[Lindeggs]

I've been looking up the treatment for lead poisoning on Lucy's behalf and the answer seems to be
a) Get any remaining lead out of her system (if she has any in her crop or gizzard).
b) Chelation therapy. 

I wonder if you have a local pharmacist/nutritionist who you could discuss chelation therapy with?

All the treatments for animal lead poisoning seem to be the same as they are for human lead poisoning.

[bexybeck]

Thanks Lindeggs,
I had to google that, but I'll get onto the vet asap!

Bex

[bexybeck]

I rang the vet but he's in a meeting, just waiting for him to ring back. He's always so busy. 

[hillfooter]

Hi Bexybeck,

Here's my homemade electrolyte recipe care of Gail Damerow.  I've used it successfully

Dissolve in 3 litres of water

5 ml of Salt substitute, (1 teaspoon of potassium chloride)
7.5 ml (1 and a half teaspoons) of Bicarbarbonate of soda (baking soda)
15 ml (3 teaspoons) salt
20 ml (2 desert spoons) of glucose (optional)

2 weeks treatment shoud be fine
HF

[ANHBUC]

The RSPCA might be able to give you some advice if their vets are used to treating ducks and swans for lead poisoning.

Think Lindeggs is right in saying a pharmacist should also be able to help with advice but possibly not on dosage.

[bexybeck]

Hello chaps,
just back from the vets - he's not convinced it's lead (she's too alert) but he's given her EDTA just in case. Also antibiotics and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory. His thinking is it might be nerve damage at her lower spine or an infection causing inflammation so her nerves are being pinched causing her leg issues.

It took ages to get an appointment so I popped into the chemist to see what they said but because she's a hen it's illegal for them to advise or dole out medicine  I knew that and forgot. She nearly wouldn't give me mum's painkillers because she thought I was going to give them to Lucy!

Anyway, the vet says if it's lead it will be a miraculous recovery over a few hours, but if not it's probably nerve damage and will take longer to heal (if at all, depending on the reason). He also thought she had lost some of her sight which was why he gave her the EDTA.  I've got to ring him on Monday with an update but overall (despite the obvious) he said she was in great condition.

Thanks for the recipe Hillfooter! She likes it - is that normal? 

And thank you everybody for your support, I'll keep you posted,
Bex

[hillfooter]

Thanks for the recipe Hillfooter! She likes it - is that normal? 

As a matter of fact it is but likely the effect will be shortlived. 

Chx tend to like changes in their drink for a while.  I often smile when i hear people extolling the virtues of adding ACV to water on the basis that their birds like it.  They do appear to initially. 

I did an experiment a few years ago comparing fresh water verses water with ACV and found while initially they liked the ACV over time the fresh water was drunk more.  I used two identical drinkers and exchanged their position each day to avoid any placement preference. I suspect they will prefer fresh water after a while.

Best of luck
HF

[bexybeck]

No miraculous recovery this morning 

Must not be lead then, back to square one. She's pretty much exactly the same as yesterday and I'm back to not having a clue.

Crossed fingers for fixable mild nerve damage/fixable infection.

[bexybeck]

So, she had the drugs and there is very little change. She is standing by herself now but when she does she looks like she is straining and eventually slowly sinks down. She tries to lift her legs but ends up flailing about. Sometimes she can put her leg down on her own and others I have to step in and put it down for her. The vet has given her a course of antibiotics and she does seem stronger but really no change. She still can't walk and her eating is erratic. Sometimes she seems ravenous, other times she's not interested.

I took her out to be with the other chooks this morning because it was sunny and warm and they accepted her without any challenge. I was pleased with that. She did her best to appear normal, poor thing, and she had some grass but I could tell it was stressful for her and brought her back in.

Her poo is still green and white - the vet didn't seem too concerned, but maybe he should have been? Could there be something wrong with her liver?

I'm going to New York on Wednesday so a friend will be looking after them for a week. I'm terrified that by the time I come back she'll be dead. My friend would never forgive herself

At the end of the day, she's a three year old ex-batt so the prognosis was never going to be brilliant .

I don't know what to do

[joyfull]

I have both ACV in fresh water and just plain water but unlike Hillfooters birds mine prefer the water with ACV in 

[Rita]

hi i don't know if you have read my thread about my sick hen, but she also was wobbly on her legs, had diarrhoea greenish, felt hot to touch and used her wings as balance, slept with her head on the floor two of my chickens got it and died. don't know what caused it and why, i am know worried about my others.
good luck and i hope she pulls through.

[joyfull]

How long has she been on the antibiotics? They may not appear to be working for a few days. Ex batts can be prone to tumours - see if your vet can check for these.
Also as she keeps losing her balance she may have problems with her inner ear.

[bexybeck]

Hi Joyfull,
She's on her 6th day, she does seem to be improving but not as quickly as I would like - I think I'm just panicking because I have to go away.

The vet thought it was her legs because she keeps curling her toes. It's almost as though she gets cramp, stretching her leg out (either one) and being unable to get it back under her so she flaps like a mad thing and tries to balance with her wings, or her face. The partial blindness is also a weird symptom to throw into the mix.

The vet manhandled (henhandled?) her to check for external signs but she hasn't had an x-ray so tumours aren't ruled out.

Hi Rita, I'll check out your post if I can find it - I hope the rest of your hens are ok, good luck

[joyfull]

you can keep them on antibiotics for 10 days with no problems so perhaps you should do that to see if she gets any better.

[Lindeggs]

It does sound neurological to my untrained eye - it could be in her brain or it could be a tumour putting pressure on her nerves.  Here are a couple of websites I stumbled on recently.  If you have any time to read them before you go to NY there might be something there that rings a bell.

http://www.peteducation.com/index.cfm?c=15 (About caged birds but also relevant to chickens)
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi#general (a forum with some very handy links)

Of course you'll reassure your friend that the chicken is sick and if she dies it's nothing she has done - and of course your friend will feel terrible if it happens while she's looking after them.   Perhaps you could get her to register on this site so at least she has someone to talk to if she has any chickeny questions in your absence?