She was sick when we got her. I have a neighbor who wrestles with MG in her flock, and from time to time she gives me the victims. She cannot bear to treat them, and I cannot bear not to. I keep them separate, and to date, none of my healthy birds have contracted this horrid illness. Indeed, the only illness on the place, at present, is among the birds that come from my neighbor.
So, this bird. She is little, and does not have a silkie's black skin, though she has every other attribute of the breed. She is as typically sweet and darling as any of her breed. She has lived in my bathroom for a few months now, as we have battled this thing. She has had, over the course of that time, three doses of LA300, via injection, a 7-10 (I lost track) day course of water-soluble oxytetracycline, one injection of penicillin, given when she was not taking the other antibiotics, so as not to cancel them out, a recent 7-day course of Corid, because others showed some bloody poop, and two wormings, because I saw worms in her poo. She has also had several transient roomies, as other birds have needed nursing. She remained aloof from them all.
Her eye, originally marble-sized and full of the fibrous puss that is typical of this disease, has been collapsing and the skin over her sinus turning black and drying out, for about two weeks. I decided to feel optimistic about this, because I hoped that, although the eye and sinus were clearly not going to survive the disease, the drying-up of the infected tissues, even if they died and became nothing but scar tissue, was preferable to the active, inflamed infection.
Her appetite was good. Her only other alarming symptom has been that her poop flows out of her on a tide of nearly-clear fluid. The poop is more-or-less cohesive, but suspended in a watery medium. I have not discovered the cause or implication of this.
Then, perhaps two weeks ago, I had to deposit my big, Polish-Frizzle Roo in her environment briefly. He is not ill, but I needed a safe place to stuff him for a short while. I had just finished my morning disinfection of the room. When I returned, I was stunned to see my little hen cuddled up to that crazy-looking giant, cooing and chortling, and rubbing up against his chest. He, in turn, had his neck draped over her, and had ceased his usual twitchy, lunatic behavior. I was dumbstruck. I have never seen ANY of my birds behave this way to one another! I could not seem to catch the wooing, but here they are, at any rate. (Seemed weird to post photos of the bathroom, so I have darkened the background.)
Since that day, she had been livelier and more alert than ever previously. Until today, that is. This morning she seemed lethargic, and when I picked her up to look more closely, she smelled of infection. The other eye, I see, is involved now. (BLAST!) The first eye no longer looks dry, but is postulant again. I have injected LA300, and begun Polymyxin B Sulfate and Trimethoprim Opthalmic drops in both eyes. She is shivering slightly, and does not take food.
Please, if you can, tell me something I can do or try? I very much want her long-suffering to pay off, especially now that she has found true love!
Thank You!
Patience
So, this bird. She is little, and does not have a silkie's black skin, though she has every other attribute of the breed. She is as typically sweet and darling as any of her breed. She has lived in my bathroom for a few months now, as we have battled this thing. She has had, over the course of that time, three doses of LA300, via injection, a 7-10 (I lost track) day course of water-soluble oxytetracycline, one injection of penicillin, given when she was not taking the other antibiotics, so as not to cancel them out, a recent 7-day course of Corid, because others showed some bloody poop, and two wormings, because I saw worms in her poo. She has also had several transient roomies, as other birds have needed nursing. She remained aloof from them all.
Her eye, originally marble-sized and full of the fibrous puss that is typical of this disease, has been collapsing and the skin over her sinus turning black and drying out, for about two weeks. I decided to feel optimistic about this, because I hoped that, although the eye and sinus were clearly not going to survive the disease, the drying-up of the infected tissues, even if they died and became nothing but scar tissue, was preferable to the active, inflamed infection.
Her appetite was good. Her only other alarming symptom has been that her poop flows out of her on a tide of nearly-clear fluid. The poop is more-or-less cohesive, but suspended in a watery medium. I have not discovered the cause or implication of this.
Then, perhaps two weeks ago, I had to deposit my big, Polish-Frizzle Roo in her environment briefly. He is not ill, but I needed a safe place to stuff him for a short while. I had just finished my morning disinfection of the room. When I returned, I was stunned to see my little hen cuddled up to that crazy-looking giant, cooing and chortling, and rubbing up against his chest. He, in turn, had his neck draped over her, and had ceased his usual twitchy, lunatic behavior. I was dumbstruck. I have never seen ANY of my birds behave this way to one another! I could not seem to catch the wooing, but here they are, at any rate. (Seemed weird to post photos of the bathroom, so I have darkened the background.)
Since that day, she had been livelier and more alert than ever previously. Until today, that is. This morning she seemed lethargic, and when I picked her up to look more closely, she smelled of infection. The other eye, I see, is involved now. (BLAST!) The first eye no longer looks dry, but is postulant again. I have injected LA300, and begun Polymyxin B Sulfate and Trimethoprim Opthalmic drops in both eyes. She is shivering slightly, and does not take food.
Please, if you can, tell me something I can do or try? I very much want her long-suffering to pay off, especially now that she has found true love!
Thank You!
Patience
