Prednisolone for Possible Liver Disease

[Clucktown]

I have an almost 10-year old bantam silkie hen weighing 3 pounds 11 ounces. A few weeks ago I began to notice ascites; however, she was still laying and extremely active. Unfortunately, she soon began to breath heavier while roosting and dropping her head very low while sleeping. I administered enrofloxacin for 3 days. After no improvement, and thinking heart failure, I began Lasix twice a day starting at 1 mg. I slowly increased dose until I was giving 4 mg twice a day. Breathing improved as did activity level, but progress plateaued and her poop remained a concerning bright green in color. Crop was very slow and ascites was still present. I then began to suspect liver disease, so decided to slowly wean from Lasix and start 1 mg of prednisolone twice a day. Within 24 hours of administering prednisolone, crop is empty for the first time in weeks and poop is normal in appearance.

I realize I am not curing anything, but just want to allow her to be as comfortable as possible during her remaining time with us. I have not been able to find anything on this forum, or the internet for that matter, addressing the treatment of liver disease in chickens other than supportive care and milk thistle. I only suspect liver disease because of the ascites, oddly colored gray poop prior to her falling ill, the recent weeks of bright green poop, and it being a relatively common illness in chickens. She has never had any laying issues and actually laid a couple of eggs after becoming ill, so I do not get the feeling this is a reproductive concern.

I wanted to share this with the hope that one of the members with more medical background/experience might offer an opinion and/or suggestion. At 10-years old, I do not intend to subject her to a vet work up, just hoping to make her comfortable as I can. My kids and I love her. Thank you.

@Eggcessive @dawg53 @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[dawg53]

A ten year old hen is at the end of her life; bodily functions and organs start to fail or shut down. There are no treatments that can stop the process of her death. There are no treatments for liver failure/disease in poultry.
It would be in your best interest to stop medications and let her pass away naturally providing only comfort care or humanely cull her.
It would also be in your best interest to explain this to your children if you havnt already done so.

 

[Eggcessive]

I agree that one is fortunate that a chicken lives until 10 years old. I have had a few. Corticosteroids such as prednisolone are best prescribed by a vet, since they can have so many side effects. Lasix, a diuretic that can promote loss of fluid in heart failure, can also cause dehydration.

Ascites can have many causes that lead to liver failure. In meat birds, heart failure is the main cause. In layers, fatty liver disease, cancer, and reproductive infection or egg yolk peritonitis, are the usual causes.

I would make her as comfortable as possible, offer a balanced feed and offer some favorite treats. Watch to see that when the time comes, that the other flock mates do not peck her. That tends to happen sometimes when they sense death is near. Sorry about the impending loss of your family’s beloved pet, but kids will normally learn to understand that.

 

[Rhode]

Almost 10 years, she must be so loved!

That’s a lot of medicine to put a lil’ geriatric bantam on, in a short period of time.

Enrofloxacin is certainly an effective antibiotic, but at the cost of being highly cytotoxic to eukaryotic cells (in other words, it is so strong that it can sometimes cause more damage than good - this is one of the reasons this antibiotic isn’t approved for human use). 3 days will have still impacted her gut microbiome. Do your hens receive probiotics?

Prednisolone is metabolized through the liver - something to consider if you’re suspicious of a liver disorder. Also, being on steroids long-term (more than 2 weeks) increases her risk of infection (which I’m already slightly concerned about, given she just got her system wiped from antibiotic). Please make sure to taper her off the steroids, too. An abrupt stop puts a large stress on the body.

Always hard to say goodbye, she certainly sounds like she’s had a great, long life surrounded by lots of people who love her!

 

[Clucktown]

Almost 10 years, she must be so loved!

That’s a lot of medicine to put a lil’ geriatric bantam on, in a short period of time.

Enrofloxacin is certainly an effective antibiotic, but at the cost of being highly cytotoxic to eukaryotic cells (in other words, it is so strong that it can sometimes cause more damage than good - this is one of the reasons this antibiotic isn’t approved for human use). 3 days will have still impacted her gut microbiome. Do your hens receive probiotics?

Prednisolone is metabolized through the liver - something to consider if you’re suspicious of a liver disorder. Also, being on steroids long-term (more than 2 weeks) increases her risk of infection (which I’m already slightly concerned about, given she just got her system wiped from antibiotic). Please make sure to taper her off the steroids, too. An abrupt stop puts a large stress on the body.

Always hard to say goodbye, she certainly sounds like she’s had a great, long life surrounded by lots of people who love her!

Thanks for the reminder on the probiotics, picking up from TSC shortly. My on hand supply is very old. I had a hen with some sort of chicken COPD that was on a low dose of prednisolone every other day for 2 years. I do intend to do a gradual step down. I know corticosteroids are often used with certain types of liver disease in dogs and people, which is why I decided to give it a shot. Cancer cases as well. My 2 other hens are 10 as well and still laying. It is crazy, I know. Makes it that much harder to stand idely by and do nothing but watch the decline. Thanks for the response.

 

[Fowlmamabird]

I have an almost 10-year old bantam silkie hen weighing 3 pounds 11 ounces. A few weeks ago I began to notice ascites; however, she was still laying and extremely active. Unfortunately, she soon began to breath heavier while roosting and dropping her head very low while sleeping. I administered enrofloxacin for 3 days. After no improvement, and thinking heart failure, I began Lasix twice a day starting at 1 mg. I slowly increased dose until I was giving 4 mg twice a day. Breathing improved as did activity level, but progress plateaued and her poop remained a concerning bright green in color. Crop was very slow and ascites was still present. I then began to suspect liver disease, so decided to slowly wean from Lasix and start 1 mg of prednisolone twice a day. Within 24 hours of administering prednisolone, crop is empty for the first time in weeks and poop is normal in appearance.

I realize I am not curing anything, but just want to allow her to be as comfortable as possible during her remaining time with us. I have not been able to find anything on this forum, or the internet for that matter, addressing the treatment of liver disease in chickens other than supportive care and milk thistle. I only suspect liver disease because of the ascites, oddly colored gray poop prior to her falling ill, the recent weeks of bright green poop, and it being a relatively common illness in chickens. She has never had any laying issues and actually laid a couple of eggs after becoming ill, so I do not get the feeling this is a reproductive concern.

I wanted to share this with the hope that one of the members with more medical background/experience might offer an opinion and/or suggestion. At 10-years old, I do not intend to subject her to a vet work up, just hoping to make her comfortable as I can. My kids and I love her. Thank you.

@Eggcessive @dawg53 @Wyorp Rock @azygous

This has been so helpful. Can you share any tips for keeping chickens healthy until they’re 9th year? I have 4 year olds and younger and lost one to waterbelly, one to now what I think is mycoplasma (treating flock with denegard) and one to something I wasn’t able to diagnose.

Things I have are:
Prednisone (never used on a hen)
Brochidialater
Tiagard
Nutradrench
Rooster booster
Avian calcium
VetRx
Homeopet nose and cough, anxiety
Garlic
Oregano
Corrid

If there is more I need to stock up on please let me know?

 

[Clucktown]

This has been so helpful. Can you share any tips for keeping chickens healthy until they’re 9th year? I have 4 year olds and younger and lost one to waterbelly, one to now what I think is mycoplasma (treating flock with denegard) and one to something I wasn’t able to diagnose.

Things I have are:
Prednisone (never used on a hen)
Brochidialater
Tiagard
Nutradrench
Rooster booster
Avian calcium
VetRx
Homeopet nose and cough, anxiety
Garlic
Oregano
Corrid

If there is more I need to stock up on please let me know?

Hello! The Silkie mentioned in this post has since passed, so I now only have two 10-year old hens. They both still lay and are very active. I worm them every 4 months with Valbazen (.25 ml for bantams and .5 ml for full-sized chickens). I believe worming is key to longevity.

I always have Enrofloxacin on hand, which will need to be prescribed by a vet and compounded by a pharmacy. I have used Prednisolone for various issues, but again, you will need a vet to prescribe and have it compounded.

Quik Chik vitamins/electrolytes from Murray McMurray Hatchery have always been a staple, especially during the summer months and molt.

Fresh fruits and veggies as well as extra protein during the molt are also important.

Our chickens have always been treated as pets, so they also receive lots of love and attention and seem to thrive on the interaction.

 

[dawg53]

Hello! The Silkie mentioned in this post has since passed, so I now only have two 10-year old hens. They both still lay and are very active. I worm them every 4 months with Valbazen (.25 ml for bantams and .5 ml for full-sized chickens). I believe worming is key to longevity.

I always have Enrofloxacin on hand, which will need to be prescribed by a vet and compounded by a pharmacy. I have used Prednisolone for various issues, but again, you will need a vet to prescribe and have it compounded.

Quik Chik vitamins/electrolytes from Murray McMurray Hatchery have always been a staple, especially during the summer months and molt.

Fresh fruits and veggies as well as extra protein during the molt are also important.

Our chickens have always been treated as pets, so they also receive lots of love and attention and seem to thrive on the interaction.

You dont need a script for Enrofloxacin. Here's where you can buy it:
https://jedds.com/products/enrofloxacin-10?_pos=1&_sid=480f9a9e2&_ss=r

Ditto with the worming.

 

[Fowlmamabird]

You dont need a script for Enrofloxacin. Here's where you can buy it:
https://jedds.com/products/enrofloxacin-10?_pos=1&_sid=480f9a9e2&_ss=r

Ditto with the worming.

Thank you very much

 

[Fowlmamabird]

Hello! The Silkie mentioned in this post has since passed, so I now only have two 10-year old hens. They both still lay and are very active. I worm them every 4 months with Valbazen (.25 ml for bantams and .5 ml for full-sized chickens). I believe worming is key to longevity.

I always have Enrofloxacin on hand, which will need to be prescribed by a vet and compounded by a pharmacy. I have used Prednisolone for various issues, but again, you will need a vet to prescribe and have it compounded.

Quik Chik vitamins/electrolytes from Murray McMurray Hatchery have always been a staple, especially during the summer months and molt.

Fresh fruits and veggies as well as extra protein during the molt are also important.

Our chickens have always been treated as pets, so they also receive lots of love and attention and seem to thrive on the interaction.

Thank you so much