Last month, for the first time since keeping chooks, we made the decision to take Happy Feet to the Vet. She hadn't really been well for awhile. She was still eating and drinking, and moving around in general but quite slow. I presumed she was egg bound as she had been before. We had no success with warm baths with epsom salts, so we decided to seek an expert opinion. Kate came with me. but at the vet played on my phone instead, not bearing to hear or see any bad news. Ella, who owns Happy Feet was too upset to come with us, and stayed at home instead. The diagnosis was not good. The Vet believed she most likely had Ovarian Cancer, very common in these prolific layers. He drained the fluid build up, gave her some antibiotics and we took her home over the weekend, mainly so Ella could say goodbye and we could get some photos. Here is what we took over the next few days!
A couple of days after the visit to the Vet, she was obviously feeling better, just as we had been told. We waited for her to start to go back down hill again and then we would take her back. The following day when I got home from work, I couldn't find her anywhere, panic set in. She must have passed away by herself. I looked everywhere, under her favourite tree. She was nowhere to be found. Then I decided to look in an old nesting box, not where the rest currently lay, and there she was, sitting there bright as a button. She laid that day and almost every day since. When I spoke to the Vet, he said it could have been an absyss on her ovary and the draining of the fluid fixed that. We are not sure of her long term prognosis, she has always had issues with egg laying, but everyday she is happy, so are we!
