Oxygen deprived hen

[Mountain Peeps]

Hey guys,

I’m dealing with what I believe is an oxygen deprived hen. Her comb is purple and she’s lethargic. She doesn’t want to eat much but still will drink from a dropper that I give her. She’s very weak but also is alert with no other issues around her face like swollen eyes or dirty nostrils or anything.

A little bit of context, there are several wild fires burning in our state and the smoke has hit our area pretty hard in recent days. I’ve kept the coop window closed so as to not allow so much of the smoke to waft in but that has also made for poor ventilation in the coop at night. So I’m assuming that’s what’s causing her poor blood circulation and air flow. When I bring her inside, she perks up more than when she’s outside. She’s also pretty old—8 years. So far I’ve gotten her to drink water from a dropper with ACV. She ate eggs, oatmeal and mealworms yesterday but so far this AM doesn’t seem to want anything to eat. The only other symptom I’ve noticed is her abdomen near her legs seems swollen

Do you have any other ideas of what might be causing this or tips on how to treat her?

 

[LaFleche]

Hey guys,

I’m dealing with what I believe is an oxygen deprived hen. Her comb is purple and she’s lethargic. She doesn’t want to eat much but still will drink from a dropper that I give her. She’s very weak but also is alert with no other issues around her face like swollen eyes or dirty nostrils or anything.
View attachment 2288413View attachment 2288418
A little bit of context, there are several wild fires burning in our state and the smoke has hit our area pretty hard in recent days. I’ve kept the coop window closed so as to not allow so much of the smoke to waft in but that has also made for poor ventilation in the coop at night. So I’m assuming that’s what’s causing her poor blood circulation and air flow. When I bring her inside, she perks up more than when she’s outside. She’s also pretty old—8 years. So far I’ve gotten her to drink water from a dropper with ACV. She ate eggs, oatmeal and mealworms yesterday but so far this AM doesn’t seem to want anything to eat. The only other symptom I’ve noticed is her abdomen near her legs seems swollen

Do you have any other ideas of what might be causing this or tips on how to treat her?

How does her belly feel like, is it hard or rather squishy like a waterfilled balloon?
When did she last lay an egg?

The symptoms you describe make me think of some kind of heart issue which also would account for the swollen abdomen (waterbelly/ascites) and the blueish tone of her comb and face. At her advanced age the end might be coming nearer and other than alleviating her symptoms and keeping her comfortable there might not be much one can do.
Unless a vet is an option that could diagnose correctly and might prescribe heart medication, drain the water belly etc.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

How does her belly feel like, is it hard or rather squishy like a waterfilled balloon?
When did she last lay an egg?

The symptoms you describe make me think of some kind of heart issue which also would account for the swollen abdomen (waterbelly/ascites) and the blueish tone of her comb and face. At her advanced age the end might be coming nearer and other than alleviating her symptoms and keeping her comfortable there might not be much one can do.
Unless a vet is an option that could diagnose correctly and might prescribe heart medication, drain the water belly etc.

Her crop is empty since she hasn’t eaten. Yesterday it felt normal. But her whole abdomen/back end area feels very hard, heavy and swollen. She was laying consistently during the early spring but quit back in June. Today she doesn’t seem able to stand much I was guessing this was probably the end, thanks for your help!

 

[LaFleche]

I would suspect heart failure or some kind of reproductive issue and might even be cancer.
So sadly, I do not see a way to help her other than the above mentioned options. Or you could end her suffering by putting her out of her misery.

Maybe someone else will chime in with a better idea.

 

[Trisseh]

I agree with @LaFleche - sounds like a pulmonary issue and or a mass in her abdomen. Depending on what a mass is infiltrating you can get some pretty crazy symptoms.
Although potentially could be a respiratory issue as well, if she’s breathing normally and doesn’t have any issues with her air sacs, and the fact that her abdomen is swollen, chances of that would be pretty low.
If she had an underlying condition the smoke can definitely exacerbate it too, so even if the other birds aren’t affected by it, she’s already compromised so will be having a harder time with it.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

I agree with @LaFleche - sounds like a pulmonary issue and or a mass in her abdomen. Depending on what a mass is infiltrating you can get some pretty crazy symptoms.
Although potentially could be a respiratory issue as well, if she’s breathing normally and doesn’t have any issues with her air sacs, and the fact that her abdomen is swollen, chances of that would be pretty low.
If she had an underlying condition the smoke can definitely exacerbate it too, so even if the other birds aren’t affected by it, she’s already compromised so will be having a harder time with it.

Yeah, the more I watch her and keep researching symptoms, it no longer seems like a respiratory issue, like it did yesterday. She’s much much worse today. So I’m just trying to love on her and keep her peaceful. Poor thing
Thanks for your insight

 

[Folly's place]

Consider humane euthanasia, because she's miserable right now.
Mary

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Consider humane euthanasia, because she's miserable right now.
Mary

I don’t think I’ll do that until absolutely necessary. Right now she’s showing no sign at all of discomfort and still is curious enough to drink and look around

 

[Mountain Peeps]

She died about an hour ago.
Thank you for your help all of you. It was definitely a heart issue

 

[Folly's place]

I'm so sorry for your loss.
Mary