Help Needed, I think its a prolapse.

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molliedogspabottom

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Hi all,

I have a speckled sussex about 2 1/2 years old. The last two eggs have been streaked with blood on the shell, this afternoon I noticed she was in a dreadful state at the back end,all wet and messed up, on closer inspection I saw a red bulge which obviously should be inside.

My husband put on the surgicals and with a light touch it went back inside and we trimmed off all the messed up feathers .

I have just been out to see her and the bulge is out again (it is smaller than a walnut), she also has a constant dribble from the back end which is why the feathers were in such a state.

can we help her or is this the end of the line and what causes it, her eggs are not large at all ?

hope you can help, many thanks in advance

Heather
 
Sounds like a broken egg and a prolapse Molliedogspabottom. The broken shell may have come out and the contents are now draining. You did the right thing to push it back in. Keep doing it and make sure there are no bits of shell in there. Cut the food right down and she should stop laying for a bit. Basically you need to keep her digestive system going but not enough excess that she can lay, say 50 grammes maximum. She needs to be isolated so no other hen starts eating the prolapse if it comes out. Hopefully overnight it will settle down. Give it a couple of days on a very light diet to see if it stays in, otherwise that may be it for her.
 
oh dear Molliesdogsbottom, prolapse are a worry but there are a few things you can do. Firstly treat the symptoms, and would be a good idea to separate from the other birds for now, a prolapse is an invitation to peck even from the most docile of hens! Perhaps a cat basket overnight in a garage?

Secondly keep the area clean and hydrated. Ensure your hen is taking on board plenty of fluids. You can use prep H or similar, this will help shrink the inflamed tissues around the vent and soothe, this may be enough to prevent to prolapse reoccurring. The prolapse could be due to an infection through as Chris suggests a broken egg, or just a local irritation.

Is there any odour from her vent? Does she appear well apart from her prolapse? Has she laid recently, this will give you an idea of the extent of the problem. Any evidence of malaise combined with a nasty odour would suggest an infection which would need treatment with antibiotics from the vet.

Keep us posted and let us know how she is in the morning.
 
Hi,
I have isolated her in the small poorly pen ( rabbit run with covered area which I keep for such times as this.
What is prep H and would my local farm suppliers have it?.
She laid an egg yesterday which was streaked with blood and the day before the same , have not found an egg today that could be hers.
the smell was bad from the vent when we cleaned her up earlier today but she appears well eating and drinking not at all unhappy with herself.
 
Prep H is a topical haemorrhoid cream available without prescription from most chemists and supermarkets. Anusol is another one.

The odour suggests an infection as the primary cause. Infection would cause local irritation, swelling and discomfort which may be why she has prolapsed.

You have done the right thing by isolating her and giving her a a wash to keep the area clean. See how she is tomorrow and inspect the area, if it is warm and humid this may attract flies.

She may sort herself out, so just see how she goes tomorrow. You can feed her usual pellets but add some chopped hard boiled egg as a good source of digestible protein.

If her symptoms are improved tomorrow, and the odour is gone then she will be fine, any deterioration in her condition will indicate treatment or culling.

Good luck with her!
 
Hi ,
thanks for that info, should I apply the anusol the same as for humans, and how do I keep the area hydrated, do I use plain water to clean her or do I add something to it.
which antibiotic would you suggest that I use ? sorry for all the questions and thanks for your help.

Heather
 
Yes just use the applicator. I apply a little just inside the vent and apply around the vent. Just warm water will be fine. I know that others have suggested honey for its hydrating and healing properties. I usually have a tub of sudacreme in my poultry cupboard which I use for practically everything! :D

A vet will most likely prescribe Baytril, as this is a the better antibiotic for these sort of infections as baytril will target soft tissue. Alternatively they may just recommend an inflammatory to relieve symptoms such as Metacam.
 
Hi,
thanks , I will nip to the supermarket first thing in the morning for both items and ring the vet for some antibiotic.
I will keep you informed on her progress.
Heather
 
Hi Mollie. Very sound advice from Foxy as usual. Margaid has posted about the use of honey. It appears it absorbs moisture and it's that action which kills bacteria. So it would be no good for hydrating an area. I have heard of Anusol being used successfully and I know Sudacreme is good because I use it on me! We use Teatree cream for everything Chicken antibacterial though. Some people don't like it because it has toxic elements, which is what kills the bacteria I suppose.
 
Hi all,

just thought I would update you on the prolapse, she has had the light diet and been on antibiotics since sat. morning, still isolated.

She has laid three eggs since I first asked for help, the last this afternoon, the prolapse is smaller and cleaner but we are still having to gently put it back. Still applying the anusol.

She is eating and seems happy enough, how long can I keep trying to help and is there any more I can do? I don`t want to give up on her yet .


Heather
 
Considering everything, I would stick with her, mainly because despite still laying, her prolapse has not worsened, and she has only been on antibiotics a couple of days.

You are doing the right thing and she is certainly well cared for. You could offer a little chopped boiled egg back to her to give her a little extra boost in digestible protein.
 
Just keep going Mollie. I can't think of anything else you could do. I was hoping the light diet would stop her laying and give it more chance to heal. But if it's improving even after 3 eggs that's good.

Good idea about the egg Foxy.
 
Hi ,

thanks for the support, she is already having the boiled egg and I have to say she really likes it, I will keep going and let you know what happens

Hubby says if she were a sheep he would have popped a couple of stitches in.

Heather
 
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