A few weeks ago, I got an email from my mentor Dr Vicki Bowes, avian vet/pathologist asking if I wanted to get together for ‘Gorefest’. Who could turn down an invite like that? Certainly not me. So off I went with my memory stick full of all kinds of cases that I had been collecting for her opinion on the diagnosis, and treatment plan, if possible. We ended up plowing through about 35 cases, of which I’ll posted a few at a time. Some have a theme: injuries, specific areas of the body, oddities and this one, which is dedicated to the more explicitly gorey stuff. So be forewarned there will be graphic photos.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
I originally took a new chicken I bought to the vet for what I thought was a prolapsed vent. It turned out to be an abscess under her vent. She has been on an antibiotic, Clavulox (amoxicillin with clavulanic acid) and Meloxicam (pain management) for 13 days now. I’m soaking her in warm Epsom salt water twice a day. Initially it was looking better, now it’s not. I have also noticed spots/lesions popping up on her in other areas. I was hoping maybe just ingrown feathers, as she had a few pulled out by the other hens before I realized and they are growing back now, but I’m not sure. I feel like I’m losing a battle and it might be time to let her go. – Diana Carl
Dr Bowes: It appears to be squamous cell carcinoma that involves multiple sites, the area around the vent being the most severe. A vet could do a biopsy, but the condition is terminal.
Abscess Surgery
Bitchin’ Chickens: I recently posted the case study of a hen with a massive abscess adjacent to her crop. One of my followers, a veterinarian, posted a comment, which was above my pay grade so I asked Dr Bowes for her opinion.
Jeff Parke, DVM: Just curious about the radiograph views. Is the lucent tubular structure running along the edge of the mass air in the esophagus, or the trachea?
I don’t know really anything about abscesses in chickens, but I’m pretty certain they ingest a fair bit of fecal contamination of the stuff they scratch around in their environment and eat. Could this have originally been a perforation of the esophagus by some sharp and contaminated ingesta that healed over but left the bacteria there, festering in this sequestered cervical area? It seems that a skin wound might have caused something quicker to soften up and drain on its own. Also, would be interesting to know if external skin wounds might lead more often to cocci-based abscesses.
Dr Bowes: The tubular structure is the trachea. It’s possible that the crop can become perforated, but I think in this case the infection went from the outside inwards, probably due to a penetrating injury. The necrotic area could have had a fibrous capsule preventing the abscess to erupt.
This is my 8-month-old hen that I have had for six weeks. I noticed that she had a poppy butt and soaked her. About a week ago she wasn’t leaving the coop and could barely walk. When I soak the area I can pick stuff off and it smells awful. She is eating and drinking fine. I have apple cider vinegar in her water, given her antibiotics and probiotics, and treated topically with Monistat, Iodine and Bantix around her vent. – Beth Reynolds Rossman
Dr Bowes: Some advice: you can overdo treatment and actually be counter-productive (i.e. don’t use antibiotics and probiotics at the same time). I don’t think this is a case of vent gleet and would treat the skin below the vent as favus by using an over-the-counter topical antibacterial and antifungal product such as Miconazole, Tresaderm, Panalog, Betadine and Hibitaine. You should see improvement within a week. A vet could debride that area as it’s concerning to see blood, which could be linked to a localized proliferative infection.
Necrotic Liver
Bitchin’ Chickens: Sometimes I have stuff in my files that I don’t recall why they are there or lack information on the patient. In this case, I’m assuming it’s a from a chicken, but might well be a turkey.
Dr Bowes: There are multifocal points of necrosis. If this was a turkey I would diagnose Blackhead Disease and if it was a chicken I would say Bacterial Septicemia. In either case, I wouldn’t eat that bird. The liver is a filter organ, so if you find bacteria in the liver or spleen it’s indicative of bacteria in other parts of the body.
This hen appears lethargic and weak and had roundworms, which were treated. She seemed to bounce back but never fully, then she started laying shell-less eggs and became very weak again. No appetite and just wasted away. I should have put her down sooner. – Anonymous
Dr Bowes: This is a case of Salpingitis.
Infected Head
Dr Bowes: This was probably caused by a penetrating injury, which stimulated a reaction and bacterial infection. The concerning issue is that it’s a doorway to the ear and the brain. It appears that the margins have started to heal. A vet would clean and explore the ear to determine how deep it is. They could also cut and suture the wound so it heals properly.
Lump On Thigh
I noticed my 16-week-old chick limping for the first time and found a very solid lump on the outer thigh. – Anonymous
Dr Bowes: Although the bird is young it’s possible this is squamous cell carcinoma. A more remote possibility is a reaction to a foreign body. A vet could remove the mass and resection the area as long as it involves skin and not muscle.
Thanks again to Dr Bowes, for her her on-going commitment to sharing her expertise to educate small flock keepers and improve the health outcomes of their birds. Feature photo credit: Danyelle Brown
If you’ve got an interesting story you’d like to share drop me a line via the ‘contact’ button on my home page.
Bitchin' Chickens 
Thanks again, for these interesting cases.
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