Hen seems worse after vet 🙏🏻🐓

[ANiceKaren]

Hey everyone! Thank you in advance for your help. I posted a few days ago about my Lilac who was unwell. I found a wonderful vet (mobile) that could treat her and we did that last night. A little background.. Lilac seemed fine about 10 days ago but about 5 days ago she stopped laying and was lethargic, not eating, abdomen swollen.. yellowish poops.. and a bit of hoarse sounding breathing. She drinks water. The vet said she had some swelling in her abdomen and she drained 2 big viles of a cloudy yellowish/brown liquid which the vet said showed it was not just water belly. She also did an xray which did not show tumors or and egg or egg material (she did say sometimes that all doesn’t show) but for most part clear. She also mentioned a respitory infection probably secondary. So it sounded as if with the antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and the draining of the yucky fluid Lilac can make a full recovery She didn’t think her abdomen would refill. Fast forward to this morning (appt was late last night) Lilac has had some water and a very few bites of egg and yogurt. She is extremely slow moving and seems to look/feel worse. The vet gave her a shot of antibiotics.. LA200 (I’m not even sure what that is) and Meloxicam for anti inflammatory. Is it normal for hens to feel worse after a treatment like that? Does she just need some time to bounce back? I’m worried I put her through stress for nothing and she may not make it. This was the first time I took a chicken to the vet despite a few past issues. I always tried to do my best by myself. I hope I made the right choice! She was a very good patient! She will free range and eat a few bugs but only for a few minutes. Rest of the time she is distancing herself and standing with eyes closing. I’m hoping it’s normal after such a busy vet appt and liquid draining or from medicines…

 

[HollowOfWisps]

It sounds like your chicken has ascites. The fluid the vet drained that looked yellowish/brown is usually a sure sign. There isn’t much you can do besides keep her comfortable and treat for shock.

 

[ANiceKaren]

It sounds like your chicken has ascites. The fluid the vet drained that looked yellowish/brown is usually a sure sign. There isn’t much you can do besides keep her comfortable and treat for shock.

Thank you! The vet mentioned she wouldn’t go into shock due to smaller amount of fluid she drained. Seemed like a lot to me but she insisted it wasn’t too much. She too said it wasn’t water belly because the liquid wasn’t clear… ? I just hope she can recover and feel better

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Thank you! The vet mentioned she wouldn’t go into shock due to smaller amount of fluid she drained. Seemed like a lot to me but she insisted it wasn’t too much. She too said it wasn’t water belly because the liquid wasn’t clear… ? I just hope she can recover and feel better

I am not sure on the vets logic behind shock? Shock can occur with just stress which chickens become stressed very easily. Even something as simple as being removed from their flock for treatments can cause shock. Yellowish liquid being drained is a sign of ascites. Sometimes it’s clear sometimes it’s yellow with yellow like clots. The yellow is liver bile. This is a picture taken straight from a study done in ascites.

 

[ANiceKaren]

I am not sure on the vets logic behind shock? Shock can occur with just stress which chickens become stressed very easily. Even something as simple as being removed from their flock for treatments can cause shock. Yellowish liquid being drained is a sign of ascites. Sometimes it’s clear sometimes it’s yellow with yellow like clots. The yellow is liver bile. This is a picture taken straight from a study done in ascites.
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Thank you! I should have taken a picture of the vile! It wasn’t that color.. more of a brownish yellow. I’m sure she is in some sort of shock then.. it was quite a long ride to the vet and although she seemed calm the entire time I’m sure it created some shock. Do you have any suggestions on helping her through the shock she is drinking but very hard to get her to eat anything. She will take a bite here and there but not much at all.. she is enjoying a little water right now. Can they recover from this shock?

 

[coach723]

If it were shock, she'd probably be gone already. Ascites is a symptom of something else going on. I have seen ascites fluid that was clear yellow, cloudy yellow, more amber in color, either clear or cloudy, and on occasion with a greenish tinge. It can indicate a cancer, infection, organ failure. The underlying reason is usually pulmonary hypertension, which can happen as a result of any of those things. It could be fatty liver, liver fibrosis, heart failure, reproductive cancer, etc. It is often difficult to know for sure until they pass and a necropsy is done. Often draining will make them more comfortable for a while, how long depends on the actual cause and how advanced it is. Sometimes you can keep them comfortable with draining periodically as needed, because it generally does recur, for quite a while. Again, depends on the underlying disease and how advanced it is. It does come with some risk of shock, if too much is drained too quickly, but many do it, often more than once, with no issues. If it were to put her into shock she would likely pass fairly quickly. So her discomfort is more likely to be from whatever the underlying condition is that she has. The most common reasons for ascites that I've seen in my birds are fatty liver disease, reproductive cancers and reproductive infections. I did have one that had obvious heart failure that appeared to be a congenital defect of the heart, and she died at 22 weeks.

 

[ANiceKaren]

If it were shock, she'd probably be gone already. Ascites is a symptom of something else going on. I have seen ascites fluid that was clear yellow, cloudy yellow, more amber in color, either clear or cloudy, and on occasion with a greenish tinge. It can indicate a cancer, infection, organ failure. The underlying reason is usually pulmonary hypertension, which can happen as a result of any of those things. It could be fatty liver, liver fibrosis, heart failure, reproductive cancer, etc. It is often difficult to know for sure until they pass and a necropsy is done. Often draining will make them more comfortable for a while, how long depends on the actual cause and how advanced it is. Sometimes you can keep them comfortable with draining periodically as needed, because it generally does recur, for quite a while. Again, depends on the underlying disease and how advanced it is. It does come with some risk of shock, if too much is drained too quickly, but many do it, often more than once, with no issues. If it were to put her into shock she would likely pass fairly quickly. So her discomfort is more likely to be from whatever the underlying condition is that she has. The most common reasons for ascites that I've seen in my birds are fatty liver disease, reproductive cancers and reproductive infections. I did have one that had obvious heart failure that appeared to be a congenital defect of the heart, and she died at 22 weeks.

Thank you! I appreciate this thorough response! We didn’t do a ton of tests and vet mentioned all those as well. She seems to think due to X-rays that most likely and reproductive infection hence the antibiotics and anti-inflammatories medications. Of course I know it could be more but we’re starting with this. Glad to know the draining didn’t shock her. She has a bit more pep in her step currently too

 

[coach723]

Best of luck, antibiotics may help and buy her some more time also.
Glad she's feeling a little better. Some reproductive issues are very resistant to treatment, so it's likely that it may not cure it, but may give her more good time. Time will tell.

 

[ANiceKaren]

Best of luck, antibiotics may help and buy her some more time also.
Glad she's feeling a little better. Some reproductive issues are very resistant to treatment, so it's likely that it may not cure it, but may give her more good time. Time will tell.

Truthfully, that’s all I’m looking for. Just a bit more time. This all happened very quickly so I’m hoping we caught it early! Unfortunately I’m no stanger to reproductive issues in my hens. Seems to be the number 1 killer around here through the years

 

[triciayoung]

Thank you! I appreciate this thorough response! We didn’t do a ton of tests and vet mentioned all those as well. She seems to think due to X-rays that most likely and reproductive infection hence the antibiotics and anti-inflammatories medications. Of course I know it could be more but we’re starting with this. Glad to know the draining didn’t shock her. She has a bit more pep in her step currently too

Is she a Delaware? Our poor hens. The industry that has made them egg machines has wreaked havoc on their reproductive system and their livers. When a hen comes to an age to lay, their liver structure changes appreciably. If you combine this with the fact that the industry took a layer from laying only 10-15 eggs per YEAR (naturally) to 200-300 per year, heat stress, and diets high in energy (sugar); this makes a hen predisposed to Liver Hemorrhagic Disease (LHD). Also, white egg layers are twice as predisposed to LHD. You can add milk thistle and flax seed to their diet to lower the risks.