Pedialyte caused death of chicken????

[Bocktobery 10]

How much pedialyte is safe to administer to your sick chicken? I've read a lot of responses on this message board about giving pedialyte to chickens who are ill, but they never seem to say how much is too much and how much exactly to give. I have heard one should dilute it, but how much? Can you kill your chicken with Pedialyte?

The reason why I asked is that I think I may have accidently killed my sweet hen. I am torn up inside over this and while a part of me does not want to know, another part of me wants to in order to make sure it is broadcasted that too much Pedialyte can kill... if it can. I just never heard any warnings about it in all I have read. Then I read yesterday somewhere that it can if you give too much you can cause the electrolytes to go out of whack and your pet can die. ??

My hen, who was just over a year old , had been having problems since last year at this time with what seemed to be jaundice. She's been ill off and on since. She amazingly pulled through several times and during the worst time I think it was the amoxicillin (antibiotic) that seemed to do the trick. The vet, when she saw her the last time this happened- which was in September-, surmised that what ailed her was most likely liver failure due to her jaundice and that she would probably pass from it some time in her life. (The other guess was parasites.) She would always pull through and get some color in her face again and be a peppy normal chicken. She really was an amazing chicken. I miss her so much already.

However this last time, she became ill again about a week before she died. She did seem more tired than usual, and something told me that this time she may not pull through. I got some antibiotics for her again. She was on her third day of taking amoxicillin this time around when she passed. She died having 3 quick successive seizures at about 11:30 pm. I had administered the Pedialyte via needle-less syringe down her throat at about earlier 5pm. The pedialyte that I gave her was the amount of the circumference of a half dollar if you puddled it. I didn't think that was that much. I gave her this amount because I could tell by her comb that she was really dehydrated and I was thinking she could use some help. (Her comb was kind of purple-orangy, with white dry skin flecks on it and also visibly shrunken.) I wasn't thinking pedialyte could not be bad for her-thinking whatever the body didn't use would pass through. Did I accidently kill my chicken? Is that too much pedialyte to give in one dose? IF so, why aren't more people warning about it's use?

I really don't know if it was the Pedialyte or just the nature of her disease running its course, but I feel sick inside thinking it may be the Pedialyte that I gave her that killed her. For future reference, does anyone know the answer?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

That doesn't sound like enough pedialyte to do anything bad, IMO.

I don't know anything about giving pedialyte to chickens, but I think your little chicken would have passed anyway.

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Thank you ChickensAreSweet for your reply.

That's what I was thinking too, but I read a post on some other website that said that giving a chicken too much pedialyte could cause death... or at least I think that is what it said.. (I was distraught... I might have read it wrong.) However, the amount I fed I didn't think it was that much.

Yes, it seems as though she might have died otherwise... Its just that she pulled through so many other times that I didn't feel too worried about it this time. Her death was very sudden. And giving the Pedialyte to her straight like that was something I never did before. It was also just hours before she died. I would think it being liquid would 'get' her sooner than 6 hours later, but I don't know much about chicken's digestive track. So it makes me ponder whether or not it was that and not the disease.

Anyway, I really appreciate the condolences. She was my favorite chicken and she had bonded with me.

 

[Chicken_Pauper]

I am very sorry for your loss... it is hard. Sad.

I am sure you did all you could for her and she probably would have died anyway.

Do you have other chickens, a flock? How old are the rest of them? Have you ever wormed them? At a year old, she might have needed worming, if she had never been wormed.
So many symptoms and illnesses can be worms and thought to be something else.

For future reference -- you might want to use the Search here on BYC and search -- "worming", "worming with Valbazen"... "giving oral medications"... "giving water or food orally"... "pale comb".. "mites".. "Dosages of Valbazen".. "using Sevin Dust"... "dehydration"...

Once an ill chicken is not eating and drinking it is hard to save them. And, from what I have read here... so many chickens hide their illness until it is too late... this is for survival.. the flock will actually kill one they perceive as weak and sick in order to preserve and protect the flock... so, they hide their illnesses as best they can for as long as they can.

Pay special note to posts by dawg53 on worming, especially.... good info there..

So sorry for your loss.. take care...

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Thanks Chicken_Pauper for the information. I will look into that. I should have had her wormed, in fact, the vet did send me home with some powder to use in September. I was too worried it might be too harsh on her system while she tried to get better.

She had been in and out of illness so many times before I thought she would be able to get by again with the antibiotics. I guess maybe I was just over-hopeful.

I feel better to know it probably wasn't the Pedialyte. I asked my father about it tonight and he said that he even thought it was too little of an amount to harm her. Anyway, she as passed now. I was fortunate enough to have had her as my pet.

Thanks for both your replies.

 

[CMV]

A chicken would have to drink a significant amount of Pedialyte in order to suffer any ill effects from it. The salt in Pedialyte (thus the -lyte part of Pedialyte) is what can be dangerous to birds. Birds cannot tolerate salt in large quantities. You did not give her enough to make much difference. Her underlying health issues caused her death, not anything you did.

Sorry for your loss. At least she is at peace now and not suffering with a failing body.

Good luck.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
2x

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

It was the unflavored stuff right? no sugar. Also it only lasts about 24 hours in the fridge otherwise it needs to be frozen. I wouldn't think that caused it unless the electrolytes (not just salt) were too hard on her liver. I would say it was just her time especially if this was on ongoing liver problem. Sorry for your loss.

 

[Judy]

It would take quite a lot to kill a chicken, no doubt way more than even a healthy chicken would drink at a sitting, and she was dehydrated. From her history I don't think there is any doubt that her illness, whatever it was, killed her. As someone already said, once they stop eating and drinking, there's rarely much you can do to save them. Serious dehydration is painful, so my guess would be that the little you got into her by syringe made her feel a little better, if anything.

I'm sorry for your loss.