Family Pet - Old Chicken with Swollen Abdomen

[pungo]

I have an 8 year old Buff Orpington Hen. Of the entire flock of 40-50, she’s the only pet. She comes when called, loves to be picked etc. I know - she’s old. And if it’s her time to go, so be it - she’s had a great life. But if there’s something I can do do help her live a bit longer, I want to do it as long as shes not in pain.

Just in the last couple days, she’s developed the following symptom: lethargy, labored breathing, darkened comb & her belly feels like a stretched water balloon. Since it happened so suddenly I’m not thinking it’s cancer or liver swelling. My hunch is it’s Water Belly (Ascites). I’ve heard of folks inserting a small sterile tube with a large syringe & drawing out the excess fluid, relieving the pressure on the heart & lungs & repeating until the chicken gets it’s health back. Anyone have any firsthand knowledge of this & whether it’s effective?

 

[Tonyroo]

@Wyorp Rock , @Eggcessive , can you help?

 

[Eggcessive]

It does sound like she has ascites (water belly.) Draining the belly is not without risk (infection or death,) but it may give her some temporary relief making breathing easier. It is only a temporary fix, and they eventually die of what caused the ascites. My little bantam hen developed this at 10 years old, and her belly was dark and very swollen.

I cleaned the skin area with Chlorhexidene (Betadine or alcohol works too) and drained her with an 18 gauge hypodermic needle and syringe inserted just into the skin of the lower belly. I removed the syringe and it dripped for awhile. When I took to needle out, it continued to drain for hours, so I placed her on a thick towel. About 4 days later, she seemed lethargic again and I drained her again, but the fluid was thicker. The third time it was hard to drain, and she died the next day.

After she died, I did a brief necropsy to look at her abdominal organs. She had about 5 balloon-like egg shaped cysts filled with fluid. Other hens I have necropsied who had ascites had cancer, internal laying, or had crop disorders. One had fatty liver disease. So it is a common finding.

 

[pungo]

Thanks for your feedback. I decided to try draining with a syringe. The 23 gauge was too small. I was reluctant to try an 18 but did & that worked. I drained over 300ml (10 oz) of yellowish fluid. She didn’t even flinch at the needle or the process. Her breathing improved & her comb went from purple to red, so it certainly provided her some relief. But from appearances I can’t see much of a change. Her rear is red, distended & hard - an area about like a baseball halved. I think we maybe bought her another day, but doubtful much more. She did eat, so added some antibiotics - probably won’t help but can’t hurt.