![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.carolschickens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/shadow-this-morning.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.carolschickens.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/shadow.jpg\")
Closer up I think her face is still as red but a little later she was back in the position with her back up and her tail down and her eyes were closing. I know that when their eyes are closing this is not good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shadow looked miserable and uncomfortable. I knew I couldn’t let her suffer and that it was time to ring the vet. I got an appointment for quarter to three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vet was so kind. I explained everything from five weeks ago until now. She felt Shadow’s abdomen and said that she had a large egg stuck and she thought there was a smaller one behind it. I was surprised because Shadow had always laid tiny eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vet said that she was surprised that Shadow had managed to poop at all. She lifted Shadow’s wings and said that she thought straining had given Shadow some nerve damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I can only assume that the last egg, five weeks ago, was also large and had caused the problem and also resulted in Shadow being unable to expel her poop properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vet agreed that the kindest thing for her was to put her to sleep. I asked if I could hold her and she was so kind. She said she would squirt the anesthetic up her vent and then I could hold her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It would take five to ten minutes for her to gently go to sleep. She pulled up a chair and put Shadow on a towel on my lap and dimmed the light and left the room saying she would return in five minutes to check on us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vet came back and lifted Shadow’s eyelid to check her and said that she would leave us a few minutes more. I was of course in tears but the vet was so kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I feel so upset that this has happened to such a young girl and can’t understand why after laying tiny eggs Shadow should produce a larger egg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have grown so close to Shadow over the last five weeks of caring for her and picking her up every day but I know that it was time to let her go. I will do a tribute to her in a few days time but it is too raw at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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I said in the comments this morning that I may have been wrong about Shadow having her next egg stuck as mid morning she was so enthusiastic when I hand fed her some spinach. I added another comment when I … Continue reading