HELP: How is heart disease treated and diagnosed in chickens and turkeys?

[PureBigBird]

History: Turkey is panting all the time and does not stand very long. When first gets up from standing appears to struggle with balance (cannot see if ear infection or do not know if she had a stroke). Right side limp and hangs wing down. Taking aspirin one day and then, taking banamine (via call to vet about dosages) (banamine paste: once daily .4 for 20 lb turkey) or 10 mg per kg max of aspirin daily (so am giving 40mg 3 times daily for 20lb turkey). When taking pain med,hen will be more mobile. Vet said panting might be heart disease. Vet questions via phone call: How was the heart disease diagnosed in any poultry? EKG? How were the EKGs/ECGs read? Did anyone's vet send the EKG or ECGs results to major university to be reviewed by bird and cardio specialists? How did they transfer the EKG/ECG results? Anyone know anything about diagnosing heart disease in poultry and how it is done? Can I please get a discussion soon.

She is eating and drinking, but seems to be in discomfort-a trip to the vet may be too stressful NOW in Sept. She went to this vet in March, and vet said that couldn't see anything wrong with her, but we know our birds and felt differently. The vet never took any x-ray nor blood chems while in office that day. And when called this vet the night before and asked about not feeding her for blood work, vet said that it didn't matter, but then in office next day, told me "SORRY was wrong!"...so we stressed the bird via 3 hour ride round trip and 2 hours in office and got no diagnostics done other than a fecal! I really need help, peeps. Each day I go out to the coop with remorse as I may find her gone, and she still lives, but I feel like she didn't get what she deserves.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Panting can be caused by heat, or pain generally. I don't think panting is necessarily a sign of heart failure. They generally get more purple in coloring, and even almost black due to poor respiration.

 

[PureBigBird]

Panting can be caused by heat, or pain generally. I don't think panting is necessarily a sign of heart failure. They generally get more purple in coloring, and even almost black due to poor respiration.

Thanks for your data. I think also that she may have something else wrong with her and she is in pain too, but getting the vet to respond--have asked the vet to come to her coop so he can observe behavior in her environment and have asked the vet to assess her stress level if or when he comes, and then, if he had some type of way to reduce her stress so that she could travel to his clinic for an x-ray and blood chems. I think this vet travels to other people's homes for livestock and he must take chems when an animal needs assistance or is in shock etc. Reallly, it is hard to take a cow to a vet office! She has a beautiful pale blue head that gets more blue and red when she expresses emotions. I have not seen purple nor anything black! I think that when I took her for the earlier check-up in March/May and vet did not do chems nor any x-ray and just a fecal that the vet missed something. When I called him recently, and asked about aspirin dosage and banamine dosage, I asked about giving her antibiotics and he said that it was rare to need antibiotics for her heart, but what if it isn't her heart and she needs them? Frustrated and concerned I will loose her while the vet decides.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What are your daily temperatures?

 

[PureBigBird]

What are your daily temperatures?

VERY VERY humid weather, and humidity lasts through the night. Ugh. It is a BBB turkey tester. Put out little wading areas--lots of water with vit/electrolytes, and check for heat issues. Another hen did show heat signs about 5 weeks ago and was able to cool her down- hen didn't go into wading pools. This hen knew that I was helping her and uses them NOW! She was actually moaning and gasping when caught it--cooled her down quickly and gave her water. Made sure the hen urinated! It was scary. All turkeys have a large pen area with tree canopy for shape-temp is as much as 4 degrees less under canopy. Also, put a single fan in the pen so hens will cool themselves--and its airflow blows where the 2 hens like to lay in the shade. It has rained for the most part March - Aug. When storms come, gives temp relief. And now more are coming with the hurricane on Sunday. Average outside temp is 88 - 95. Did have a week of index temps of 100+. Nights would dip to 81 - 76, but humidity stays too high. Awful for poultry. Lately days have been between 72 degrees in mornings and then climbing to upper 80s at noon or afternoon, and night temps have dropped as low as 68. She was able to get more sleep lately--and believe night temps are going to last for 5 more days until hurricane weather passes over continent. These lower temps have lessened the sick hen's stress, but not enough-she still pants. Sigh. Have two hens so have two fans on low in coop-one fan for each space for each hen, and there is a fan to remove hot rising air too. It sits on an upper wall. There are 2 large vents facing the canopy and 2 windows opposite the vents - helps with ventilation, but not coolness.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

At those temperatures I would think the panting is from the heat. Mine will pant at anything over 80-85. You may want to wet her down more if she can't get in the wading pool herself or place her in there. Turkeys are build more for the cold and suffer in the heat.