Ascites?? Swollen, squishy abdomen - WITH PICS & VIDEO (page 9)

[speckledhen]

Once that cycle begins, Egg Yolk Peritonitis, Internal Laying, etc, etc, it is chronic. Antibiotics won't fix it permanently, I'm sorry to say. Been there, done that many times. They may remove some of the fluid folks call ascites, and draining will make her more comfortable by relieving the pull on her organs of all that extra fluid, but it won't remove the solidified masses of infection mixed with cooked yolk that can be in the oviducts as well as the abdomen itself.

Have lost many hatchery hens to it, four of them being Wyandottes, some RIRs, Barred Rocks as well as one Buff Orpington and a couple of others, but 99% of them were hatchery hens. It usually begins to show up just past the second birthday in a flock, the most common age being 2-3 years old.

These threads may be helpful to you.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=362422

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=195347

 

[tamtam84]

@gallusdomesticus - Thanks! Last night I drained about 30-40 cc off her and then let her go and fluid continued to drip from her. I noticed a pretty steady drip when she was up on the roost so hoped she would drain out overnight. This morning she looked almost back to normal! Swelling was completely gone and she had her tail up again! She seems weak, though, so I think the fluid retention really took a toll on her. Last night we let the chickens out for some supervised free ranging for the first time and they all loved it and Buttercup seemed to be really enjoying herself. I just wanted to give her some happy moments in case she didn't pull through. Also gave her some yogurt to put some good bacteria back in her system because I read baytril is really strong and will kill all the bacteria - good and bad.

@speckledhen - Thanks for the information. I actually read your threads a few weeks ago when I was trying to figure out what was going on with Buttercup. While I was worrying about her, I didn't even notice my black australorp, Penguin, was sick. The first day I noticed she wasn't acting like herself I felt her abdomen and it was horribly swollen. She was gone only 2 days later. She went downhill sooooo fast. I know this may be the same fate for Buttercup, but I felt like I had to do something for her. I know she still may end up dying from this, but I'm not gonna let her go without a fight! I'm trying to make her days as happy and comfortable as possible.

We got Buttercup and Penguin both from My Pet Chicken in August of 2009 so they are right around 2 1/2 years old. Neither had started laying again after their molt last November (all my other hens have). I guess a lot of reproductive issues can occur when they are coming off their molt. Guess molting really takes a lot out of them.

 

[poonam]

hey there, we just drained some fluid off our hen - it was clear, about 50cc of it. How is your hen doing now? I am curious to know what color the fluid was and if she is showing any signs of recovery.

thanks!

 

[tamtam84]

@poonam - Buttercup seems to be doing pretty well now! The fluid hasn't returned yet and she is pecking around and eating and drinking like normal. She does seem pretty thin around her breastbone (I can feel the bone protruding when I hold her) so I don't know if that's cause for concern. I have seen others talk about how the breast meat seems to deteriorate after a hen retains a lot of fluid. Maybe she just lost weight because she probably didn't eat much when she was feeling bad before we drained her.

The color of the fluid was a light brown color. Some people refer to it as "straw-colored." It was not clear like the fluid you drained off. The vet did test some of her brownish fluid and it was full of bacteria, so maybe since yours was clear that's a good sign. I can't say for sure though.

I am cautiously optimistic, because I've read some of speckledhen's threads and others where the hen is ok for a few months but does eventually pass away (this is the case in internal laying, which I suspect Buttercup is doing since she hasn't laid since last November when she molted). As of now Buttercup seems to be doing ok though so I'm enjoying all the time I do have with her.

How is your hen? Is she laying eggs normally? Any other signs of illness?

 

[terryg]

If the chicken has ascites, then there is an underlying issue which is causing the fluid build-up. So, you can drain it, but that doesn't cure it. I've had chickens that died of ascites, and others from internal laying. Chickens can live for a long time with diseases. We can keep them alive, but it is a difficult judgement call to know when they are suffering and when to let them go. Chickens, being prey animals, don't show weakness until they are very sick. It makes our job that much harder. In the many years I've had chickens, I've learned that when they no longer roost, that they're really hurting. It sounds like you have access to a vet with some knowledge, and to financial resources that allow you to pursue keeping her alive. I wish you and your hen the best! I've written about the challenge of knowing when a chicken should be euthanized here:http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/09/end-of-life-decisions/

 

[poonam]

back @ tamtam — Good to know your girl is doing well. it would make sense that she's lost a bit of weight from not feeling too good. My girls are free rangers and i have noticed that their breast bone protrudes (i'd be worried if they didn't look healthy). so what i'm saying is that maybe it's not too much of a cause for concern, and that she'll recover.

Eve is doing ok too. She is active, eating, drinking, roaming, but a little more lethargic than the others. I can imagine she's feeling sore because of the 16 gauge needle poking.

I totally feel you on the cautious optimism. I am paranoid about what the underlying cause is too. I don't think it's internal laying (she lays about 3 eggs a week). She does not seem unusually hot, so im hoping there is not infection. Ascites does have a few different causes (heart failure, kidney damage, liver damage or fatty liver, too much salt in the diet). I've also read some who have been drained and live on for a long time. so i'm trying not to be too negative about it

Also I believe ascites is a totally different thing from internal laying - i guess they could have both, or one causes the other, but i think that ascites can exist on it's own.

good luck! I'd love to know a month down the line how your girl is doing.

Poonam

 

[tamtam84]

@terryg - Definitely there is a reason why fluid is building up like you said. I fear in my case that it is due to internal laying for which there is no cure. gallusdomesticus replied to this thread saying her hen's ascites was caused by fatty liver disease. She says congestive heart failure can also be the underlying issue.

Your post was very well written. It is hard to make the decision on if it's time to put an animal out of its misery. Buttercup is still roosting, eating, drinking, pooping, running and pecking around like normal so my decision is that she's good for now. That's not to say that in a couple weeks or months I might have to make a hard decision, but for now she's doing ok. Like you mentioned, when she can no longer roost or doesn't want to eat anymore, I'll know I need to do something.

I don't think draining her and giving her antibiotics will cure her since I think she is laying internally, but I want to prolong her life (as long as it's a good quality of life) as long as possible. I'm praying for a miracle that maybe the underlying cause isn't internal laying and she will live a long, happy life, but I'm not expecting that. I have prepared myself for the worst and am just enjoying her now while she's here! Thanks for the well wishes

 

[tamtam84]

@poonam - Good to hear Eve is doing pretty well. Buttercup was lethargic and a little slower than normal for a few days after we drained her but she has since perked back up.

Seems like a good sign to me that Eve is still laying eggs. I know if they stop laying that's one way to tell when something is wrong. Seems like you've done your research and know a lot about this stuff!

Like you, I'm trying to think positively because there are cases where the hen lives years with this and just needs to be drained every 5-6 months. You never know with chickens!

I'll definitely update this thread as time goes on. But if I don't reply in a while remember that no news is good news!

 

[tamtam84]

Update - Buttercup is doing well! The fluid has not come back and she is acting like her normal self. However, she still hasn't started laying so I'm worried about EYP/internal laying. Only time will tell I suppose but she seems happy at the present.

@poonam - How is Eve doing?

 

[calvincoop]

I have 2 hens with egg yolk peritonitis as well. they've been inside for over a week now. If she's on antibiotics the best thing you can do is supportive care which is making sure she's still eating and drinking. you can give her some pedialyte if you Feel she may be a bit dehydrated. also try to keep her warm, I know that sound funny considering she has a fever but that's what my vet told me. I hope she gets better! Remember chickens are very tuff animals.