Egg Yolk Peritonitis - Quality of Life/Chance of Survival Question

[Cmacc]

Hello wonderful community.

My 2 year old golden comet Stella may have egg yolk peritonitis. She has a history of troubled laying (top of shell not formed). She has been unwell, going on 3 weeks. I took her to the vet a week ago, with no clear diagnosis, but vet said EYP is creeping up on her likely list. She prescribed antibiotics. Fecal testing came back with nothing.

Question. Stella seems to hold her own. She's foraging for food, drinking and eating, (but very thin). She can run and hop up on some things. (Cannot roost). She dust bathes and preens. However, she is in a penguin stance and has been for over 2 weeks.

Can a chicken recover from EYP on their own (and with antibiotics). Or is this a slow decline? I have read it is almost always fatal, so I know this. I want to know how long it takes for a chicken to succumb to EYP. Could it be something else is going on? I want to do what is best for Stella and this is my first experience with EYP.

 

[casportpony]

I've had a few recover from salpingitis, but never had one recover from EYP or ascites.

@micstrachan, @speckledhen, @Eggcessive, @Wyorp Rock, how about you?

 

[Eggcessive]

I am certainly not a vet or an expert on EYP, but I had infectious bronchitis in my young flock a few years ago. All chickens recovered in a month, but over the years I have lost many to various reproductive disorders, such as salpingitis (lash egg material inside the belly, ) cancer, and ascites. IB is know to affect the oviducts and kidneys of survivors. Crops don’t empty well from pressure, so many have actually died from crop problems. I try to do a necropsy on most who die, just to try and identify what was happening to them. My remaining hens are 7-8-9 years old. Some have never had any symptoms, but most stopped laying years ago. I have 3 who still lay.

So, I would just watch her to see if she will continue eating and drinking, and can get around to do what she feels like doing. Eventually, she may sit down and have trouble walking, or stop eating. Check her crop in early morning once in awhile to make sure that it is emptying, since that might start causing problems. Other chickens may start picking on them close to the end. When they appear to be suffering, or getting pecked, I usually put them down by severing the jugular veins. Sorry that she may soon need that, but I cannot give you a time frame.

 

[micstrachan]

Welll, not really. My first hen ever to fall ill had EYP progress very, very quickly. She did get another six month with extensive care… Abdominal lavage, antibiotics, hormone suppressing implant… But she was really never the same.
I have another hen currently who has had some oviduct issues. She has responded very well to hormones, antibiotics, and anti-inflammatories. The last time she saw the Avian Vet they did find some egg yolk and blood in her coelemic cavity. However, she has responded Very well again to the same regimen. Her swelling is completely gone and her energy is up. I don’t know her long-term prognosis, but treating her has made a tremendous impact. I think it varies from hen to hen. And maybe with the level of knowledge and experience of the human. I was a pretty new chicken keeper with my first one, but I’ve learned a few things with this second one.

 

[micstrachan]

I also wanted to add, my feeling is that hens really need the hormones suppressed if they’re going to get through these serious reproductive issues. However, the hormones are expensive, and send them into a mini molt. For my hen who is on hormones currently, the benefits definitely outweigh the downside. Something to consider. It’s not for every hen with repro issues or chicken keeper, however. I think some people just drained their bird’s abdomen and treat with antibiotics occasionally. I have also had some success with Lily of the Desert aloe detox to help with swelling.

Edited to add, when I heard she had yolk and old blood in her cavity, I considered euthanasia very seriously. I had a couple tears out in the parking lot trying to decide what to do. I decided to give her one last try with the hormones and antibiotics so even if she does eventually succumb, I’ll send her out on a happy note. This might be her last hurrah. Time will tell.

 

[speckledhen]

I've had a few recover from salpingitis, but never had one recover from EYP or ascites.

@micstrachan, @speckledhen, @Eggcessive, @Wyorp Rock, how about you?

I have had only two hens recover in 14 years of raising chickens, both after bloating up and I have no idea what the issue was, to be honest, but it presented just like all the others who passed away and did bloat (some did not ever retain fluid, only lost copious amounts of weight and upon their deaths, were found with cheesy masses in oviduct and/or and abdomen and one in the liver). One of those recovered is a 12 yr old Splash Ameraucana hen and crippled with arthritic joints. The other is a Splash Plymouth Rock, 9 yrs old now; they have not produced eggs in many years, though they seem perfectly healthy.

The flipside is that I have lost maybe 15 or 16 hens to this mess, almost all of them hatchery girls from my early flocks, or descended from hatchery stock. The one whose yolks were being deposited into the liver over a 3 year period bloated terribly over and over again and she was the largest Buff Orpington hen I have ever seen, a true giant of a girl. She was from a breeder and one of those rare exceptions, but her sister also had something odd happen to her as well, so something was up in that line anyway.
My thoughts are that 99.9% of the time, whatever you're seeing is terminal, based on my sad experience. Wish I had better news. Hybrid layers are especially prone to this. Well, I'll say that hybrid layers from the hatchery are. You can make your own crosses and they'd be most likely stronger birds, JMHO. I've done that quite a bit from my breeder quality birds over the years, though not lately.

 

[Cmacc]

I want to thank everyone who posted and shared their stories. Sweet Stella is resting much of today with her eyes closed. Thank you for helping me to understand EYP an its affects on hens.All of the advice and information has helped me to make a decision. I think she will continue to deteriorate in health and that she deserves peace.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Question. Stella seems to hold her own. She's foraging for food, drinking and eating, (but very thin). She can run and hop up on some things. (Cannot roost). She dust bathes and preens. However, she is in a penguin stance and has been for over 2 weeks.

Can a chicken recover from EYP on their own (and with antibiotics). Or is this a slow decline? I have read it is almost always fatal, so I know this. I want to know how long it takes for a chicken to succumb to EYP. Could it be something else is going on?

My thoughts is to monitor her. She seems to be holding her own right now - eating/drinking, relatively active, preening, etc.

I have never had one "recover" really. They did seem to "feel better" with supportive care - vitamins once a week, ensuring the crop is empty in the morning, keep them lice/mite free, etc. If they don't roost, make sure they are comfy. If they do roost, go out early and take them from the roost so they aren't jumping down.
A lot depends on how advanced and/or what else is going on. An antibiotic might give short term relief to help get them through IF they are really having trouble, but it's not a cure - medication could be part of your supportive care - sort of like hospice.
Implants may help extend life as mentioned - they do need to be kept up with but they will not make Peritonitis go away. Whatever mess/material that is in the abdomen is still there, but Implants may help prevent more from accumulating. Some hens respond well, others I have had folks message me and the hen died right after the Implant - it's like anything a risk.

You have to decide what route is best for you to take. If you have the spare money for trying out treatments, then that's something to consider. If you don't, then enjoy her - give her personal care and make her comfortable. When it's her time - then put her down. I put all mine down, then take a look inside. It can be heartbreaking seeing what they did live with, but it's also a good way to put 2+2 together, learn some new things and know more about what you are seeing when you have another hen with similar symptoms - the more you figure out, the better you can get with making decisions of when to hang on and keep trying or to set the hen free from her misery.

 

[micstrachan]

It sounds like you have made a decision. Lots of love and respect for that. If you do euthanize, you can send her in to your state lab for necropsy to be sure what happened. Hugs!

 

[Cmacc]

My thoughts is to monitor her. She seems to be holding her own right now - eating/drinking, relatively active, preening, etc.

I have never had one "recover" really. They did seem to "feel better" with supportive care - vitamins once a week, ensuring the crop is empty in the morning, keep them lice/mite free, etc. If they don't roost, make sure they are comfy. If they do roost, go out early and take them from the roost so they aren't jumping down.
A lot depends on how advanced and/or what else is going on. An antibiotic might give short term relief to help get them through IF they are really having trouble, but it's not a cure - medication could be part of your supportive care - sort of like hospice.
Implants may help extend life as mentioned - they do need to be kept up with but they will not make Peritonitis go away. Whatever mess/material that is in the abdomen is still there, but Implants may help prevent more from accumulating. Some hens respond well, others I have had folks message me and the hen died right after the Implant - it's like anything a risk.

You have to decide what route is best for you to take. If you have the spare money for trying out treatments, then that's something to consider. If you don't, then enjoy her - give her personal care and make her comfortable. When it's her time - then put her down. I put all mine down, then take a look inside. It can be heartbreaking seeing what they did live with, but it's also a good way to put 2+2 together, learn some new things and know more about what you are seeing when you have another hen with similar symptoms - the more you figure out, the better you can get with making decisions of when to hang on and keep trying or to set the hen free from her misery.

Thank you. This was very informative and comforting. I am learning and will take this new knowledge forward. I appreciate you taking time to help guide me through this decision.