Egg Yolk Peritonitis

[darbert]

I recently discovered my australorp with a swollen belly. I immediately took her to the vet and found out she has EYP. Judging by the size of the abdomen and her energy, she believed she had a decent chance of recovering. She was prescribed cephalexin & ibuprofen for 45 days. During the visit, she was drained. Two weeks later, her abdomen had filled up again and I brought her to the vet and this time, the vet was more reserved with a guarded prognosis. The fact the abdomen swelled up again that fast doesn't seem like antibiotics are helping. She was drained again and told me that if there's no improvement, we can keep draining the fluid, but eventually it will get thick enough where we would not be able to drain any out. She would eventually succumb to suffocation or death from infection. Absent of the fluid, my australorp is a perfectly normal chicken. When the belly starts to fill up, you'll notice her poop is more watery and less inclined to eat.
I was wondering if anyone has ever put their chicken on antibiotics and usually how long do you have to go for recovery. She just recently filled with fluid again and I plan to bring her in again tomorrow. This is exactly 2 weeks from the last drainage and about a month on the antibiotics. I'm trying to be hopeful, but I was wondering if anyone else who has been in this situation can give me a better picture of outcome? I'm not sure whether to be hopeful or slowly brace for the inevitable?
Thank you!
Also, for anyone who is draining their girls, my vet used a 14 gauge. She knew it was EYP because prior to brining her in, I did an emergency drain because of how labored her breathing has become. I drained 3 10 ML's. First syringe was clear yellow, and then second and third became progressively cloudy yellow.

 

[azygous]

What you're describing seems to be abdominal fluid from ascites from a failing liver. EYP fluid is more brownish and opaque from bacteria.

EYP can cause liver failure and ascites, though, so it can be some of both.

You don't give us the age of your hen. that makes a big difference in prognosis. In a young hen, say two or three years, reproductive infections have a greater chance of being treated successfully. In and older hen, not so much. Antibiotics are nearly useless, the reason being, there's a greater chance the infection has progressed longer than it would have in a younger hen.

That's been my experience. I have had much more success in treating a young hen than an older one. But it's amazing how long a hen can survive with a chronic reproductive infection, not saying it's the best quality of life.

 

[darbert]

My hen is almost 3 years old (in April). I took her to an avian vet and had asked how she could tell between ascites and EYP and she said ascites would be a clear fluid, but the floating particles in the 2nd and 3rd suggested EYP. My hen still has a fairly good amount of meat on her and she is normal otherwise. This is the first time I've even had a chance with EYP. My last two girls were already shutting their eyes on their way to the vet.
I've changed her food to all flock, added vitamin water, and poultry nutri-drench. The only thing that I can tell is around June last year I noticed the soft eggs. I was thinking it was calcium issue at the time. I feel like I caught the EYP too late. She doesn't seem responsive to the medication. I was hoping the abdomen would get smaller as the treatment went. Though, besides the swollen abdomen, she is a normal chicken.
How long would a chicken be on antibiotics and ibuprofen to see any progress?

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

After a month on antibiotics with no improvement I would say that they are not helping (but I am not a vet). I think the antibiotics would only possibly help if the EYP was caused by an infection, but there are other possible causes such as ovarian cysts or cancer. With EYP it may help to try to shut down her reproductive system by limiting the amount of daylight she gets or see if the vet can do a suprelorin implant if you're willing to spend some money on an experimental treatment. There is often not a cure for EYP, just the treatment of draining when the fluid builds up too much. I once had an older hen who started laying internally and there was nothing I could do to fix it, but she did live another two years with me draining her in the summer every month or two (she would be fine with no fluid buildup in the winter when she wasn't in lay). Since your girl is acting happy and healthy I'd just let her chicken while she still can and help her out by draining as needed.

 

[azygous]

I agree with @Razzlefrazzle . I stop an antibiotic after two or three weeks if no improvement, even a little. I thne make the hen comfortable with as good a life as possible, and euthanize when that is no longer possible.