Laying hens with "water belly" or "ascites"?

[realsis]

I have a hen in very bad condition with Ascites - could you tell me how to do a belly tapping. I have sterile syringes, needles (smallish,) and am a nurse - so reasonably proficient.. I know I am just delaying her end, but she is sooo swollen and has been battling so bravely for months now!  i would really appreciate your input.

I have seen a video on you tube and a lady shows how to do the tapping in the video. I'm not exactly sure of the title but look up belly taping a hen and it should come up or you should be able to find it. basically she took a syringe and drew the fluid from three areas of the abdomen the middle and both sides. She does this for her hen often to relieve her. I really hope this helps you. Best wishes!

 

[critterfixer]

Speckled hen has it spot on. I am afraid that there is no cure. There is also no association to internal or external temp, or bumblefoot. Just a case of ascides from one of the above mentioned ailments. ( Thanks Speckled hen). Airlight..if you still want to make her more comfortable and have access to a an I.V Catheter that is the best thing to do. That way if she wiggles there will be no harm done to internal structures. Just pull feathers and prep the area using an asceptic technique. (betadine scrub or chlorhex works well), then just use a large Catheter. We have 18 g in Vet med. Not sure how large you can get in Human med. Place the Cath in the large spot jut a few inches above the vent and drain. Don't drain it all at once though, as you may send her into shock. Drain half and then do more the next day. Good luck!

 

[critterfixer]

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[twistie]

hi critterfixer, i placed a needle about 2" below her vent into her abdomen, about 1 1/2 in to the left or right side of her vent, (look for a clear spot that is yellow coloured and in between veins), then i saw liquid dripping you know you have a free flow, then i placed the syringe on the needle and sucked out, i kept the needle in the same position just kept using the syringe to pull out more until the abdomen was nearly normal but not too empty, pulled the needle out and left to drip from her abdomen on its own, it stops a few minutes later then used Vaseline to protect hole, before i put the needle in i dapped with iodine to clean area, if you don't get a free drip when you first place needle in clear area , don't attempt to force it out with syringe, just place the needle in the other side of abdomen where you see a clear area , but its always about 2" below her vent though where you feel no hard lumps but where you feel a soft balloon area, hope this makes sense, i did have a video but cannot find it anywhere on line now,

 

[PamW]

One of my original layers, now almost 3 years old has what seems like a severe case of ascitis. I didn't notice the swollen abdomen at first, only the droopy wings and tail. I find it interesting that, although I didn't know what it was called until today, she also has bumblefoot. I'm afraid it is too late to save her, but I am thankful for the information shared on this thread -- I just wish I had found it sooner. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ace6175]

So if draining the hen only makes her comfortable for a short while, what can be done to heal her from internal laying? Right now I have the 2nd hen in 3 months with this going on. We euthanized the first one, and I performed a necropsy (not an expert at this at all!). I saw no eggs of any sort. Just a lot of light brownish water....
The hen that has ascites now is sister to the one that died in December. I bought 3 hens at 8 weeks old that a guy hatched from eggs. I have been injecting penicillin and drained her last night. She seems alright, but I don't want to have to do this for very long if she's just going to die.

 

[Eggcessive]

So if draining the hen only makes her comfortable for a short while, what can be done to heal her from internal laying? Right now I have the 2nd hen in 3 months with this going on. We euthanized the first one, and I performed a necropsy (not an expert at this at all!). I saw no eggs of any sort. Just a lot of light brownish water....
The hen that has ascites now is sister to the one that died in December. I bought 3 hens at 8 weeks old that a guy hatched from eggs. I have been injecting penicillin and drained her last night. She seems alright, but I don't want to have to do this for very long if she's just going to die.

Ascites can be a result of heart failure or liver disease from infections, and in some chickens it can be hereditary.

 

[ace6175]

Good to know, thanks.

 

[DBMW]

I recognize this is an old post but I saw a much newer post referring back to this one. I'm new to owning chickens (less than 1 week in) but am very familar with Ascites in humans. My mother recently died of Ovarian Cancer. Ascites is unfortunately common in cancer patients. While chickens are not humans, perhaps there are some similarities or info that can be gleaned from what they do for humans.

First, the ascites hurts -- the more there is, the worse the pain. Essentially the fluid buildup pushes against all the internal organs and stretches the skin -- it is extremely painful (for humans) and drainage is critically important. I'm not sure how or if chickens can communicate if they are in pain but humans can and its painful. Removing the fluid is essential ... drainage is one method and another is via diuretics -- however, diuretics put strain on the heart and it can easily result in dehydration (because thats essentially what it does). Folks on this thread have talked about drainage by needle -- I highly recommend this. I can tell you from watching this first hand experience, the pain of a needle inserted into a human's abdomen was WELCOMED relief for my Mom because it immediately removes the pain.

For cancer patients, one of the main causes of the ascites is a drop in Albumin -- this is one of the main proteins in your body. As your albumin drops, your cells are unable to keep fluids in the proper space so it begins "leaking" (i realize this sounds really weird but this is actually how the doctors described it to us). This is also called "third spacing" in medical terms -- your body begins swelling and fluid collects in cavities (your abdomen being one of the key spots where fluid can collect). Note -- a drop in albumin is one of the key measures hospitals and doctors can use to predict whether you will live -- its that important. Its a measure of your overall health in a sense -- or ill-health said better. It can be improved by better nutrition BUT when you have cancer, your body's ability to remain healthy and to make use of nutrition is severely compromised.

For humans, there is an albumin shot -- its expensive and its only temporary. Organically, non-denatured whey protein (Whey Cool is a good brand, organic, and purchasable on Amazon) has been illustrated - via scientific studies - to help increase albumin BUT i'm not sure chickens can be given this (although I can't imagine why not). Additionally, this helps with nutrition BUT if the underlying cause (e.g. cancer or perhaps as some have noted liver or heart failure) is addressed, its unlikely to do anything but help.

For whats its worth -- and please understand I know nothing about chickens -- if there is a chance that the chicken is feeling anything like a human does, I would do anything you could to remove the fluid as the pain is very bad.

 

[redblack10]

Hey DBMW - I appreciate your adding to this older thread. I have no doubt that my 3-year-old, black sex-linked hen is suffering from ascites. I only drained about 60cc of fluid this evening, yet she started eating and drinking immediately. I am sure some pain was relieved. She has only been bloated for a few days, but my research here and on a few other sites convinced me to try the draining. Sadly, she is quite thin under all of the bloat, so I must prepare to euthanize for the first time. She is a beautiful, shiny, fluffy bird - it never seems right, does it?