Issues breathing in almost 10 year old hen

[azygous]

Good. That will do.

Now, after she gets the dose, monitor her for signs of dehydration - imbalance, leg weakness. Be sure she has access to water at all times.

I'm more concerned since she's elderly.

 

[Eddie12109]

Well the issue is she is not drinking as it is. I was also reading this, I will attach a picture. Is this safe to give when she hasn’t been interested in water and she may have heart issues?

 

[Eddie12109]

She did drink some water. But is it safe to give with heart issues going on?

 

[mrskenmore]

Glad to hear she is drinking a little on her own, I sometimes put ice cubes in it to entice a chicken to drink. Eddie is in good hands and you have some wonderful people chiming in here with great advice! You are a wonderful care taker and doing everything you can to comfort Eddie. You are both in our thoughts and prayers. I hope she stabilizes overnight and you have a good visit with the vet tomorrow. Keep us posted- we are all rooting for Eddie- she didn't get this far in life on her own.. so keep up the good work!

 

[azygous]

This is why I wanted a vet to chime in on using a diuretic to treat her fluid buildup. It's your decision to try it now or wait on the vet.

 

[NanaK]

Just wanted you and Eddie to know you are in my prayers.

 

[Eddie12109]

Thank you for your kind words! It means so much to me.

The vet appointment is Thursday at 8:00 am. I tried calling many other places with no luck.

I will consider the diuretic. I want to try and wait. What else should I do?

 

[NanaK]

This hen is 10 years old that in itself tell me (and her) that you have already done exceptional things for her for a long time. I, personally think now it's up to Eddie. If she were mine, I would continue to do exactly as you have. Encourage her to drink water, you don't want her to get any more dehydrated than she may already be. Offer her something she likes to eat. Talk and pet her but let her rest too.
Discuss the diuretic with the vet. Like azygous said, a vet can best advise you on this.

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

If you explain Eddie's situation to your vet/receptionist, they may be able to fit you in tomorrow, especially since you are already a client, and this is essentially an emergency. I would call your vet first thing in the morning, state your case and make your plea.

 

[Eddie12109]

I called the vet multiple times today and explained while I was there that I believe she is going into heart failure. I also offered to just wait with Eddie at the vets even if it takes hours to get her in tomorrow but they refused. They said I could drop her off but they don’t want me there with her. She will not be in a cage and die alone at the vets waiting, without me. I will call tomorrow and ask to talk to the vet about the diuretics early in the morning.

Sadly I have some bad news. I really just let Eddie be and enjoyed her presence but before I put her to bed I gave her a checkup and she might have the beginnings of ascites. I can’t be certain at all but I also noticed this bump she had is now bigger or at least sticking out more. @azygous we talked about how Dev had a bump on the side of her abdomen and your guess was it was the gizzard, I took her to the vet though who assumed it was something else that could be a tumor. Eddie had one in the same exact place so I didn’t worry to much because that’s quite a coincidence.
Well Eddie’s bump has grown and is now sticking out. Overall her abdomen feels bloated. Kind of like air but could be liquid. Another thing I noticed is that her whole abdomen bloats up when she breathes.
@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive