Still need help!

[Shezadandy]

She still can’t stand although she tries at times. She definitely doesn’t use the left leg. She seems to still be eating. She loves the treats I give her. I scrambled an egg for her today and she gobbled it up. My vet gave me some pain meds for her although she didn’t have a chance to examine her. I just started the meds tonight. She is still panting a lot. Hopefully the medicine will make her feel better. Her poop is grainy looking but in the normal category. Thanks for asking.

How is her color? The abdominal bloating is making me think ascities which is fluid in the abdomen. She may be panting because the fluid is compressing her lungs (and other organs) - made worse by her inability to stand because the fluid has nowhere to go but up.

She's young to have this problem which is why I didn't make the suggestion initially - it's possible she's experiencing some variety of organ failure- if it was reproductive you wouldn't be seeing eggs.

Ascities can be drained. I use a 14 or 16 gauge needle, no syringe (like at the end of the video below - I don't bother with the syringe anymore. These needles can be found by the cattle vaccinations in farm supply stores, or just ask the employees.

It's not a cure, but assuming there is fluid, draining will improve her breathing almost immediately.

You won't believe what came out of this hen "How to drain Waterbelly" ascites - YouTube

 

[M Brennen]

Update: since I gave my chicken the pain meds she seems to be attempting to stand on her own and trying to walk. She only moves a step or two before she falls down again. She still pants pretty heavily though. I checked the bellies of the other chickens and some seem to be the same puffiness, so not sure if she is all that puffy. Maybe it was the weight of her overall combined with a leg injury that was causing her not to stand? It’s been 4 days. If it is Marek’s, how long would Marek’s take to progress?

 

[M Brennen]

How is her color? The abdominal bloating is making me think ascities which is fluid in the abdomen. She may be panting because the fluid is compressing her lungs (and other organs) - made worse by her inability to stand because the fluid has nowhere to go but up.

She's young to have this problem which is why I didn't make the suggestion initially - it's possible she's experiencing some variety of organ failure- if it was reproductive you wouldn't be seeing eggs.

Ascities can be drained. I use a 14 or 16 gauge needle, no syringe (like at the end of the video below - I don't bother with the syringe anymore. These needles can be found by the cattle vaccinations in farm supply stores, or just ask the employees.

It's not a cure, but assuming there is fluid, draining will improve her breathing almost immediately.

You won't believe what came out of this hen "How to drain Waterbelly" ascites - YouTube

Thank you for sharing the video. After seeing the chicken on the video, I don’t think my chicken has that large belly.

 

[Eggcessive]

There are no exact times or rules with Mareks—each case is different. Mareks cannot be confirmed without testing either through a necropsy after death or sometimes with a blood test done by you at home. RAL lab in Texas can send items to collect the test, which is about $39 total, but time may not be on your side. Here is contact info:
http://www.vetdna.com/application/forms/aviansubmittalform.pdf

I would make her comfortable and offer supportive care and nutrition. I am not sure how your state conducts necropsies, but you can check with it and surrounding states about a necropsy from this list:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm

 

[Shezadandy]

Thank you for sharing the video. After seeing the chicken on the video, I don’t think my chicken has that large belly.

OK good- it would be a really unusual case for a 6 month old!!!!