graphic/

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some more reading:
https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment-html/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/vent-gleet-aka-nasty-chicken-butt.64647/

 

[dannagibson]

Did the scabbing occur just before you discovered the prolapse vent? It might have been the result from vent pecking. If there was vent pecking, there may be a need for an antibiotic, but those can be hard to get over the counter for chickens without a vet.

Did her rearend smell bad before she had the prolapse? Vent gleet is an old fashioned term, but it usually is caused by a fungal infection. It smells bad, and there usually is red raw skin and a continuous dribbling of poo or urates.

If there is vent gleet, antibiotics might make it worse, but if there is bacterial infection, they may help. Vent gleet is usually treated with antifungal medication, such as Nystatin, sold online without a prescription as “Medistatin” for pigeons. You can also use Nustock cream around the vent.

It seems like it is taking a long time for the prolapse to keep popping back out. You could stop her from laying by confining her to a dark crate for 16 out of every 24 hours, and that can take several days to achieve. But it might be easier to keep pushing it back in. Here is a good article about prolapsed cloacas to read:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/prolapse-vent-causes-treatment-graphic/

Really appreciate your response, I have read those articles a few times and believe I have tried most options. I did end up calling the closest vet I could find. Tuesday (so, 5 days away) is soonest I can get in. She recommended I try Corid for now? I will pick some up today and try and keep the room darker for her.

 

[dannagibson]

Do you think there is a chance it is not prolapsed? I guess it looks different because I clipped her feathers. It does look swollen, but want to confirm.

Also, to answer your other questions - it used to smell MUCH worse. I think the smell is still there, but not nearly what it was. I couldn't stand to be in the garage for a bit, and now it just smells like a chicken coop.

 

[Eggcessive]

I don’t see a prolapse in the pictures, just a very relaxed vent in one, and a couple of a puffy upper and lower vent opening. Here is a typical prolapse with the red inner tissue protruding:

Photo by armorfirelady of BYC

 

[dannagibson]

Update!

I took her to vet a few weeks ago, which left us with basically no answers besides she can return to coop. I was so confused because the vet seemed to think no infection and no vent gleet. I mean, I had done a great job nursing her back to health and fixing the prolapse, but not THAT good.
So I gave them about a week and have returned them to the coop. It appears the mess has cleared up, but she still has a little leakage (more than her sister) from her vent. It’s runnier, more clear, and not sticking to her butt to make a mess. But it’s still concerning me? Any more suggestions on what it might be?

 

[micstrachan]

Did you change her feed? Some chickens don’t tolerate certain feeds well. Have you tried probiotics olin the feed or water?

I might try that, or acidified copper sulfate (1/4 tsp in gallon of drinking water... I think the course is a week, but would have to double check) followed by a course of probiotic.