Please help to tube feed my chick

[Snowingamanda]

Hi,
My Golden laced Polish is dying. The main reason I believe were lice infestation that is no longer a problem. She may have other problems/infections and I’ve tried different meds but right now she is critical. The vet advised palliative care only, but I want to try fluids subcatenously and tube feeding.
The vet pushed about 30 cc of saline solution into her at 12 pm. At 2 pm I tube fed her 6 cc of baby parrot formula.
It’s now 8 pm. Her weight is 252 grams, she is a outback 3.5 months old, and she is now unable to eat, drink, or hold her head.
I need help figuring out:
1. How much formula and how often to give her.
2. Should I also inject or force feed water on top of formula and how much and how often?
3. If I object it, - what to inject? I didn’t find saline solution for consumption but I bought clear
4. Of tube feed pedialite or water - should I do it between feedings, before or after?

Once I have answers to these Is need some advise on medicating her feed but right now just need her to survive.

Thank you!!
Maria

 

[Snowingamanda]

 

[Snowingamanda]

I do have 10ml intravenous fluis but that’s all I’ve got

 

[glassdragonfly]

So sorry your hen is sick! Hopefully someone with more experience will see this soon.
@Eggcessive @azygous @ValerieJ

 

[Snowingamanda]

So sorry your hen is sick! Hopefully someone with more experience will see this soon.
@Eggcessive @azygous @ValerieJ

Thank you!
I was so impatient, I met ahead and
gave her 5 ml of formula and 3 ml of saline solution subcatuneously. Fingers crossed...

 

[glassdragonfly]

That's a start,She's got to have some energy to get better.

 

[azygous]

Did your vet offer a diagnosis? Did the vet do any tests? Blood, dander, fecal, bacterial stain? How long has she been sick?What were her first symptoms? Lice feed on dander and are not usually injurious to their host. Mites can suck blood, however, and make a chicken anemic.

What meds have you tried? Antibiotics? Did the vet recommend any of the meds? If so, what did they say they were treating?

It appears you have a good grasp of tube feeding and are giving good supportive care. But it would help if we knew what you and your vet were trying to treat.

 

[Snowingamanda]

Did your vet offer a diagnosis? Did the vet do any tests? Blood, dander, fecal, bacterial stain? How long has she been sick?What were her first symptoms? Lice feed on dander and are not usually injurious to their host. Mites can suck blood, however, and make a chicken anemic.

What meds have you tried? Antibiotics? Did the vet recommend any of the meds? If so, what did they say they were treating?

It appears you have a good grasp of tube feeding and are giving good supportive care. But it would help if we knew what you and your vet were trying to treat.

Thank you so much for looking into it!
Here is the backstory:
* she must have gotten lice (or mites) about 2 months ago, as a young chick, but I didn’t catch it. It’s bad, they ate all of her back feathers.
* about 2-3 weeks ago I found her outside on the ground, looking dead. Brought her in, offered higher protein food, electrolytes. Next day she looked fine.
* I kept her in and noticed blood in her stools, so I added Corid to water for 3 days. She did not respond and started to relapse.
* I ordered avian sulfa but while waiting for it to arrive I put her on Amoxicillin (for humans), about 150 mg 2-3 times a day
* after 3 days she still continued to deteriorate and still blood in stool. This is when I noticed that she was infested with parasites. So, I discontinued Amoxycillin and instead dusted her and her brooder in DE and tried to give her a tiny bit of praziquantel and panache, but by that time she did not eat much so I don’t think she ate any (I mixed into boiled egg). - that was last Mon.
* Tuesday live persisted, so I treated her with garden and poultry dust .25% strength. That took care of mites/lice. I also added a tad of de-wormer in her water just in case.
* the whole last week she was getting weaker by the minute and ate only when I took her out every two hours and coaxed her to eat and drink. I switched to medicated chick food that I moistened and ground with water.
* Wednesday sulfa arrived so I mixed a tab with water (although not soluble so it didn’t work well) and made her drink through a syringe (6 cc). No improvement. All week her stools were green, indicating further dehydration.
* today in the morning she could not swallow any water even with a syringe and any food, even moist or liquid, so i discontinued all medications and took her to the vet.
* I also periodically gave her pedialite and added probiotics in water, but not consistently, because I’m feeling overwhelmed and don’t know what to stick to.
* the vet saw her at 12 (no eating or drinking at all between morning and 12) and just said she is dying and to keep her comfortable. I made an apt so he could teach me how to tube feed and rehydrate but once he saw her he refused. HE did administer saline solution subcatuneously after I kept bugging him and I also asked for glucose which he gave her about 3 ml and she did not respond to (I tried in the morning also with no result).
* so, when i corn hime at 2 pm I tube fed her for the first time (6 cc). It’s now almsot 9 pm and she is definitely alive. I fed her again around 8 pm (5 cc) and administered 10 ml fluid subcatuneously. I don’t have anymore fluid and I couldn’t find a pharmacy that carries it . But she is alive, so there is Hope right? I just need a treatment plan and sticks to it, and for that i need advise of someone who cares (more than the vet). Thank you!

 

[Suedan]

I'm so sorry to hear your baby is having such a hard time. You are awesome for all of your efforts. It is super hard to find a veterinarian knowledgeable with chickens.
Hugs to you! I'm sure one of the experts will chime in soon.

 

[Snowingamanda]

I'm so sorry to hear your baby is having such a hard time. You are awesome for all of your efforts. It is super hard to find a veterinarian knowledgeable with chickens.
Hugs to you! I'm sure one of the experts will chime in soon.

Thank you!