Salop Chuck Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Hi - I made the hard decision to have my Australorp bantam, Sweetie, PTS this morning . She was 18 months old and never been very robust from the word go. Her egg laying was always hit and miss and she appeared 'slow' in her behaviour - standing around (often with her eyes closed) while the rest of the flock were busy eating and foraging, going off on her own to rest under bushes. I used to try to catch her on her own to give her sweetcorn to to make sure she ate something. She would try her best to keep up with the other hens but struggled every day and looked exhausted from the effort by the evening. She was bottom of pecking order and would stop eating as soon as any other hens joined her. About three week ago I noticed that her breathing had become laboured and she was passing emerald green stools !! I worried about what to do with her as our local vets have very little knowledge or experience in dealing with poultry diseases. Finally this morning as well as the very laboured breathing she showed purply-blue comb and wattles so I had decided the time had come to call it a day. Of course she was my favourite hen and I will miss her terribly but I know I did the right thing by shortening her suffering and daily struggles with life. If anyone out there can shed some light on what may have been the matter with her I would greatly appreciate it. Rip little Sweetie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pikey Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Sorry to hear about Sweetie....its so hard when you have to make the decision to PTS but you did the right thing. One of mine has similar symptoms....the vet has said its her heart which a blue/purplish comb is a sign of...mine has ascites whereby the tummy fills up with fluid. Did Sweetie have a swollen/squishy tummy?? I thought it was peritionitos (spelling!) and only took her to the vets when her breathing was very bad.......when he drained her the fluid was clear which he said d is the symptoms of a bad heart and the breathing was bad becuase of all the pressure. He also said he felt a few lumps and cancerous tumours can also cause this. She has some antibiotics and we have agreed to drain one more time if it comes back but he reckons we have extended her life by a month max. After she had the treatment she was back to herself however today she is slowing down and sleeping quite a bit.....still running for mealworms and cucumber tho!!! Once she stops doing that I will also make the same decsion as you and have her PTS. You had 18 months with her and obviously took very good care of her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckmum6 Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Very sorry to hear about your girl, I do think you made the absolutely the right decision for her though, albeit very hard for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 Thank you for your responses - very much appreciated. Pikey, Sweetie did have a very swollen, squishy tummy which affected her appetite, her mobility and her vitality. She frequently became tired and hid under a bush for a nap but still wanted to keep up with the other hens when she could. I think you will know when the time is right for your sick hen since you know her better than anyone for making decisions about her wellbeing and when it's time to call it a day. You will find the courage when that time comes. In the meantime treasure having her with you for a bit longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 You did the right thing - we had to do the same a couple of weeks ago. It sounds like sterile (possibly septic) peritonitis. Sadly, it was the kindest thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Sorry to hear about your bantam Love Ali x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy ben grace Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Hi, so sorry to hear about your little bantam. We lost a girl a week ago. Its so hard but you really did do the right thing for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathybc Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 sorry to hear about your girl; you took great care of her x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Sorry to hear that, you made the right decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teampiglet Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 Hi there. Sorry to hear about your chook. Sorry to hijack the post a little but I have very similiar issues (although Dilly has always been one of the strong ones up until recently) We are taking her to the vet tomorrow and was wondering if people think it is worth asking the vet to drain as per previous post from pikey? I don't want her to suffer but I also want to give her the best chance. (she is still pretty alert hunting bugs and the like and I think her main issue is the extra weight of the squishy tummy). Any replies would be most appreciated. Regards TP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted May 31, 2011 Author Share Posted May 31, 2011 Hi TP Sorry to hear you are having similar problems with Dilly. Making decisions about whether to allow your girl have her abdomen drained of fluid are never easy and in my opinion is dependent upon whether your local vet has the training, experience and competancy to carry out these interventions. If you do have a local vet you trust then I would say go ahead but if not then I would think twice about allowing an inexperienced vet fumble around, stressing out your hen and not producing a good outcome. Sweetie, my Australorp bantam, was bottom of the pecking order, was frequently chased away from food sources by other hens in the flock and didn't seem very strong or happy. There were no vets in my local practice who had the training or experience to deal with her health issues so having her PTS seemed the better option for her to avoid prolonging her suffering. Another option would be to phone up vets further afield to see if you can find an alternatvie one to carry out the procedure. You say that Dilly is strong so it is worth at least pursuing this line of action. Good luck TP and keep us posted. I would love to know how you and Dilly get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teampiglet Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately I have just got back from the vets without Dilly. The Vet is a fairly knowledgable having a lot of experience with chickens previously. He advised that he thought it was a tumour and that draining wouldn't help. All I can do is be happy that she spent her last year experiencing snow, sun, rain, grass, dust baths, frogs, bugs and corn and generally being able to be a chicken. Thanks again. TP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teampiglet Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (Just to clarify my closing statement - she was an ex bat) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Chuck Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 So sorry about your loss but glad as you say that Dilly enjoyed a brilliant life of freedom for a short period doing normal chickeny things and having your attention and love. You did the kindest, most humane thing in having her PTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathybc Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 so sorry to hear about your litle girl x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
