Probable egg-binding, cost of care

[Icearstorm]

Lump feels somewhat hard, but also gives (so if it is an egg, probably doesn't have the strongest shell). Up near the top of the lump, it is light and what looks to be a sort of air cell of the egg moves back and forth when she breathes. Feathers were separated with water; doesn't normally look like that. Vent is usually clean, she just got freaked out and pooped on herself.

She's gradually gotten more fluffed up; at first it was just her butt, but now it's her abdomen and head as well. She tends to alternate between sitting still and acting fairly normal.

I noticed a lump in Macbeth's abdomen several days ago, but she otherwise seemed fine, so I left her alone. The next day she hadn't laid an egg, so I suspected egg-binding and gave her a drop of calcium and D3 (originally a powder, but I mixed it in water to a soupy consistency). I've given her probably 5 drops of calcium with D3 in the last four days (two of these had a small amount of other multivitamins mixed in) but she has not gotten any better, so I wonder if there is another issue... She's gradually been getting worse, and she's now a bit fluffed up and squinty-eyed. She's plucked all around her vent and abdomen, to the point of where she's made a small inflamed bump on the side of her tail; clearly she's in pain. Yesterday I rigged up a heat lamp and put a heat pad in her nest box, but nothing has changed. She still eats, drinks, flies, chirps, and poops.

How much do X-rays and medical procedures typically cost? There's a small animal hospital nearby, and they work with more exotic animals (I found an injured green anole and brought it to them last week). Unfortunately, I don't have a ton of money, and can't justify spending a thousand bucks on a procedure. I don't know how old she is, so even if she gets a procedure and recovers, she might soon drop dead regardless... I suppose I could see if I could surrender her, but it's rather unfair to assume that the hospital can afford to care for animals for free that have no ecological importance. There's also the chance that they'll just euthanize her without doing anything else, but even that would be better than her staying here and suffering until she dies.

[Fraza]

Icearstorm when I’ve had egg bindin I used warm water ( not too hot ) then put them in the bird bath and closed it this way it steamed up like a steam room and to be honest it’s worked both times , once with a heck and then with a society’s.

Just make sure the bird bath has a gap for air and don’t leave to long I only did 15 min

[Icearstorm]

Fraza

I might have to take her into the bathroom after I've had a shower. I'm just afraid she'll get chilled drying off after a bath (my heat lamp isn't hot enough to help that much).

[Icearstorm]

Looked at her again and noticed this inflamed lump one side of her tail that is filled with blood vessels. It's a lot bigger than I thought it was. This is not looking hopeful.

[Fraza]

Icearstorm ooooo it does look really serious I’m really unsure what you can do

If I was you I’d give it all the nutrients you could etc egg , lettuce. Extra seed types and more warmth

It’s gotta help in someone or if not atleast she’s having a nice treat if she’s really ill


I hope she pulls through

[Icearstorm]

Turns out it would cost $100-150 just to walk in, and another $100+ to do anything. I cannot justify spending that. Well this sucks.

[limechiffon]

Oh, the poor bird (and poor you). I don't have any advice but I do hope she manages to recover.

[wildbird]

You're going to the wrong vet. I paid $108 at a vet near Port Richy, Fl. for the avian exam, parasite exam, gram's stain, tube feeding a high energy food, special diet and record setup. That was the total! Look again, only for an avian vet. The others don't know anything anyway. The higher the price, the less they know.

[Icearstorm]

wildbird

I looked, and just called the only avian vet listed for Gainesville. That hospital said they'd have to refer me to the UF animal hospital, which I had already contacted (that's the one where I'm looking at at least $200). I don't have a car, so I cannot go outside the city limits... If she survives until Thanksgiving break, my parents are taking me to Jacksonville so I could try to find someone there, but so far, no luck. I contacted the person you told me about, but she's out of state at the moment.

[Fraza]

Icearstorm ooo k way bad news I hope she recovers

[Babs _Owner]

Icearstorm

I can't imagine she made it through her ordeal. In the future, I crush up eggshells with a female that is egg bound (the female will be ravenous for calcium)

Key is I mix in a few drops liquid of vitamin d and calcium (Calciboost) into the eggs shells-which is what she is drawn to instinctively.

I clamp a heat lamp over her nest, place her inside after she has gorged and she passes once the nutrients kick in.

The warm water works when a hen trusts you. But if she doesnt (she will clamp up her muscels instead), you have to make her feel safe & alone and fill her up with what she needs to pass the eggs in peace.

Sometimes it doesnt work and there is nothing your can do. But I've had a 100% sucess rate with this process.

Her abscesses are from pushing so hard and the egg breaking down at the same time. She pushed it out internal organs. I hope this helps in the future.

[Icearstorm]

Got home tonight. She's still alive, but barely. Her keel is extremely sharp and she can no longer fly, likely due to muscle atrophy. Now two lumps on her back that weren't there a few days ago, so thinking cancer. I should have euthanized her before I left, now knowing there is nothing I could have done.

May preform a necropsy and take photos once dead.

[Icearstorm]

It actually might just be her hip bones I'm seeing, as she is extremely underweight. Either way, it looks like I'll be buying a balloon tomorrow :/

[Icearstorm]

Babs _Owner

Thank you. It doesn't seem like she's been eating, but I do have some boiled mashed egg with a bunch of eggshell, so perhaps that could work in the future. The calcium powder I mixed with water and hand-fed her has D3 as well, but it didn't do anything. I always have at least two calcium sources on hand, and I only saw her eat the oyster shell once in the last several weeks, when usually they all go crazy over it. Strangely enough, Tacocat was eating far more oyster shell and eggfood than Macbeth; she was just eating millet for the most part.

The bump felt fairly warm, almost like an active infection. I suppose that could make sense if it was due to eggshell stabbing her. It doesn't look like what I would expect from a hernia, though I haven't seen one before so I guess that would explain it.

At this point it's almost definitely too late. She's a shaking mess and can barely move, and even if she passes the egg by some miracle, there's a very good chance she'll die anyway. I'm thinking I'll get some helium, put her in an airtight container, and start filling it, as it turns out carbon dioxide poisoning isn't humane after all... I should have done this days ago to spare all that pain.

[wildbird]

If you can't help her, then leave her alone. Don't kill her. She is fighting to live. How could you be so cruel.