3 month old turkey with blackhead

[crj]

I've been reading about blackhead in turkeys. I have a 3 month old that needs medication. I have 2 tablets of 250 mg metronidazle. Could you please tell me how much I need to give my turkey? I've read about adult birds but I can't find anything about 3 month old turkey and the dosage. I want to start this ASAP. Thanks.

 

[ivan3]

crj wrote: Ivan3, you are right about the medications having to have prescriptions. Everywhere here you have to have one. I did see Dimetridazole in my search on medications and found on the site you mentioned. What is that for? It also goes under another name which starts with and "E" something like Emtryl. Can't remember.

Sorry, I tend to use chemical names. Yes, Emtryl (I've got the tabs, not the powder). I'd be very suspicious of any Emtryl pigeon powder (probably someone buying Metronidazole cheap and repackaging). Dimetridazole was THE drug of choice for treating `enterohepatitis' (blackhead) in turkeys. It was banned for use in commercial flocks (`potential' carcinogen - in very large doses). It is no longer listed in the FDA's USVet formulary. Metronidazole and Dimetridazole are `kissing cousins'. When tested against HM in vitro (test tube) the Metronidazole rubbed out the offending protozoan, but took a little longer than the Dimetridazole. http://ps.fass.org/cgi/reprint/81/8/1122

Hope she wanders home!

Ksane wrote: The problem is I don't know how to break down the dosage from the fish meds into bird doses.

Do you know how many mg/g of powder? http://faculty.mdc.edu/mserant/pharmmath.htm Cheap digital scale comes in handy.

Metronidazole is one of the most commonly used drugs for anaerobic infections. It is effective for giardiasis; other drugs used for Giardia infection include albendazole, fenbendazole, and quinacrine. Maximum dose that should be administered is 50-65 mg/kg,q24h, in any species.

Flagyl dosing in humans - same ballpark.​

 

[ivan3]

crj wrote Are turkeys and guineas a problem?

Pretty much all Gallinaceous birds can be carriers. Some species are more susceptible to developing the disease than others (apparently Guineas are someplace in between): http://www.nwtf.org/conservation/bulletins/bulletin_25.pdf

Without the protozoan in the soil to take a ride in Cecal worms and then onto earthworms - chooks do not pose the threat of amplifying the potential for infection of the turks. Before bringing our heritage turks home we checked with the State Vet/MU Turkey Farm/DNR regarding prevalence/incidence in our region. We have 2-3 Wild flocks that use our woods on their rounds (nesting as well) and we were concerned. Apparently the warmer and more humid the climate (better environment for the vectors) the more of a threat HG/HM is. We heavily amended the soil of both runs with sand (and continue to add as needed) as it dries out faster (not a happy place for `squrimers') and, for the past two years we've been prophylactically worming flocks with Valbazen.
Chooks can, indeed, succumb to this disease (best shot of liver lesion I've run across is that of a broiler's): http://en.aviagen.com/assets/Tech_C...es/English/AviagenBrief_MaleHealth_June09.pdf

From: USGS/FWS Field Manual Of Wildlife Disease (avian), an excellent reference: http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_manual/

A most thorough reference on HG/HM (a Ph.D dissertation on the disease): http://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/bitstream/handle/10724/6287/hu_jinghui_200212_phd.pdf?sequence=1​

Ed: `post' site migration link repair

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Pretty much all Gallinaceous birds can be carriers. Some species are more susceptible to developing the disease than others (apparently Guineas are someplace in between): http://www.nwtf.org/conservation/bulletins/bulletin_25.pdf

Without the protozoan in the soil to take a ride in Cecal worms and then onto earthworms - chooks do not pose the threat of amplifying the potential for infection of the turks. Before bringing our heritage turks home we checked with the State Vet/MU Turkey Farm/DNR regarding prevalence/incidence in our region. We have 2-3 Wild flocks that use our woods on their rounds (nesting as well) and we were concerned. Apparently the warmer and more humid the climate (better environment for the vectors) the more of a threat HG/HM is. We heavily amended the soil of both runs with sand (and continue to add as needed) as it dries out faster (not a happy place for `squrimers') and, for the past two years we've been prophylactically worming flocks with Valbazen.
Chooks can, indeed, succumb to this disease (best shot of liver lesion I've run across is that of a broiler's): http://en.aviagen.com/assets/Tech_C...es/English/AviagenBrief_MaleHealth_June09.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/262_usgsfwshm.jpg

From: USGS/FWS Field Manual Of Wildlife Disease (avian), an excellent reference: http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_manual/

A most thorough reference on HG/HM (a Ph.D dissertation on the disease): http://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/bitstream/handle/10724/6287/hu_jinghui_200212_phd.pdf?sequence=1

Yes that was what I was trying to say and you did a better job with illistrations, thanks for the info. I hope it helps some folks.

 

[ivan3]

crj wrote: The "General Cure" from PetSmart has 250 mg of Metronidazole and 75mg of Praziquantel. I would imagine that would be ok to give turkeys. The Praziquantel would be a wormer. Probably not very strong but something that would be a good start before doing a strong worming after the medication. It's $14.99 here and I think there are 10 tablets. PetSmart carried something else cheaper $4.99) but it had 3 more ingredients in it that I didn't feel would be good for poultry. Something to do with Parasites in or on fish. So, maybe "General Cure" would be a good choice?

Sorry to hear she's hasn't returned, bummer.

That med would do. The Fishzole 60 tabs/250mg, at Amazon, is probably $20.00 with S&H.

Another good reference to have on hand is Avian Medicine Principles and Applications (author focuses on companion birds - psittacines primarily - but there is a chapter on gallinaceous birds, good formulary and dosing rec. - the chapter on trauma/emergencies is useful for most species of avian): just R click on the pic of book and Save Target As (fully searchable PDF - not an image file): (no longer available outside of torrents/sale).

Saif's book: Diseases of Poultry is $$ but it the chapter on protozoal diseases is partially available (as is quite of bit of the whole tome) on Google Books (includes page with photos of HM lesioned turks).

Best of luck to you, and hope the wanderer returns.​

ed: link updates/removal

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Pretty much all Gallinaceous birds can be carriers. Some species are more susceptible to developing the disease than others (apparently Guineas are someplace in between): http://www.nwtf.org/conservation/bulletins/bulletin_25.pdf

Without the protozoan in the soil to take a ride in Cecal worms and then onto earthworms - chooks do not pose the threat of amplifying the potential for infection of the turks. Before bringing our heritage turks home we checked with the State Vet/MU Turkey Farm/DNR regarding prevalence/incidence in our region. We have 2-3 Wild flocks that use our woods on their rounds (nesting as well) and we were concerned. Apparently the warmer and more humid the climate (better environment for the vectors) the more of a threat HG/HM is. We heavily amended the soil of both runs with sand (and continue to add as needed) as it dries out faster (not a happy place for `squrimers') and, for the past two years we've been prophylactically worming flocks with Valbazen.
Chooks can, indeed, succumb to this disease (best shot of liver lesion I've run across is that of a broiler's): http://en.aviagen.com/assets/Tech_C...es/English/AviagenBrief_MaleHealth_June09.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/262_usgsfwshm.jpg

From: USGS/FWS Field Manual Of Wildlife Disease (avian), an excellent reference: http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/publications/field_manual/

A most thorough reference on HG/HM (a Ph.D dissertation on the disease): http://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/bitstream/handle/10724/6287/hu_jinghui_200212_phd.pdf?sequence=1

Thanks for pointing out the role of climate. Blackhead isn't a concern where I live, it gets too cold here. I house turkeys in the same building with chickens & sometimes range them together. The only turkeys that have ever died here did so a few days before becoming dinner.

 

[rfwombat]

I haven't used that medication, but until you find out how much to give please give him cayenne pepper.

Mix a heaping teaspoon of cayenne pepper into a half cup of water and shoot approx 5 ccs down his throat once every other day for a week. Also mix a tablespoon of cayenne per 10 lbs of feed to dose all the birds. This works if you have caught it early enough. Good luck!

 

[crj]

Quote:
Thanks, I have given her cayenne pepper and plan on giving her more. I put some in scrambled eggs which she did eat some of them. I will put it in water tomorrow and give it to her as well. I hope someone can give me measurements for the medication and in US terms rather then metric.

 

[ivan3]

Check this link and scroll down to 4.2.2 http://www.inchem.org/documents/pims/pharm/metronid.htm#SectionTitle:4.2 Therapeutic dosage

Dosage in turkeys/humans (mg/kg) is the same. So, ~25mg per pound of turkey. 125mg. (half a tab) per day for a 5lb. turk. I'd go to 30mg/lb. (rec. is 50mg/kg).

 

[crj]

Quote:
Ivan3, thank you so much. I have the turkey sitting on my lap as I read this. She thanks you. I'm going to go with 1/4 tab since she is under 5 lbs and the fact that it's 250 mg.