Cazjohn Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Matt Willis was diagnosed with Liver and Kidney failure 8 weeks ago, we expected her to be gone within days and the Vet said there was no treatment. She was very poorly,pale,kept falling over and lost so much weight. She's one of my original ex-batts with a massive zest for life so we tried everything! We couldn't get her to eat properly so fed with a syringe for a couple of days then tried Weetabix made with warm water and added brown sugar - slowly she started to make progress and has now doubled in weight and seems absolutely normal? She's been fine for about three weeks now so I'm keeping everything crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 That is good news....... I know that when Ginger was poorly we fed her up with brown bread soaked in warm water with honey on top and I am sure it really helped her get better.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordelia Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 i wonder if it was the sugar that did the trick?? can chickens be diabetic?? or low glucose suffering?? I supose so... so pleased for your good news.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenanne Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Chickens (any birds, really) can't cope with salt very well: they can manage some, but it's worth bein ultra-careful with levels of salt in all food given to chickens. I've no idea of how much salt is in wheatabix, (I imagine not a lot, and you're not feeding her on it for a long time) but I'm sure some breakfast cereals have frighteningly high levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Well done. Am glad to hear that she has perked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazjohn Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 Well it's a mystery to me, of course I'm not sure that the Vet's diagnosis was right but whatever she had she was certainly very sick. I have weaned her off the weetabix now! Although I regularly give the girls warm porridge in the morning when it's really cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaw298 Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 thank you for this! my gertrude has just been diagnosed with kidney failure and again, there is nothing they can do, I just need to give her lots of TLC until the time comes to take her back to the vets for the 'deed' which I am dreading. I'm just going to go to the shops and get some weetabix as anything is worth a try! I think it is low in salt and protein so that might be why it helps. I asked the vet if there was any dietary management of renal failure (as in humans) but sadly no as chickens do not consume lots of protein/salt usually anyway. can I ask what type of brown sugar?? light soft, brown or dark or muscavado or demerara? maybe i should ask gertrude!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 me again. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=36029 and maybe honey???? Manuka expensive but got heaps good medicinal properties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazjohn Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 I used light brown sugar! My favorite too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 This thread interested me. I remember being told, years ago, that brown bread has more magnesium than white and that eating a diet deficient in magnesium but high in calcium can cause kidney stones. I wondered whether weetabix might also be high in magnesium and this might have contributed to the 'cure' observed in this case. A quick search of the internet revealed the following (from different website): "Research in poultry shows that feeding too much calcium to birds that aren't laying eggs, and therefore using up calcium, can cause kidney disease." "With vitamin B6, magnesium helps reduce and dissolve calcium phosphate stones." "If the excessive feeding of foods containing oxalates, phytates, phosphate, magnesium, protein, or fat occurs, it may cause hypocalcemia (an abnormally low level of calcium in the blood)." Sources of magnesium: * Spinach (130g) – 45mg * Muesli (95g) – 95mg * All-bran (45g) – 95mg * Bran Flakes (45g) – 60mg * Shredded Wheat (2 biscuits) – 55mg * Weetabix (2 biscuits) – 48mg * Special K (35g) – 19mg * Porridge oats (100g) – 18mg * Wheatgerm (2 tbsp) – 35mg * Wheat bran (2 tbsp) – 45mg * Wholemeal bread (1 slice) – 55mg * Granary bread (1 slice) – 40mg * Brown rice (50g) – 55mg * Almonds (25g) – 80mg * Cashew nuts (25g) – 75mg * Peanuts (25g) – 50mg * Peanut butter (25g) – 50mg * Mixed nuts (25g) – 65mg * Soya beans, cooked (100g) – 63mg * Kidney beans (50g) – 75mg * Chick peas (50g) – 65mg * Baked beans (200g) – 62mg * Potatoes, baked with skin (150g) – 48mg * Banana – 45mg * Avocado – 25mg * Halibut (85g) – 90mg * Natural yoghurt, low fat (150g) – 45mg * Plain dark chocolate (100g) – 100mg * Milk chocolate (100g) – 100mg So, is it possible that excessive calcium in the diet could have caused the kidney problems and feeding weetabix might have reduced the calcium in the blood and saved the kidneys? If so, it would be interesting to see if feeding other high magnesium foods might help (though I would keep away from feeding chocolate!). Of course, one would have to be careful not to go too far the other way, especially for birds that do not have this problem. What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cazjohn Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 That is very interesting, obviously at the time we were just trying to get her to eat anything! I used weetabix because I could mix lots of water with it because she wasn't drinking either. It would be very interesting to know if anyone's tried anything on the list with a similar diagnosis. She's regained nearly all her weight now but still keeping a very close eye on her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Facinating & a veryueful piece of researching well done, now going to save this as a fav so don't lose it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Fascinating. Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
