Amoxicillin with Metacam for hen

[JaneSavage]

Hi everyone,
A few weeks ago my Wyandotte hen had Bumblefoot. The vet said we caught it early and she prescribed 250mg of amoxicillin per day for 5 days and 3ml of Metacam per day for 3 days.
The vet commented that she was otherwise a very healthy hen, she had good legs, she had signs of good nutrition, she had no mites or other external parasites. She expected my hen would start to recover in a few days.
I kept my hen inside away from the flock for 5 days while she was on medication. She seemed lethargic and wasn’t eating much but I thought that she might brighten up once she was outside with the flock.
The following day I noticed she was separating herself from the flock. She wasn’t cleaning herself and was sitting in faeces. When I saw her walk her limp was gone and the swelling had gone down so I think her Bumblefoot had improved. I gave her a bath and kept her inside that night. The following day her poop was green, her comb was floppy and her comb was a blueish colour. She died that night.
The rest of the chooks seem fine and healthy.
I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience? Would Bumblefoot cause death like this? Do you think the medication was wrong? I’d love to know what went wrong so my other hens don’t have to go though something like this.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Amoxicillin is a very common and safe antibiotic which is used in chickens for reproductive and other types of infections. Was your hen laying eggs, and how old was she? Reproductive and crop disorders, cancer, and liver problems can be common in hens over 2 years. Without having your state vet perform a necropsy on the body, it would be very difficult to know what killed your hen. I’m very sorry for your loss.

 

[JaneSavage]

Welcome to BYC. Amoxicillin is a very common and safe antibiotic which is used in chickens for reproductive and other types of infections. Was your hen laying eggs, and how old was she? Reproductive and crop disorders, cancer, and liver problems can be common in hens over 2 years. Without having your state vet perform a necropsy on the body, it would be very difficult to know what killed your hen. I’m very sorry for your loss.

Thank you for your reply. My chicken was 5 years old and she was still laying regularly. It’s good to know the amoxicillin was safe for her.

 

[Banana01]

Hi everyone,
A few weeks ago my Wyandotte hen had Bumblefoot. The vet said we caught it early and she prescribed 250mg of amoxicillin per day for 5 days and 3ml of Metacam per day for 3 days.
The vet commented that she was otherwise a very healthy hen, she had good legs, she had signs of good nutrition, she had no mites or other external parasites. She expected my hen would start to recover in a few days.
I kept my hen inside away from the flock for 5 days while she was on medication. She seemed lethargic and wasn’t eating much but I thought that she might brighten up once she was outside with the flock.
The following day I noticed she was separating herself from the flock. She wasn’t cleaning herself and was sitting in faeces. When I saw her walk her limp was gone and the swelling had gone down so I think her Bumblefoot had improved. I gave her a bath and kept her inside that night. The following day her poop was green, her comb was floppy and her comb was a blueish colour. She died that night.
The rest of the chooks seem fine and healthy.
I’m wondering if anyone has had a similar experience? Would Bumblefoot cause death like this? Do you think the medication was wrong? I’d love to know what went wrong so my other hens don’t have to go though something like this.
Thanks for your help.

Amoxicillan has no negative interaction with meloxicam. But meloxicam is very dangerous and that dose is way too high.

The published side effects are NSAIDs cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction and stroke, which can be fatal.

The purple comb indicated a heart attack, or the heart struggled to maintain blood flow. Im sorry. I had a hen die yesterday in a similar manner, but without medicines.

 

[JaneSavage]

Amoxicillan has no negative interaction with meloxicam. But meloxicam is very dangerous and that dose is way too high.

The published side effects are NSAIDs cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction and stroke, which can be fatal.

The purple comb indicated a heart attack, or the heart struggled to maintain blood flow. Im sorry. I had a hen die yesterday in a similar manner, but without medicines.

 

[Eggcessive]

What was the strength of the metacam that you had and the dosage the vet ordered? Here is some dosage info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/need-help-on-correct-dosage-for-meloxicam.1253001/

 

[JaneSavage]

Hi, thanks so much for your input. I did discuss the dose of meloxicam with the vet because it seemed like a lot for a small hen. She said that chickens have a high tolerance for medications and need a bigger dose than you’d expect. She said my chook would need the same dose as a 22.5kg dog.
Im sorry your hen died with similar symptoms. It’s not a nice experience for you or the chicken.

 

[JaneSavage]

What was the strength of the metacam that you had and the dosage the vet ordered? Here is some dosage info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/need-help-on-correct-dosage-for-meloxicam.1253001/

Hi, thank you for sharing the link. My goodness I think the vet prescribed way too much. My hen was small, she weighed less than 2kg. The Metacam strength was 1.5mg/ml. The vet put a mark on the syringe so I knew where to fill it to. I was told to give my hen 1.5ml twice daily for three days. The dosage information you linked me to makes me think it should have been far less.
Thanks for your help.

 

[Banana01]

Hi, thank you for sharing the link. My goodness I think the vet prescribed way too much. My hen was small, she weighed less than 2kg. The Metacam strength was 1.5mg/ml. The vet put a mark on the syringe so I knew where to fill it to. I was told to give my hen 1.5ml twice daily for three days. The dosage information you linked me to makes me think it should have been far less.
Thanks for your help.

It's true chickens have a high tolerance and metabolize most drugs, the vet is obviously unaware of the dangers of the specific drug he prescibed. This drug is not meant to be overdosed due to the side effects.

 

[Banana01]

Hi, thanks so much for your input. I did discuss the dose of meloxicam with the vet because it seemed like a lot for a small hen. She said that chickens have a high tolerance for medications and need a bigger dose than you’d expect. She said my chook would need the same dose as a 22.5kg dog.
Im sorry your hen died with similar symptoms. It’s not a nice experience for you or the chicken.

My hen died and her comb was purple too, i did an autopsy and her cavity was full of fluid and her heart failed.

I dont know if it helps but the warning for the medication reads "Meloxicam can increase your risk of fatal heart attack or stroke, especially if you use it long term or take high doses, or if you have heart disease. Do not use this medicine just before or after heart bypass surgery (coronary artery bypass graft, or CABG). The lowest effective dose for the shortest duration possible consistent with individual treatment goals should be used."

It doesnt bring your hen back. The dosage for a grown adult human is 5ml. It's a complex medicine and the vet may have been a bit careless not knowing the basic warnings from the medicine label. Sorry again about the hen.