Ascites?

[Luckyt21]

11 month old orpington. Ascites? She is also limping favoring her right leg. With slightly labored respirations. She laid an egg for sure yesterday & I think she also laid today. She has always been a HEAVY girl. I soaked her in epsom salts tonight & I am considering draining the large mass of hardness, it’s not very squishy like I’m thinking water belly feels like. She is also our roosters favorite to mate with. What do you think?

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

I'm sorry to say a hard abdomen is a bad sign in my experience. Ascites feels like a water balloon.... If the belly is firmer or has lumps like I think I see in the last picture I would guess she has a reproductive issue like egg yolk peritonitis or ovarian cysts or perhaps tumors. In this case I don't think there is much you can do for her. The fact that she is limping and breathing hard suggests the masses are already starting to press on nerves and organs and sooner or later it will be more than her body can handle.

 

[Luckyt21]

So today she is breathing & moving around little better, less limping. Her abdomen is still swollen & warm with no lumps. I attempted to drain it today with an 18g needle & syringe, nothing came out, hopefully I placed the needle into the correct spot. I also discovered that she had a doughy crop last night so I gave her water with ACV. She is eating, drinking normally & poops look very normal. She still talks to me & loves to sit on my lap. I put her back in the coop this evening because she seemed very hot. She went back to her normal chickening behaviors including dust bathing. We are about to have another cold snap here in MN & something bad always seems to pop up with the chickens during the worst weather

 

[Duckduckchicken32]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @eggsessive

 

[azygous]

Before attempting to drain abdominal fluid, be sure the chicken is fully hydrated with an electrolyte solution. This can help prevent shock. Then, insert the needle only as deep as the outer layer of tissue. This is where the fluid is, not deep in the abdominal cavity. If you went deeper than a quarter of an inch, you wouldn't get any fluid.

 

[Luckyt21]

Before attempting to drain abdominal fluid, be sure the chicken is fully hydrated with an electrolyte solution. This can help prevent shock. Then, insert the needle only as deep as the outer layer of tissue. This is where the fluid is, not deep in the abdominal cavity. If you went deeper than a quarter of an inch, you wouldn't get any fluid.

Ok I will have to try it again tomorrow. I did go deeper than a quarter inch pretty sure, I hope I didn’t damage anything. I’m going to bring her back in tomorrow to reevaluate her issues. I inserted the needle leg btwn her center line (vent) & just behind her right leg. Is this the wrong placement? I watched YouTube vids & they all said different spots so I went with the one that actually pointed out the placement.

Thank you for helping me with Pearls dilemma. She is only 10 months old & has been laying almost every day. She did not lay today because she was in our bath tub all day with just a small window light.

 

[azygous]

Yes, you selected a good spot. Another thing to do once you hit fluid is to twist off the needs (counter clockwise) and leave it in her while you empty the syringe. Then reconnect to the needle to extract more fluid. That way you aren't risking infection with a lot of different stabs. Keep it as sterile as possible so the site doesn't get infected. I had a hen die of infection because I didn't do that.

 

[Luckyt21]

Yes, you selected a good spot. Another thing to do once you hit fluid is to twist off the needs (counter clockwise) and leave it in her while you empty the syringe. Then reconnect to the needle to extract more fluid. That way you aren't risking infection with a lot of different stabs. Keep it as sterile as possible so the site doesn't get infected. I had a hen die of infection because I didn't do that.

Good suggestion. I sprayed her with vetercyn spray before & after. Do you think I have to use a syringe for suction or will fluid drain on its own out of the needle on its own?

 

[azygous]

You need to withdraw the fluid. Letting it drain out on its own can cause shock. Go easy. Do not drain her dry. Your goal isn't to remove it all, just enough to make her more comfortable. This procedure is in no way a cure. It's just a temporary relief of discomfort. It will come back because nothing will change her liver failing, if this is actually ascites. She is awfully young to be in liver failure.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

large mass of hardness

I attempted to drain it today with an 18g needle & syringe, nothing came out

I think you likely couldn't get anything out because she her belly isn't swollen from fluid buildup. Ascites feels squishy, even when there is a lot of fluid/pressure, not hard.

I personally don't think I would try to drain her again as you could rupture something if there is no fluid and since she seems to be improving a bit on her own.