I believe my 4 year old Dominique hen has ascites (huge swollen and squishy abdomen, feels like its filled with fluid maybe). I called and talked to a vet at the NC State (we are in central NC) lab that does necropsy and he said it was probably cancer and that in an older bird that has the fluid in the abdomen there is pretty much nothing you can do and that I should bring her in to be euthanized. I thought I would ask on here to see what my fellow chicken experts experience was with this.
I had noticed for a while she had been a bit sluggish and breathing was a bit heavier when she was roosting at night but I thought maybe it was just due to old chicken age (she is over 4 yrs old!). But then the other day I saw she had a trail of flies following her bottom and when I examined her that she had flystrike. It came on so fast as I hadn't noticed it before!! It appeared as if the maggots had burrowed a hole in her flesh below her vent area or perhaps she already had a wound- I'm not sure. But I cleaned her up the best I could: flushed it with water, removed maggots with tweezers, sprayed hydrogen peroxide and put triple antibiotic cream on it. We also gave her some antibiotics in her water. She clearly had some decaying tissue as she has a bad stench. She is still eating (gobbled up some cooked egg and cheese) and maybe drinking although I haven't actually seen her drink (I have given her water through a syringe). I read where some people drain the abdomen with a needle and syringe and the birds may last months or years longer but a lot of times it's caused by liver disease or congestive heart failure
I've isolated her in a pet cage with food and water and have her on the screened in porch for now. Her comb is pale so not sure how long she will last. Would it be more humane for me to just take her to the lab at this point and put her down? I'm going to get the necropsy done as it's only $15.
I had noticed for a while she had been a bit sluggish and breathing was a bit heavier when she was roosting at night but I thought maybe it was just due to old chicken age (she is over 4 yrs old!). But then the other day I saw she had a trail of flies following her bottom and when I examined her that she had flystrike. It came on so fast as I hadn't noticed it before!! It appeared as if the maggots had burrowed a hole in her flesh below her vent area or perhaps she already had a wound- I'm not sure. But I cleaned her up the best I could: flushed it with water, removed maggots with tweezers, sprayed hydrogen peroxide and put triple antibiotic cream on it. We also gave her some antibiotics in her water. She clearly had some decaying tissue as she has a bad stench. She is still eating (gobbled up some cooked egg and cheese) and maybe drinking although I haven't actually seen her drink (I have given her water through a syringe). I read where some people drain the abdomen with a needle and syringe and the birds may last months or years longer but a lot of times it's caused by liver disease or congestive heart failure
I've isolated her in a pet cage with food and water and have her on the screened in porch for now. Her comb is pale so not sure how long she will last. Would it be more humane for me to just take her to the lab at this point and put her down? I'm going to get the necropsy done as it's only $15. 
