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

[casportpony]

Many vets, like mine, will prescibe Baytril without doing a culture. Going to a vet is always the best route, but many of us cannot afford it, so we have found ways to buy Baytril... it's cheap and easy to get.

Generic injectable (can be given orally):
http://www.wood-enterprises.com/65enfloxil25.html
Generic:
http://www.finchniche.com/product_baytril.php
Brand Name
http://www.allbirdproducts.com/newproductpages/baytril.html

-Kathy

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Hi,

Thanks for your replies... sorry I did not see them until now.

Yes, she is on Baytril. My vet prescribed it for her and she's been on it (off and on) for almost 6 months now.

She is still kickin'. (alive.) She does seem to be getting worse, albeit slowly. I have not been able to put her back outside with the other hens. She is too weak- but not weak enough to try and defend herself from angry hens who don't know who she is anymore. I figured she does not need that stress, and she was breathing heavily after the small skirmishes- so I brought her back inside. Its also very cold outside where I live right now- temps in the single digits, so again, she doesn't need that stress. Oh, and then also the fact that my coop is very dusty right now due to all the hens having to be inside due to the large amounts of snow... so it is better that I kept her inside for now, I feel.

What I've noticed since last time is that her breathing is seemingly more difficult than before. I can't say that its all times though- sometimes she still seems to be resting comfortably. I think what concerns me the most is that the bulges in her abdomen have become more swollen in spots and it appears that she is having quite an irritating feeling of having to poo all the time which, I just noticed today seems to have made her seem a bit prolapsed in the vent. It seems difficult for her to pass fecal matter through. She makes small droppings, about 1/3rd the size of a normal large sized chicken dropping. She does do large droppings every now and then, but its not common at all. I do have to say that her droppings smell 'off'... reminds me of when a cat has a urinary crystal problems- that smell. She has been eating, not so much her feed, but she loves to eat the 'yummy' stuff. Her appetite is voracious when it comes to scrambled eggs and devours them within seconds. She doesn't seem to be interested in drinking water, and when she is thirsty I assume she is getting that liquid from eating the yogurt I give her. I should note also that for a few weeks now I've been giving her some milk thistle extract in her yogurt. I thought it would not hurt to try.


So basically, all the problems are surmounting and its causing her pain and problems upon more problems. I don't want her to suffer this out for a long time, so.....

I called my vet today. (and the vet isn't in today, so I will have to call tomorrow morning) I was going to see if the vet would put her under the knife to see what might be going on inside of her. I largely suspect it is egg peritonitis. (spelling?) or maybe some thing wrong with the liver? I figured its better to try and give it a shot than for her to continue to suffer like this.... that is, if my vet is willing to try and do the operation. I don't know yet. I figure if she dies from the operation, then she is out of her suffering. If she does not, then well maybe she will be on her way to being a happy healthy chicken again.


I'm really curious about it and its times like these I wish I would have gone to veterinarian school so that I could do the operation myself.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Hi!

Just an update..

EGG PERITONITIS! That's what it was. Not ascites. Just a large mass of cooked egg yolk stuck inside which my gracious vet removed from her this afternoon during an operation.

I wrote more about it in this thread:


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...can-hens-survive-hysterectomies#post_12995067


She may still die. It all depends and we are waiting to see if she survives the night.

Thanks everyone for the help and support. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the cooked egg mass for you. Then again, maybe you'd be thankful I didn't!

 

[PoultryPedia]

So glad you have found out the problem!
I hope she can make it! If not, at least you have more understanding of causes & don't have to worry about contagious diseases for other chickens.
But I hope there's a way she makes it.
Bless you for giving her kind caring.

 

[casportpony]

How is she today?

-Kathy

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Sad news.

She lived through the night, and this morning she was up and walking, eating... but this afternoon had a seizure and died immediately. Needless to say, I'm not really up for talking too much-feeling bummed about it, but just wanted to update. Thanks everyone for your support and help. We gave it our best try. That's all anyone can do.



Rest in Peace "Goldie", my Silver Grey Dorking. March 2013- March 2014.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Very sorry to hear that she passed, I know we all hoped she'd pull through. But you know that you did everything possible for her.

I get attached to mine too. I lost an 18 month old hen suddenly and unexplained just a week ago, am still waiting on necropsy results. I've had chickens for years, it's still always such a downer to loose them.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Very sorry to hear that she passed, I know we all hoped she'd pull through. But you know that you did everything possible for her.

I get attached to mine too. I lost an 18 month old hen suddenly and unexplained just a week ago, am still waiting on necropsy results. I've had chickens for years, it's still always such a downer to loose them.

I'm sorry for your loss also cafarmgirl. I know what you are saying... I never thought I'd get so attached... even one's I don't think I like so much, I come find that I care more than I thought I did.

This is my forth year raising chickens- I think this is hen number 7 that I lost (a few hatchlings too) and you are right about it always being just as difficult.

 

[PoultryPedia]

My condolences to you both. So sorry

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Thanks again to everyone.