Draining fluid in abdomen?

[Whatthecluck99]

Hello, I hope you’re all having a good Monday! I’m going to try to explain this but I feel like I’m not going to do a very good job, so please bare with me.

This morning when I went out to my coop, my chicken, who I presume has water belly, didn’t look very good. She’s definitely been getting worse and her belly has been getting bigger, and I’ve been looking into how to drain it to give her some relief. She starting showing noticeable signs of what I think is water belly a week ago(enlarged abdomen, lethargy, slightly blue comb) and I’ve been giving her brewers yeast, oregano, calcium, and vetrx daily. While she still had an appetite and is still drinking, she’s getting weaker every day. Her comb is turning more blue, and she’s just sitting in the corner of the coop today, still alert but not moving. She couldn’t jump up to the perch last night, I think because the pressure of the fluid has become too much. Her abdomen is swollen and slightly hard, but still feels pretty water balloon ish. What I’m wondering is, if it’s not water belly, will draining it be harmful to her? I’m almost positive she has ascites, but if I’m wrong and she doesn’t, am I going to be trying to remove something that’s not just simply fluid in her abdomen? I want to help her, but I’m scared of doing more damage than anything. I know I’m unfortunately just keeping her comfortable at most, and there’s no true cure for water belly. Also, just in case it’s relevant, I really love this chicken. Mine, like many, are not just around to give me eggs. Those are just an added bonus. Unfortunately, I’m also not drowning in cash, and there’s no poultry vets in my area. A really crummy situation. Any help is appreciated

 

[coach723]

If it's fluid, then draining may make her more comfortable for a time. It does come with some amount of risk, shock if it's drained too much too fast, or infection from the puncture into the abdomen. If it's not fluid, then none will come out and you will know then. Ascites is usually an amber to light brown color, it could be cloudy if there is infection. Ascites is a symptom of something else going on, cancer, infection, organ failure. Some birds live for quite a while, some can pass rather quickly. The fluid is usually from the liver leaking into the abdominal cavity. Whether to drain or not is a personal decision, it's not wrong to try if that's what you want to do. Just know that it does carry some amount of risk and is not a cure for whatever the underlying condition is. The fluid could be making it hard for her to breathe, or the darkening comb could indicate a heart problem. I know it's a hard decision when this happens. I always ask myself if the quality of life for them is good or not, are they suffering with no hope of getting better, and if I'm trying to save them for me or for them. Sometimes it's a kindness to let them go and not have them suffer, though that is very hard for us. I no longer drain mine as I know it's temporary. I leave them with the flock as long as they are basically doing normal chicken things and have some quality of life, when they are obviously not feeling good, not eating or drinking, isolating themselves, or getting attacked by flockmates, I euthanize. I have (and have had) some fairly old birds, I get very attached too. It's never something I take lightly.

 

[Quarterhorses1]

Update? I just picked mine up from the vet with similar symptoms

 

[coach723]

What did your vet say?

 

[Quarterhorses1]

What did your vet say?

The vet did X-rays and drained her belly, also put her on meds. She has a slim chance of survival

 

[coach723]

Was the vet able to see anything on the x-rays?
Usually when ascites develops it's a cancer, infection, or organ failure. Many reproductive infections don't tend to respond well to treatment with antibiotics, it may buy time, hard to say. The prognosis is usually poor, some of them can survive for a while, others may pass much quicker, depending on what's going on inside.

 

[Quarterhorses1]

Was the vet able to see anything on the x-rays?
Usually when ascites develops it's a cancer, infection, or organ failure. Many reproductive infections don't tend to respond well to treatment with antibiotics, it may buy time, hard to say. The prognosis is usually poor, some of them can survive for a while, others may pass much quicker, depending on what's going on inside.

The vet said he saw no egg and her reproductive organs look ok as far as he can see, he’s guessing it’s heart or liver

 

[coach723]

Then I would just keep her as comfortable as you can, and enjoy whatever time she has left.
It's hard to lose them, I'm very sorry.

 

[Quarterhorses1]

Then I would just keep her as comfortable as you can, and enjoy whatever time she has left.
It's hard to lose them, I'm very sorry.

I’m loving on her like crazy , extra mealworms for her ! She’s on pain meds so and antibiotics, and anti inflammatory