Baytril for EYP (with lash egg pics) Anything else to help?

[HeatherKellyB]

My 5 year old Barred Rock hen has been struggling for the past week and a half. Her abdomen was growing and I suspected that I needed to drain her. I ended up not having much success with that. Talking with a friend and going over her history, I finally remembered that Sue, the hen in question, had broken membrane hanging from her vent on two occasions. I treated her with Baytril both times. She's also passed some small bits of lash material twice. All of this was at least 6 months ago, maybe more. For the past week and a half she's been feeling unwell but continues to be the first one out in the morning and although she's eating only small amounts, she has continued to eat and drink. Her posture was beginning to change, she was doing more of the penguin walk, and her abdomen was getting more firm. I decided that I couldn't let her continue to suffer. Well, this morning she walked down the ramp with more eagerness than I've seen lately, and she went straight for the food. Her posture and overall appearance look quite a bit better so I checked the coop and found this very large (for her, as she's a petite BR that's always laid pullet sized eggs) lash egg. It weighed in at 2.5ozs. I'm thinking another round of Baytril is in order. Anything else? I know her outcome isn't great but I'd like to keep her little fluffy butt (or what's left of it since I've trimmed her butt fluff to help in my draining attempts) around for as long as possible. I don't care if she lays eggs again. She eats Nutrena All Flock Pellets and Nutrena Hearty Hen Pellets. The only treats are occasional apples, bananas, or grapes, and dried black soldier fly larvae. Treats are given sparingly and in small amounts. Thank you for any input

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I decided to start Baytril. She weighs 2.495kg (5.5lbs - most of this is her abdomen) and she's getting 0.37ml of Baytril twice a day (sharing in case anyone wants to check dosage behind me).

What dosing are you using, 10mg/kg or 15mg/kg?

If you feel she needs Calcium, then give it a few hours after you give the Baytril.

Fluid can be from Peritonitis, Internal Laying, Salpingitis, organ dysfunction...or a combination. Here's the thing. I look at it practically and try to not overthink things at times, there's some type of reproductive issue going on (in your case we Know Salpingitis is at play). Whether the fluid is from that inflammation or something else too it would be hard to know unless you lose her and take a look.
Treat symptoms, if feel draining is necessary for her comfortable then do that.
And yes, it's possible that a hen can have Peritonitis and has also at some point Layed Internally. Often Lash Material can be found in the abdominal cavity as well as the oviduct.
The reproductive system is not closed, so anything that is taking place in the reproductive system can end up in the abdominal cavity.

Egg peritonitis is characterized by fibrin or albumen-like material with a cooked appearance among the abdominal viscera.

Internal Laying. In these hens, partially or fully formed eggs are found in the abdominal cavity. Such eggs reach the cavity by reverse peristalsis of the oviduct. If they have no shell, they are often misshapen because of partial or complete absorption of the contents. Frequently, only empty shell membranes are present. No control or treatment is known.

Salpingitis is an inflammation of the oviduct, which may contain liquid or caseous exudate.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Well, this morning she walked down the ramp with more eagerness than I've seen lately, and she went straight for the food. Her posture and overall appearance look quite a bit better so I checked the coop and found this very large (for her, as she's a petite BR that's always laid pullet sized eggs) lash egg. It weighed in at 2.5ozs. I'm thinking another round of Baytril is in order. Anything else?

She's doing better now that she's expelled the lash egg right?
I would hold off on the meds and see if she's even better tomorrow.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I personally would do another round of Baytril, to hopefully treat the infection that's causing this. I have a bird who's laid lash eggs twice in two years, the last time she was definitely struggling more and the antibiotics got her turned around.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

She's doing better now that she's expelled the lash egg right?
I would hold off on the meds and see if she's even better tomorrow.

Yes, I noticed a significant improvement overall with her today. Here's hoping she continues to improve with support and prayers. Thank you

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Could be using a different dose, suspension, etc. etc.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

So this morning I got Sue out and she's quite perky. She nearly took my fingers off trying to scarf down the grapes I brought out to her (she's not aggressive at all but grapes are her favorite treat). She would only nibble at grapes 2 days ago. Her eyes are bright and she doesn't "act" sick. Her abdomen didn't go down as much as I'd hoped though. I am able to pick her up and hold her without her gurgling or having trouble breathing, like before, but it's still impossible to avoid her abdomen. With this discovery of her abdomen, I decided to start Baytril. She weighs 2.495kg (5.5lbs - most of this is her abdomen) and she's getting 0.37ml of Baytril twice a day (sharing in case anyone wants to check dosage behind me). I'm wondering if I should continue my attempts at draining her abdomen. I was using an 18G needle and she would bleed every single time. The first time I used a 22G and she didn't bleed at all. I was able to remove a very small amount of wheat colored fluid. I picked up some 20G needles but I haven't tried them yet. I did get some yolk on one attempt with the 18G nearly a week ago. Is it unheard-of for a hen to have EYP AND internally laying? So I guess I'm wondering if I should try draining her abdomen once more, if I feel a soft spot to drain from. Another question is about calcium citrate if she begins to act like she needs to lay (which I highly suspect would be more lash material) like a couple of days ago. Knowing that calcium can interfere and possibly hinder Baytril, should I give her a tablet? She never seemed to have a blockage whenever she was trying to lay that lash egg and her digestion wasn't impacted at all, which I found odd. My friend mentioned that the lash egg could have been just squishy enough for poop to get by, which is the best possible theory. Of course if she stopped pooping because of a blockage from whatever, I know it's turned into another emergency entirely. Just looking back, I believe she was trying to lay that lash egg for a couple of days and obviously caused her discomfort.

As usual, I apologize for the horrible rambling. I'm so bad about summarizing. Thank you for your time and any input you can share. I appreciate you!

 

[HeatherKellyB]

What dosing are you using, 10mg/kg or 15mg/kg?

My apologies for leaving that very important information out Pardon my brain f**t
*** I'm using 10mg/kg Baytril ***

Thank you so much for all of this information. I really appreciate it and you

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My apologies for leaving that very important information out Pardon my brain f**t
*** I'm using 10mg/kg Baytril ***

Thank you so much for all of this information. I really appreciate it and you

I decided to start Baytril. She weighs 2.495kg (5.5lbs - most of this is her abdomen) and she's getting 0.37ml of Baytril twice a day (sharing in case anyone wants to check dosage behind me).

10% Baytril dose is 0.0454mg per pound of weight, so at 5.5lb her dose would be 0.25mg given twice a day for 3-5 days.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

10% Baytril dose is 0.0454mg per pound of weight, so at 5.5lb her dose would be 0.25mg given twice a day for 3-5 days.

That's a significant difference in dosage. Here's where I found the dosage I was going by. I'm not sure about the strength of the Baytril mentioned by Kathy, so maybe that's the difference.

Post in thread 'Possible egg bound hen' https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/possible-egg-bound-hen.1554657/post-26308702

It should *not* be given in water, it should be given at 0.068 ml per pound orally twice a day for 3-5 days.

I don't know where but I'm sure I've misunderstood something somewhere. Maybe the dosage for turkeys is different or the strength of the Baytril is different. Either way I sincerely appreciate your time and help. I am so grateful to have access to this goldmine of information and amazing folks with incredible knowledge and experience. The members and this site are such a blessing to so many, including myself Thank you