Dexamethasone for cancer symptom relief

[cate1124]

Wanted to post this for those of you whose chickens are demonstrating symptoms of tumors, which are sadly common as birds age, especially reproductive tumors in hens. I had an 8-year-old black Australorp, Ginny, who in January slowed down greatly, then stopped eating and drinking, then walking. I suspected cancer due to age, immobility due to impingement by tumors. Over two months, she waxed and waned, first spontaneously improving after five days not eating or drinking, and then helped by meloxicam.

But the remarkable part of her journey was using dexamethasone after the meloxicam ceased being effective. A steroid and powerful anti-inflammatory, dex requires an RX but is inexpensive and can be given orally. (I put drops on bread, wrapped in a little raw burger and "pilled" it.) Poultry DVM notes it can be especially effective in relieving cancer symptoms and this was certainly the case with my girl. I saw mild improvement within hours of the first dose, and big improvement within a day. Then for three weeks, it fully restored mobility, appetite, drinking, poop formation; she appeared in every way a healthy hen again, and even gained weight. It was as close to a miracle drug as I've ever seen. Unfortunately, it quit working as tumors (presumably) progressed and pain and immobility reasserted; with no options left, she was euthanized. But she lived to see her 9th birthday.

Here is the Poultry DVM link on dex, including dosage: https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/dexamethasone

My chicken vet says it doesn't work for all hens, but for some it lasts even longer than it did for Ginny. I will always be grateful for those few extra weeks of high-quality life it gave her. Worth trying, for certain, before you surrender to the inevitable.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry to hear about Ginny

Thank you for sharing your experience and information, hopefully it will help others in the future.

 

[cate1124]

I'm sorry to hear about Ginny

Thank you for sharing your experience and information, hopefully it will help others in the future.

Thank you for your sympathy. I, too, hope the information is helpful to others. I would not have believed a drug could have such a dramatic effect had I not witnessed it.

 

[orelsi]

I appreciate the info. It will help others for sure. Good job giving her some happy time before the end

 

[cate1124]

I appreciate the info. It will help others for sure. Good job giving her some happy time before the end

Thank you. It was really a roller coaster. After five days of Ginny not eating and drinking, and then just sitting, I was hoping she would peacefully die and was contemplating euthanasia. Then, during one my many offerings, she started drinking again, then eating. And then regaining mobility. I have no idea why. So she was already starting to improve when I met my terrific mobile livestock vet Heather, who has had chickens and is knowledgeable about them. She didn't feel any tumors in Ginny then, so we tried Clavamox in case of infection, and meloxicam, the latter of which seemed to help some. After 10 days or so, though, Ginny regressed again, so we tried the dex. Eureka! For several weeks, anyway.

So, I ended up glad I did not euthanize her initially, but gave her some time. Then glad to have had mild success with the meloxicam and then great success with the dex, then relieved to euthanize her pretty quickly when it stopped working. (At that point, Heather could palpate masses.) I'm at the end of my chicken-keeping years, and this was a memorable experience of not intervening and then intervening at the right times, to good effect.

TMI, I know. I just like to tell the story.