Ascities in hen

[Calichicken2015]

Hi!
I am looking for advice from other BYC members who have had experience with ascites in their hen. I have a 3 1/2 year old bantam cochin that has this condition. We have drained fluid two other times...about 6 months apart maybe? We just took her to the vet to have her drained again and it was quite a bit of fluid. She stopped laying eggs a year ago and does have a small mass in her egg laying tract which is most likely cause the fluid to occur every now and then. Once she was drained it the past it was a good 6 months before we had issues again.


She is sleepy this morning, we are encouraging her to eat her feed as well as drink, but shes not super excited about her feed right now

She is an indoor girl so she is inside, comfortable and warm. Her poop is green right now, but I know she hasn't been eating much over the last 2 or 3 days

I put probiotics in her water and gave her some poly-vi-sol vitamin(no iron) to hopefully help her out !


So here are my questions:
1) Are hens sore after draining...is being tired typical after? If yes...about how long is recovery time?
2) Should she be on any type of antibiotic? The vet did not prescribe any, but wondering if she should be on one? If yes...what is typically given? I can probably ask my vet for it with no issues

3) Can she go outside ...dust ect if she feels up to it? I forgot to ask the vet yesterday and not sure when the drain her if the needle site needs to heal?
4) Other suggestions or things you have done to help your hen after draining fluid to recover

I do understand that this is a chronic issue that can not be cured...but can be managed as long as she is healthy and happy! We love her dearly and want to do everything we can for her, so any input and advice is VERY much appreciated!

Thank you!!!!

 

[Calichicken2015]

***GIVING THIS A BUMP**** Hoping someone can give me some advice

We are on day 2 after draining her and she ate a good amount of feed this morning..and then a worm treat

Hoping we are getting over a hump here but really want to make sure we are doing all we can!

 

[Eggcessive]

Casportpony and others here have treated ascites by draining them. Hopefully you will get a response, or you can send a PM to one of them. Sorry that you didn't get a response. Here are some links to look through. I haven't dealt with it before, so not much help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853726/ascites-in-desperate-need-of-some-help-and-guidance
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/921361/ascites-success-story
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/68731/laying-hens-with-water-belly-or-ascites
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/638821/ascites-swollen-squishy-abdomen-with-pics-video-page-9

 

[Calichicken2015]

Casportpony and others here have treated ascites by draining them. Hopefully you will get a response, or you can send a PM to one of them. Sorry that you didn't get a response. Here are some links to look through. I haven't dealt with it before, so not much help.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/853726/ascites-in-desperate-need-of-some-help-and-guidance
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/921361/ascites-success-story
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/68731/laying-hens-with-water-belly-or-ascites
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/638821/ascites-swollen-squishy-abdomen-with-pics-video-page-9

Thank you so much Eggcessive ! I will check out the links...any info will be helpful

She definitely seems to be feeling better and moving around, eating again now that the fluid is out!

 

[Calichicken2015]

So I am posting an update to this thread on my girl! Seeing great improvement in health since she was drained 5 days ago and so far no return of fluid. We have however seen this orangey color occurring in her poop

Not sure if it is the dye in the Poly-vi-sol causing it or something else! Stopped the poly-vi-sol for now and ordered nutria-drench instead for vitamin supplement. It doesn't seem to be affecting her health wise...good appetite...pretty much back to normal activities..does still nap a bit more. Any thoughts are definitely welcome!

 

[muscovylove]

How is your hen doing? I have a 4 year old hen with ascetis, I was able to afford the Xray to show fluid accumulation (which I had assumed it was anyway) and she was drained. No underlying cause found but she in NOT egg bound.

 

[coach723]

I had a hen with salpingitis, who would get ascites. As there is no real treatment for salpingitis, I used colloidal silver and when she developed ascites I would treat with this: https://www.iherb.com/pr/lily-of-the-desert-aloe-herbal-detox-formula-32-fl-oz-960-ml/6558 . It really did seem to help, as she would perk up after a few days. The dose of the aloe detox I used was 4 ml a day x 7 days. I let it come to room temp and used a syringe to slowly get her to drink it. It's a liver detox cocktail. She lasted just over 1.5 years after diagnosis. Most of the conditions that cause ascites are eventually going to cause death, but my goal was to give her as much good, comfortable time as I was able.

 

[Calichicken2015]

How is your hen doing? I have a 4 year old hen with ascetis, I was able to afford the Xray to show fluid accumulation (which I had assumed it was anyway) and she was drained. No underlying cause found but she in NOT egg bound.

Hi There!
Sadly I lost my sweet girl on January 24th

The fluid came back within 2 weeks, which had not happened before. So I knew it wasn't a good sign. Took her back to the vet to be drained again and she had a tough time after that. 3 days after her drain, I took her back to the vet and they tube fed her to try and get her strength up but whatever the underlying cause of the fluid buildup was too much for her little body. Thankfully she was resting comfortably in her last few days and she passed peacefully in my arms. We suspect that the mass she had in her egg tract was some type of tumor. She lived a really healthy and happy life until this came about in January. We miss her dearly! She was our house chicken and a part of our everyday life! She loved us well

How is your girl doing? Hopefully all is well! When I was looking into ascetis and asking for advice, many BYC members offered experience and advise about cause. Heart or liver issues were common, as well as tumors or cancers. Many had hens that lived quite a while, as long as fluid was detected early and drained so it did not cause stress on the organs. Hopefully this will work for your girl and she will continue to live a happy life as long as she is able

Rest in peace my sweet girl Peep!

 

[Eggcessive]

Calichicken2015, I'm sorry to hear that you lost Peep.

 

[Calichicken2015]

Calichicken2015, I'm sorry to hear that you lost Peep.

Thank you @Eggcessive ! I appreciate all the advice and experience you shared with me in trying to help Peep and figure out what was going on and how to help her

We did everything we could for her and had a really great vet trying to help her as well. Unfortunately it was just her time to leave us

She opened our hearts and lives to chickens forever