Water Belly/Ascites/Heart Failure--is this the end?

[MotherClukr]

Hello fellow chicken tenders.

Our 2 year old Easter Egger has water belly/ascites. Looking back, I now realized that she had symptoms a couple months ago (stopped laying, feathers around her bum falling out, starting to walk funny), but I didn't realize something was wrong until a few days ago when I noticed her having trouble standing/walking. Sure enough, she has a massive water belly. While I know of it and its underlying issues (liver issue, heart failure, etc), this is the first time we've had it in our flock.

I've drained probably about 60-70mil from her over the past few days but she still feels a little squishy and bloated. I tried to see if I could get anymore out today, but I got very little and she even started bleeding a little, so I stopped. Despite removing so much, she seems even more lethargic. She's not standing, walking, roosting, eating,.or drinking. She is presently laying in the grass in the shade, not moving. I have the feeling that this is the end for her.

I suppose my question after all of that rambling: has anyone else had a hen give in and pass on so soon after draining hee water belly? I know her condition has provided her with a death warrant, but I was hoping to extend her life a little by making her comfortable. I feel guilty thinking that if I had been paying better attention early on, I could have helped her sooner and given her a little more time to live.

This is especially hard because we lost another hen a week ago to cancer. I was probably so focused on her that I missed our current situation

Thanks for reading!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello fellow chicken tenders.

Our 2 year old Easter Egger has water belly/ascites. Looking back, I now realized that she had symptoms a couple months ago (stopped laying, feathers around her bum falling out, starting to walk funny), but I didn't realize something was wrong until a few days ago when I noticed her having trouble standing/walking. Sure enough, she has a massive water belly. While I know of it and it's underlying issues (liver issue, heart failure, etc), this is the first time we've had it in our flock.

I've drained probably about 60-70mil from her over the past few days but she still feels a little squishy and bloated. I tried to see if I could get anymore out today, but I got very little and she even started bleeding a little, so I stopped. Despite removing so much, she seems even more lethargic. She's not standing, waking, roosting, eating,.or drinking. She is presently laying in the grass in the shade, not moving. I have the feeling that this is the end for her.

I suppose my question after all of that rambling: has anyone else had a hen give in and pass on despite having her water belly drained? I know her condition has provided her with a death warrant, but I was hoping to extend her life a little by making her comfortable. I feel guilty thinking that if I had been paying better early on, I could have helped her sooner and given her a little more time to live.

This is especially hard because we lost another hen a week ago to cancer. I was probably so focused on her that I missed our current situation

Thanks for reading!

I'm sorry to hear about your hen.

Sometimes even with draining excess fluid, a hen may not be able to overcome whatever underlying condition that is causing the fluid.

It sounds like she's very ill and I'm sorry.

 

[Cinnaminute]

I'm so so sorry for your loss and your hen's health. In my experience, they always get worse after draining before they get better. But sometimes they don't get better, sadly. Have you tried tempting her with a treat? It's concerning she won't drink. Have you dribbled some water on her beak to try to encourage her? Or offer something hydrating like melon?

My first case of ascites was my EE named Cleo. She went off lay in May of last year. Then passed some lash material a few times after. I gave her antibiotics when I noticed and when she started filling with fluid, I drained her. Did so 3 times that summer. I doubt I caught her any sooner than you did yours. I had just lost her flockmate, my head hen Zelda in April. My very first raised chick, so I was really distracted at that time like you. Anyway, it usually took 3-7 days before she'd roost again and have her full appetite back. But she did drink. A lot. She lived by the water bucket. The 6th and final time I drained her was June 24th this year. She did not get better after 3-7 days. Instead, she lost her appetite and one day, she just couldn't walk anymore. Those last few days I was force feeding her and force hydrating her until she stopped pooping. Her body was shutting down, so I had to let her go. She passed July 6th.

Anyway, it's definitely not your fault and there's no guarantee noticing sooner would've done much. You tried to make her more comfortable and honestly, that's what matters. I would try to at least get her drinking if possible, even if that's just some drops of water on her beak. I'm sorry you and her are going through this. Sending you both lots of hugs.