Vent gleet

[Justinekeys]

I adopted a rooster that has severe vent gleet. He has a bad cane on his butt, he’s all swollen, a bad foul smell comes from him and he keeps puffing his feathers out and just sitting there. He does eat and drink still. Poop is runny. Like I said I just got him like this. I bathed him in warm water with epsom salt and put monistat on him. What else can I do? I feel so bad for him I don’t know how long he’s been this way.
Does he need to see a doctor?
What else can I do at home?

 

[User690263]

@azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I adopted a rooster that has severe vent gleet. He has a bad cane on his butt, he’s all swollen, a bad foul smell comes from him and he keeps puffing his feathers out and just sitting there. He does eat and drink still. Poop is runny. Like I said I just got him like this. I bathed him in warm water with epsom salt and put monistat on him. What else can I do? I feel so bad for him I don’t know how long he’s been this way.
Does he need to see a doctor?
What else can I do at home?

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of him, his vent and his poop?

If vet care is an option, that's usually best.

If it's an option to take him back, then you may want to consider doing this.

Since he's new, I'd keep him separated out from any other poultry or birds that you have for an observation period of at least 3 weeks. Ideally until he's completely healed from whatever he has going on.
During the observation period, check him for lice/mites, consider deworming and make note of any symptoms of respiratory illness.

https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment-html/

 

[azygous]

Vent gleet is notoriously difficult to treat. The yeast occupies the entire digestive tract so putting a yeast cream on his butt won't even begin to treat it. There's Medistatin that can be sprinkled over his food, but even that has limited effectiveness.

But if you are willing to tube this chicken, meaning inserting a feeding tube into his esophagus and syringing a solution into him, it has a pretty good chance of knocking back the yeast.

You can buy the tube kit from a vet or from Amazon. The solution is One teaspoon Epsom salts to one half cup warm water. This is tubed into the chicken two times a day for three consecutive days, half a cup each time. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) will neutralize the yeast and flush it out of the chicken's system.

 

[Justinekeys]

Welcome To BYC

Can you post photos of him, his vent and his poop?

If vet care is an option, that's usually best.

If it's an option to take him back, then you may want to consider doing this.

Since he's new, I'd keep him separated out from any other poultry or birds that you have for an observation period of at least 3 weeks. Ideally until he's completely healed from whatever he has going on.
During the observation period, check him for lice/mites, consider deworming and make note of any symptoms of respiratory illness.

https://www.tillysnest.com/2012/12/vent-gleet-prevention-and-treatment-html/

So far he is eating and drinking. I added a pro biotic to his food to try and help. He keeps puffing out his feathers I read it could be from stress or pain. If needed to what doctor do you recommend? Do they have them online? So far no respiratory illness. Just the pasty butt and vent gleet symptoms . His butt looks very swollen.

 

[Justinekeys]

Vent gleet is notoriously difficult to treat. The yeast occupies the entire digestive tract so putting a yeast cream on his butt won't even begin to treat it. There's Medistatin that can be sprinkled over his food, but even that has limited effectiveness.

But if you are willing to tube this chicken, meaning inserting a feeding tube into his esophagus and syringing a solution into him, it has a pretty good chance of knocking back the yeast.

You can buy the tube kit from a vet or from Amazon. The solution is One teaspoon Epsom salts to one half cup warm water. This is tubed into the chicken two times a day for three consecutive days, half a cup each time. Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) will neutralize the yeast and flush it out of the chicken's system.

So just regular epsom salt? Yes I will buy the kit if it helps! I’ll do whatever I have to do.

 

[azygous]

Awesome! You'll find that tubing is much, much easier than it sounds. Here's my instructions for first-timers so you'll be ready to go as soon as you get a small animal tubing kit.

Tube feeding a chicken is about the safest most fool-proof things a chicken keeper can do. There is pretty nearly nothing that can go wrong. Even a child can do it, and this past spring, two kids on this forum successfully saved the lives of several hens in their flock by tubing a life-saving solution over three days.

First, obtain the small animal kit from a vet or from Amazon. You can fashion your own from oxygen tubing or aquarium tubing. You would need to find an oral syringe to fit the tubing that holds about one to two ounces. A slender one millimeter syringe is too small to do much good.

Next, cut the bottom off at around nine or ten inches to make it easier to manage. You will prepare a solution of raw egg, a little yogurt, maybe a little soy protein powder and enough warm water to make it flow through a tube. I add a squirt of poultry vitamins such as Poultry Nutri-drench. Or you can buy baby bird formula from a pet store. This is to feed a weak or starving chicken. Other uses would be to give electrolytes to a shock victim or a flush solution to an impacted chicken. For an average chicken, about half a cup of solution will be how much to tube in.

Now, what most people fear most - the part where you insert the tube. But this is very easy as the chicken has a direct channel going from the right side of the throat right into their crop, by-passing the airway so there is zero chance of aspiration.

After wrapping my chicken securely in a towel to confine wings, I hold my chicken on a work bench with my weak arm. With that hand I pry open the beak holding it open, and with my strong hand, I insert the tube in her right side of the beak, going slightly under the right side of the tongue. This channels the tube right into the esophagus which goes directly into the crop. You can see this in the photo below, only it will be the tube and not the syringe.

I measure the tube from the beak to the bottom of the chicken's crop and make a mark so I'll know when the tube has reached the lower part of the crop. The first time if you hit the wrong hole your chicken will start to cough. It's okay, no harm, just back out and try again. Once the tube is in, the chicken will be calm and comfortable. Then you can begin feeding. It feels pleasant to the chicken, and most are very cooperative throughout the process.

If the chicken struggles and bucks all of a sudden, it's not because of anything you did. They get bored and tired of the process like a toddler would. Pause until the chicken settles down again and finish. The whole process takes no more than five minutes. Each time you do it, it gets easier and quicker.

Learning this can save the life of your chicken, and it can save you so much time and frustration. And it's very, very safe. Anyone can do it.

To clarify, one-half cup of solution must be tubed at each operation. Two time a day for three days in a row.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So far he is eating and drinking. I added a pro biotic to his food to try and help. He keeps puffing out his feathers I read it could be from stress or pain. If needed to what doctor do you recommend? Do they have them online? So far no respiratory illness. Just the pasty butt and vent gleet symptoms . His butt looks very swollen.

It's hard to see the area, is there any way you can have someone hold him and you take a well lit clear photo?

I did try to lighten you photo a bit.

To me it looks like he's suffered injury to vent, perhaps from picking and/or he may have even prolapsed.

What you may think or see as Vent Gleet, may be leaking Urates.

I'd give the bottom a good soaking. Try to remove any loose poop/debris and get a better look at the area and access. Make sure there are no maggots. Coat the scabbing and tissue with ointment.

Is he pooping? What is that like?

 

[Justinekeys]

It's hard to see the area, is there any way you can have someone hold him and you take a well lit clear photo?

I did try to lighten you photo a bit.

To me it looks like he's suffered injury to vent, perhaps from picking and/or he may have even prolapsed.

What you may think or see as Vent Gleet, may be leaking Urates.

I'd give the bottom a good soaking. Try to remove any loose poop/debris and get a better look at the area and access. Make sure there are no maggots. Coat the scabbing and tissue with ointment.

Is he pooping? What is that like?


View attachment 4033265

We did find one maggot, we took it off of him. We haven’t seen anymore than just one. We did bathe him and tried to get the scab off but afraid it might hurt. How do you get rid of the maggots? Would there be more inside? I will try to take a better picture. If it’s a prolapse how do we fix that? Is there a way to do that safely? Or does he need a doctor.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We did find one maggot, we took it off of him. We haven’t seen anymore than just one. We did bathe him and tried to get the scab off but afraid it might hurt. How do you get rid of the maggots? Would there be more inside? I will try to take a better picture. If it’s a prolapse how do we fix that? Is there a way to do that safely? Or does he need a doctor.

Soaking him will help remove maggots, picking them off too.

Possible more are inside, hard to know. I'd give him a soaking twice a day if possible, keep the scab and any exposed tissue covered with ointment or oil.