Relieving Ascites/EYP/Other Abdominal Swelling Symptoms

[12404914]

Hello! I have a hen who starting displaying symptoms of some sort of internal buildup a while ago. At first I thought it was ascites, but after three attempts to drain fluid coming up empty I believe it may be something like egg yolk peritonitis.
Either way, I've decided to stop trying to drain her because either it won't do anything for her or I can't do it properly. I've looked into other ways of potentially making the hen more comfortable and found a few threads that mentioned certain liquids and other things (Teas and some "aloe detox" stuff) that can be fed that sometimes help with the abdominal swelling. Are there any other things I can do that could help make my hen more comfortable?
Her condition seems to have improved a bit (she can roost again and walks like a penguin less) and she still eats and moves around like her sisters so I don't want to put her down. I do want to reduce her symptoms for her sake, if possible.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello! I have a hen who starting displaying symptoms of some sort of internal buildup a while ago. At first I thought it was ascites, but after three attempts to drain fluid coming up empty I believe it may be something like egg yolk peritonitis.
Either way, I've decided to stop trying to drain her because either it won't do anything for her or I can't do it properly. I've looked into other ways of potentially making the hen more comfortable and found a few threads that mentioned certain liquids and other things (Teas and some "aloe detox" stuff) that can be fed that sometimes help with the abdominal swelling. Are there any other things I can do that could help make my hen more comfortable?
Her condition seems to have improved a bit (she can roost again and walks like a penguin less) and she still eats and moves around like her sisters so I don't want to put her down. I do want to reduce her symptoms for her sake, if possible.

It sounds like you have been doing some good research.

Try one of the remedies and see if she improves or seems more comfortable, if one remedy doesn't seem to help, try another. Often these things are trial and error and lot depends on the condition that she's suffering from.

Keep us posted on what you try and the results you see.

 

[12404914]

Late reply but we're going to try furosemide. I found a poultryDVM webpage with information about dosage and it seems worth a try.
Baths also seem to help her; she began to be able to roost again and "penguin walked" less after I gave her one.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Late reply but we're going to try furosemide. I found a poultryDVM webpage with information about dosage and it seems worth a try.
Baths also seem to help her; she began to be able to roost again and "penguin walked" less after I gave her one.

Thank you for the update, let us know how she does.

 

[12404914]

So I'm not actually with my chicken anymore but my dad is. He decided to try giving her calcium first since he thought she was having a lash egg issue, and I agreed. He gives a crushed up tums every other day mixed with some oats and yogurt. Is that too much? Anyway he reports that she is doing well behaviorally, though the other chickens have noticed she is sick and she's at the bottom of the pecking order now. He believes she is gaining some weight around her breastbone, which we're taking as a good sign. She is more active in her foraging and hasn't done her penguin walk either, so hopefully she's improving and feeling more comfortable. We are going to try the furosemide for a week, just to see if it helps with swelling. If not, we'll switch back to calcium. If her behavior starts declining again we may consider other options, including euthanizing if she starts suffering.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So I'm not actually with my chicken anymore but my dad is. He decided to try giving her calcium first since he thought she was having a lash egg issue, and I agreed. He gives a crushed up tums every other day mixed with some oats and yogurt. Is that too much? Anyway he reports that she is doing well behaviorally, though the other chickens have noticed she is sick and she's at the bottom of the pecking order now. He believes she is gaining some weight around her breastbone, which we're taking as a good sign. She is more active in her foraging and hasn't done her penguin walk either, so hopefully she's improving and feeling more comfortable. We are going to try the furosemide for a week, just to see if it helps with swelling. If not, we'll switch back to calcium. If her behavior starts declining again we may consider other options, including euthanizing if she starts suffering.

If she's not laying eggs, then she doesn't need a lot of extra Calcium all the time/long term.
I'd try cutting the extra calcium to a couple of times a week, if she's not laying.