Ascites? in desperate need of some help and guidance...

Pics
Date sort Score sort
using the same photo from above, I put red dots where I put the needle in. It seems to me that this would be the best place to get the fluid.


I'm trying to edit this post because the pictures did not come through.
 
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Update: Her tummy seems to be less swollen. She's eating- got an appetite again for yogurt and scrambled eggs... So I wlll take that as the good news for now. I tried the needle again, but I didn't get anything. Oddly enough it seemed I got air? Maybe I didn't have it in far enough or something is wrong with the syringe?

She still seems to have a large mass in the abdomen, so I'm worried that all that pressure inside might have stopped her from laying, and possibly maybe there is some internal laying going on. I don't know. I might ask the vet for another round of antibiotics. Don't know if that would help or not. Seems to me that IF that is going on, it would have to be cleaned out by surgery.

Just chiming in for documenting the experience of it. Maybe it would be of some help, though there are a lot of better threads on here, I'm sure.

I'll keep posting anyway. Giving a big thanks to everyone on Backyard Chickens for their experience and documenting it here because it helps a lot.
 
herechilchiky,

Thanks for asking. She is still alive. She hasn't eaten much more since last night. She is sitting in her cage still. She seems comfortable- not labored in breathing, at least.

Thanks for your suggestion, unless I'm mistaken about something- and please chime in if you think I am, I don't think she is egg bound- at least not in the classic meaning- because she has been this way for about week now, maybe two I would have expected her to succumb by now if she was egg bound. She's had this problem (of not being active, sitting and having a swollen abdomen) for about 5 months or so, off an on- maybe twice or three times. I don't think she has been laying for a while now. I do suspect though, that she is egg bound in the fact that she might be internally laying, which I know is not a good sign. I suspect this because if there is fluid built up inside of her, I would think the pressure from it could block the egg from passing through the oviduct. She doesn't have a purple comb or anything, which is one of the signs of the egg not passing. Also, she is passing fecal matter, which to my understanding, doesn't happen if a hen is egg bound, which then causes the endocrine system to block up and then the hen dies from not being able to eliminate toxins and waste matter. She is pooping- although it is green and small now...not always a bad sign, but not a good one either.

Her comb is now showing signs of dehydration. Hopefully all the yogurt she scarfed down last night would help that. I will probably take her back into the vet this coming week to see if the vet can drain her more properly than I am or maybe offer some sort of surgery, though I'm not sure it it would be worth it. I understand that sometimes, these things just can't be fixed, and if so, I might just have the vet put her down. (I don't think I could do it myself!) When she does pass, I am interested in hearing the results of the necropsy (autopsy?.. I need to look up the difference between those two words!) I'm fortunate to have a vet willing to do that for me.

Other than just sitting all day, she isn't really showing that she is succumbing... yet. She's young and in my estimation, she doesn't look unhealthy- pretty feathers, eyes look good, strong body. I did notice she has gurgling air bubble noises within her, especially if I turn her on her side- then she starts to pant, which either means she is having trouble breathing when I do this (maybe from the pressure of the fluid against her organs, namely her lungs), or she is in pain at that point. Both are not good signs, I know.
sad.png



Sadly, I've been through chicken death enough times now that I know the signs of when it is imminent and when it is on its way to 'getting there'. I'd have to say going through chicken illness is about the most difficult part in raising a flock, everything else pales in comparison. I find that if you give them enough room and enough air and good food, then everything else is a real joy and not really a difficult chore. I've been fortunate so far not to have massive sudden die offs which I know a lot of people deal with. Most of all my hens have seemed to die from similar circumstances probably pertaining to the liver. I've had about 6 hens that have died under my care within the past three/four years, only one due to a predator and another one due to congenital illness/seizures. All the others seem to have died from this kind of thing- something internal, some organ not working correctly. It just seems to me that more research needs to be done on chicken health. I'm happy that there is a lot of knowledge out there so far, but I'm kind of in disbelief that chickens can't be kept healthier... I guess maybe it is the stock they come from? Genetics? It would be wonderful keeping chickens if these common problems could be avoided and one could have a flock without dealing with death every 5 months!


Anyway, I will keep things updated.
 
Oh, I forgot to say that hopefully soon I will be able to locate some thistle milk extract to give her. I had read that this could help aid the body with ailments related to ascites. Unfortunately, that might take a while to locate the product locally!
 
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Just a quick comment... it's possible that she is egg bound and the egg has been sitting there for months, growing. Once it gets too big it seem like it somehow relocates to below where it should be. I've seen this before in a couple of hens and when I did a necropsy. These are pictures I found on the internet, but mine were similar. One of the eggs I removed weighed 1 pound, it was huge and looked just like the one below.

P1110905.jpg


P1110910.jpg


P1110911.jpg

-Kathy
 
Bocktobery, this kind of thing is never easy. You feel so helpless. I think Eggsessive was telling someone that the state vet. Will do a necrop. For free (most states) maybe look into that ( you can search for the thread) sounds like it would deffinately be in your and your flocks best interest to find out what this illness is and what's causing it.
 
casportpony said:
Just a quick comment... it's possible that she is egg bound and the egg has been sitting there for months, growing. Once it gets too big it seem like it somehow relocates to below where it should be. I've seen this before in a couple of hens and when I did a necropsy. These are pictures I found on the internet, but mine were similar. One of the eggs I removed weighed 1 pound, it was huge and looked just like the one below.

P1110905.jpg


P1110910.jpg


P1110911.jpg
-Kathy
Click to expand...
My goodness.... Thanks for sharing!
 

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