Elderly cat breathing difficulties when purring

[peepie]

I've just dropped a very sad little boy at school. One of his tropical fish died yesterday and now his chicken "Mrs Pepperpot" is looking very droopy. She was very quiet last night as well and I hoped she'd pick up. We had the remains of a softie in the run yesterday so I hoped it had been her and that she might perk up.

 

The girls started laying just over a week ago and for the last few days we've had 3 per day until yesterday and all I could see was this one softie and no eggs from the other 2. I'm at work now but before I came out I sat her on a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel for a bit and gave her some water from a syringe. She just sat there and let me open her beak and put it in. She wouldnt' eat any pellets so I have mushed some up with warm water and left that right by her. She also has what looks like egg white dripping from her vent but no sign or feel of anything solid blocking the way. I cleaned her up a bit with warm water. When I put her back in the run she did go to the glug very slowly and have a bit of a drink so at least she's drinking.

 

I've looked at a lot of posts and this softie business does seem to put them out but for how long? This has probably been around 13 hours now but she'd be asleep for most of that.

 

I'm going home again at lunch time. I'm going to try and get some limestone flour on the way and I just hope it's a softie and she'll feel better soon. I'm in the office on my own and I could sit and cry really. How attached have I become to these chickens in 3 weeks?

[Ziggy]

No advice but all my sympathy... our Nicky has also been unwell for the last 24 hours and it is distressing...

[peepie]

Just been to our rubbishy pet shop and no calcium flour so I have just whizzed up some cuttlefish in the blender and mixed it in with the food. Hopefully that'l be good enough until I can get some proper stuff. Mrs P is sitting in the nest box with Pecky. She still doesn't look very happy though. I'll wait until Pecky comes out and then go in with some warm food and water for her.

 

Petunia has laid an egg (they're all different colours so we can tell.) and i've just brought it in to weigh it and managed to crack the shell on the edge of my scales it'll be ok if we eat it tonight as it's not actually leaking but sad all the same.

 

Now my computer is making an awful burning smell so I sense that today is NOT a good day. I'd better turn off for now. Will commandeer hubby's work laptop when he gets home.

[moochoo]

Sorry to hear of your pooly girl. It sound like you're doing everything you can for her. I hope she perks up, those softies can make them feel poorly for a day or two.

[Gamebird]

It does sound as though she is poorly because of the softie.

 

Annie, myBluebelle, lays softies every now and then. Before and after she lays them she is hunched, very quiet and looks a bit dazed. She also has very slight, white drips on her knickers after she has laid the softie.

 

I usually clean her knickers just to make sure flies are not attracted to it.

 

After a while she is back to her usual chirpy self as if nothing has happened.

 

I've got used to it now but it is quite worrying when it first happens.

[The Dogmother]

Sounds like a softie to me - often happens when they start to lay, as their egg-tackle gets working. Limestone flour is a good one, plus some Avipro dissolved in the water if she's poorly.

 

I hope that she picks up soon

[Egluntyne]

Poor thing. I'm sure you have done the right thing. Pet shops tend not to sell limestone flour. Equestrian shops on the other hand usually have it.

[Olly]

Hope she is better, peepie. Whereabouts are you - you might find another Omleteer has some limestone flour they could let you have?

 

I do hope she's perked up, and that your day went a bit better.

[peepie]

I'm on the Wirral. i've ordered some limestone from e-bay but not sure how long it will take to come. I couldn't sleep so I've got up and brought her into the house. She's still very droopy. I managed to get her to eat something before bed last night. She ate a raspberry and I managed to get her to eat teeny amounts of pellets by mushing them up and wiping it on the side of her beak and then she licked it off. She does seem to be drinking so I've put some citricidal in. Went to our local vet to ask about worming stuff but they didn't have any so will try and order that today as well it sounds like it might be worth doing them routinely every now and then. I can't see anything in her pooh though. I rather fear it might be too late for this little poppet. She doesn't seem any worse but definitely no better. I've just been feeding her a little bit again and will go and do some more in a minute.

[Gamebird]

So sorry to hear that Mrs Pepperpot is still not feeling well.

 

It is good that she is drinking. If you are going to worm her, which I think is a good thing, then Flubenvet is the one most recommended on this forum. You can buy it on-line but if you are stuck then I can send you some in the post today (pm me your address).

 

There is an equestrian feed store in Frankby who might sell limestone flour. Larton Feeds Ltd, Frankby Road, Frankby, Wirral, CH48 1PL

Tel: 0151 6256477

 

Good luck.

[The Dogmother]

Peepie, if you PM me your address, I can put some Limestone flour in the post to you today.

 

Fingers crossed that she improves.

[Guest]

you can get limestone flour (and flubenvet) from Gibsons in Frodsham

 

http://www.4petsupplies.co.uk/

 

it's where we get all our supplies.

 

try giving her some pro biotic yoghurt mixed with poultry spice?

[chickencam]

Have you checked for worms too they shouldn't have them if you have only just got them but it is still a possibility.

 

Soft eggs do make them very sad looking though.

 

Hope she picks up soon.

[peepie]

Hi there, thanks for your kind offers everyone. She is much the same. I've got worming stuff and limestone flour coming in the post anyway so hopefully they'll be here soon. She's sitting on the nest box at the moment. but still very lethargic. She also now seems to have quite a full crop that sounds watery when I squish it. I've given her some probiotic stuff and will try some more later on before bed time. I wonder it it's that sour crop thing. I spoke to our local vet who seems to think I'm crackers bothering about a hen and who doesn't do birds anyway but gave me a phone number of another one. They advised me to give her olive oil and massage her crop so I'm onto that now.

 

Thanks

[The Dogmother]

Warm olive ioil and crop massage are for an impacted crop, which would be hard. See this thread for http://advice:http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25052

 

For sour crop, you will need to feed her only pellets, Bokashi bran, water with Avipro dissolved in it and live yoghurt. No fruit or other treats at all.

To diagnose, her crop will feel like it's full of thick water or milkshake and her breath will smell vile. This is caused by the contents of the crop fermenting.

 

I hope that she gets better soon and that you find a chicken vet. whereabouts are you located? Someone on here might be able to recommend a good vet in your area.

[peepie]

Hi there, her crop seems to have gone down quite a bit this morning, like you say she has very bad breath though! She is putting up a bit more of a fight though when I try to look after her which I think has to be a good sign! I'll keep them in the run today and just give pellets. I tried to get hold of some Avipro yesterday afternoon but wasn't lucky but I'll try phoning a few other places this morning when they open.

 

Last night I brought her in again for a bit and massaged her crop.

For the past 2 days she's just stood there in the lounge on a couple of towels and done nothing even when I left the room but yesterday evening she did 3 massive poos all over me and the carpet (but never mind maybe she's feeling better!!) and then she went under the piano and clucked for the first time in 2 days.

 

This morning she seemed a bit better when she got up, her tail was up at least so I let them into the run, scrubbed out the eglu and then put her in the eglu on her own for a while with her own dish of food so the other 2 couldn't pinch it. She's eaten a bit and produced some almost clear watery poo with a bit of white in it (sorry to be so graphic) I'm hoping that this is just some of the liquid in her crop being passed through and that now she's eaten a bit she'll get going again. She's now in the run looking pretty dejected and although isn't doing much she's at least looking round a bit and aiming the occasional half hearted peck at things.

 

Fingers crossed she's going to pull through. I'll keep the TLC up and a separate bowl for her so that she gets a good feed each time.

 

Thanks everyone for your posts. I don't know what I'd do without you

[The Dogmother]

Sounds like she's feeling a bit better then.

 

You can get Avipro online, but I find that it's usually cheaper at the vet. If they don't stock it, then ask if they can order it in.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Just caught up with this - I'm sorry Mrs P hasn't been well . It sounds like you're doing all the right things so I hope she continues to improve .

[chelsea]

I really hope she's better soon.

 

sounds like you are doing everything you can.,

[sandyhas3chucks]

Isorry to keep banging on abot shell max, but my 3 stopped softees overnight after adding this & so little hardly seems posible. Nearly lost Meany to egg prritonitis, def would be dead if not for anti biotics (not a fan of using them) She also had a rymadil (another normal no no)injection to reduce pain & inflammation, and have since read soluble asprin would do the trick, as she had not been eating or drinking saome soluble food stuff was given orally, I have since seen this in "country wide/markets?" in a sachet.

Apparently with softees bits CAN get left behind which then go bad as 1 can imagine not good! if this is not expelled it can travel back up the digestive system & even anti b's wont help. Result dead chuck. I only had em 3 weeks when this happened & was at first not worried abot the softees, everyone said it would be ok... but it wasn't

it was horrid horrid & she very nearly died!!!!

[Gamebird]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your Peepie.

 

I do hope she makes a full recovery.

[Egg Lou]

Just caught up with this.. so sorry to hear this and hope she is well on the way to recovery soon

[peepie]

Just had her in again for some more tlc. She's been in the eglu most of the day unless I've disturbed her. I've managed to get some pro-biotics down her using a syringe and her crop seems much flatter and not as watery sounding but she's still amelly. She's hardly eaten all day though except when i shove her head in the bowl she'll have 2 or 3 little pecks and then wander off again. She's done a few more poos so I presume that at least means things are still moving through. The last couple have been less watery, more white with lumpy brown bits in.

 

I've been to the Larton feed place (thank you for that address) and bought limestone flour and grit and another sack of layers pellets whilst I was there - save me making the journey again in a couple of weeks. I've ordered Flubenvet and avipro so it should arrive tomorrow. in the mean time I bought some sachets of probiotic powder that you mix with water for babies and kids. It's the same stuff as in probiotic yoghurt so i presume similar to avipro until that arrives.

 

Thanks for all your support. DS is pretty upset. He's been up since 3am this morning. i found him stroking her outside when the noise of the outside door woke me. His teacher said he'd been on another planet today as well. Poor little poppet. He knows i'm trying very hard though.

 

Anyway I'm off to bed now so keep praying and fingers crossed etc. I'll update tomorrow

xx

[peepie]

Well we're still here, not much else to say really. petunia has started pecking feathers off her back now so I let Pecky and Mrs Pepperpot out to free range together and left Petunia in the run. might do it the other way round tomorrow and let Petunia out and keep the other 2 in. Thinking about getting a bumper bit for Petunia to see if that'll stop her. It's not fair that Mrs P is down and now getting pecked as well.

 

She showed a bit of interest at first when I let them out of the eglu and I thought she was improving but then after about 10 mins just hunched up again and stood there. i've syringed some more pro-biotic stuff down her and she clucked in protest a couple of times. Crop seems a better size but I don't think she's eaten anything much.

 

Still praying but if she doesn't eat soon she'll waste away.

[LesleyH]

Hi Peepie - how is she today? Sounds like you are doing a sterling job. I have lost 3 chickens to unrelated reasons...and the vets are useless to say the least. You will get far more info on this site than you will get from the vet and they charge a fortune.

I really hope she pulls through...keeping everything crossed for you!