Suprelorin Implant For hens:

SUPRELORIN IMPLANT FOR HENS:

 

What is a Suprelorin Implant?

Deslorin ( Brand Name Suprelorin )

Suprelorin is an implant that contains the active substance called Deslorin.

So basically the Suprelorin is a safe and effective hormonal implant, that is injectable under the skin.

It is presented in a preloaded applicator. It comes pre-packed in a single dose sterile syringe and needle.

The implant is approximately the size of a rice grain.

It is primarily used for male dogs and ferrets to make them temporarily infertile.

The Suprelorin is used Off label in birds, The drug is formulated in an implant that is designed to remain under the bird’s skin. After the implantation, it will soften and flatten. After implantation, the drug releases slowly and continuously at low doses over time.

 

There are two versions available, one containing 4.7 or 9.4 mg of Deslorin.

 

Medical Therapy:

Hormone implants are a form of medical therapy used to decrease reproductive activity in female birds.  It consists of periodic hormone implants that are intended to alter the reproductive cycle of the bird.

Over time, hormone implants may become less effective on birds that receive treatment, which may result in more frequent implants and the use of higher dosages so as to get the same effect.

 

How hormone implants work :

Deslorin controls the secretion of other hormones involved in egg production. Suprelorin is given as an implant that slowly releases a continuous flow of Deslorin.

This Suppresses or blocks the production of follicle stimulating hormone ( FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone ( LH).

 

So many of our hens struggle with egg-related issues that can be life-threatening. We love our hens and hate to see them struggle with their eggs and seeing them in pain because of their egg related problems. Sadly not everyone has access to the Implant. More on that later.

 

Let’s take a look at Noodles, She got her implant done a few months ago.

Noodles The Miracle Hen

We will share with you what she went through as the hormones started to take effect.

 

Firstly , Noodles was circling at death’s door, she has multiple reproductive issues which is most commonly found in Production hens. She was diagnosed as an internal Layer, She is over-productive and tends to lay 2 eggs a day, 2-3 times a week. It was also not uncommon for her to lay three eggs a day. Her second eggs always took between 12-18 hours to lay, hens aren’t made to lay eggs that are like tiny soft balloons. It was extremely draining for her, and she lost a lot of weight and didn’t have any energy left. Some days she laid yolk internally and that in turn caused egg yolk Peritonitis, which nearly claimed her life.

Samples of the eggs Noodles laid

Noodles was a candidate for a Suprelorin implant as her condition was going to kill her.

Here in South Africa Poultry vets are pretty much non Existent, Luckily we have one near us Bird and Exotic pet Hospital, located at the Onderstepoort Facility.

Noodles got her implant injected into her breast area ( Each vet has their own preference )

She was tender at the location for a few days and a scab formed over the injection site ( remember the implant is the size of a rice grain ).

Week one I saw a slight decrease in her activity levels, but she started laying eggs two days after her implant.

As I keep a dedicated egg diary for my chickens I could easily track Noodles’ egg production.

The first week She laid only 2 eggs. What a decline from her previous amounts!

 

Week two came and I noticed a decrease in her appetite and an increase in her playfulness.

She laid three eggs on one day that week. They didn’t take the usual 12-18 hours, but the two extras were laid within minutes of each other.

 

Week three came and Noodles was still laying eggs. At this point, I began to worry that the implant didn’t take. We scheduled a vet appointment to see what was going on.

 

At the vet, Noodles was weighed and had her blood tested and was given an all-clear.

The vet told us she has had one previous case where an over-productive hen took longer to respond to the implant. She advised us to give Noodles another week to see what will happen.

 

Noodles Before Her Implant: Large Comb and Red Face

Week four came with an explosion of Noodles feathers everywhere, She had started to moult. Her comb and wattles shrank and her face and legs turned yellow.

Which is one of the more reliable signs that the implant has taken hold and is working, Noodles went through a tremendous moult, it lasted for over a month.

Noodles After Her Implant: Small Comb And Pale

So what to expect:

Loss of appetite

Less active

May lose weight

Her butt won’t be as round, but will feel flat.

She may have mood swings ( Noodles became clingy, some hens don’t want to be touched)

Her Comb and Wattles will shrink

She will moult

Her face and legs will change colour ( Noodles went yellow )

She may become more playful

She may become picky at what she wants to eat

Noodles gained weight

She won’t lay eggs.

She may become frightened at things she normally found boring

She may end up at the bottom of the pecking order as she may become more docile.

But remember each hen is unique unto her own.

 

The implant can last anywhere from 1 Month to an average of 3-6 months.

We will need to make arrangements to get Noodles her replacement implant, because she will not survive egg-laying and the implant is the only way to save her life.

If you feel like helping fund Noodles’ implant please go buy her a Butterfly as all the proceeds will go towards her next implant.

 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Chickennoodle

Has the implant been worth it?

Yes! It saved Noodles, It gave her a new zest for life and has given us more time together.

How long before the implant kicks in?

It may take one day, 12 days or like Noodles a month.

 

Let’s take a look at another story of how a Suprelorin implant changed the life of a very special hen.

The Story Of Lea From @rescued_lotte

https://instagram.com/rescued_lotte?igshid=199xwpc86aauh

Written By Connie.

Lea was our first hen to get a chip implanted.

She was about 3 years old and had no problems with laying until then. It started with soft-shelled eggs once in a while until she wasn’t able to lay normal eggs with hard shells anymore, no matter how much Calcium I gave her.

It took her longer and longer from day to day to squeeze the egg out. In the beginning, it took her about 30 minutes from the first sign of her not feeling well up to four hours in the end.

Furthermore, the eggs came out broken and the skin got stuck so I had to pull them out every day.

You can imagine how hard it was to watch her feeling unwell. She also got treated for inflammation of her oviduct. I talked to our vet a year before about the Suprelorin chip, but she had no experience and wasn’t keen on trying it out, so I didn’t know what to do to help Lea.

 

I knew something had to be done so I went to see the vet to ask again. As it’s quite an expensive chip, she still wasn’t keen on trying, but I insisted on it.

So Lea got the implant. It was set at the side of her neck just below the skin. Lean didn’t seem to mind, to be honest, she seemed to be calm and didn’t show any signs of pain.

The needle appeared quite big, but my vet explained that it was ultra-sharp, and wouldn’t hurt more than a normal-sized needle.

The next 7 days were like heaven. Lea didn’t lay another egg and was enjoying her life.

I couldn’t remember the last time I saw her so happy.

After a week she became a lot more calmer, didn’t eat well and separated herself from the flock.

She looked sick to me so I panicked !But it was ok as long as there was food in her crop.

After three weeks she started to moult and it was a big moult !

Every feather was renewed, which took a lot of energy and explained why she was so quiet.

As soon as the moulting was done ( which took about 8 weeks after the implant) she looked really healthy.

Her comb shrank and became pale, she gained weight again and her feet turned yellow.

 

Lea Before And after her Implant

She was still the lead hen, but not so much crazy about food and snacks and being touched or cuddled anymore.

Our rooster didn’t make any attempt to mate with her even though she was his favorite.

I guess he noticed she wasn’t fertile anymore.

Sometimes she decided she wanted to sleep in a tree which was really unusual for her.

The  hip lasted 6 months and her comb and wattles turned red again, her comb grew bigger again and she was more hungry. Our rooster was interested in her again and she was her old self again.

I was able to cuddle her again and she enjoyed it again. Her first egg came and it was a perfect one. She fully recovered from all the laying problems she had and laid healthy eggs again.

She lived until she was 4.5 years old when she suddenly started to have massive problems with inflammation in her oviduct.

 

Nevertheless, I am sure that she only survived her soft eggshell problems and inflammation thanks to the break in egg-laying provided by the Suprelorin implant.

 

 

Is it legal in the USA?

In the USA it is only approved by the FDA for use in Ferrets.

What about Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union?

It is only approved for use in Ferrets and Dogs.

 

Can anyone buy the Suprelorin?

It is a prescription drug and is available only through veterinarians.