Baytril or Cipro?

[Fontaine]

Could you send this picture to your vet? Explain you have an appointment on the 16th but by then the appearance may have changed significantly. It could be a hint of what’s going on or as you thought it may be just a hematoma. Is that the area where the drainage was done?It’s fantastic that she’s doing so well!

 

[AmyJane725]

Could you send this picture to your vet? Explain you have an appointment on the 16th but by then the appearance may have changed significantly. It could be a hint of what’s going on or as you thought it may be just a hematoma. Is that the area where the drainage was done?It’s fantastic that she’s doing so well!

Yeah, I can call and ask if I could email the pictures for the Dr. to look at. And yes, that's the side where she had the abscess drained 3 times. That bump appeared since last night, so really quickly.

I'm really thrilled with her progress. I was tempted to let her go back outside soon and just leave well enough alone with her eyebrow, but then I saw that bump. I also wonder how long it takes to get a bird rehydrated. Because the vet said that she wouldn't lose muscle that fast so she's still probably still dehydrated. She weighed in at 2 lbs 6 oz last time I weighed her, but prior to all the trouble she weighed more like 2 lbs 11 oz, so she's still 5 oz too light. I feel like with all the tubed fluids I did she should be better by now? I don't know. I think she probably did lose some actual body mass, not just water. I don't know though.

 

[AmyJane725]

Ok, I just emailed to pictures to my vet. They'll call me once he's had a chance to look at them.

 

[AmyJane725]

Update: He looked and said at this point he'd just wait and see what happens. He asked about the size (3-4 mm) and how far it sticks out (not much). I've got the appointment for the 16th, so we'll see how it's doing by then.

 

[Fontaine]

Please continue to keep us in touch! We all are rooting for you!

 

[AmyJane725]

Please continue to keep us in touch! We all are rooting for you!

Here's our sometimes-daily update, lol.
She's doing fantastically well. Eating and drinking totally on her own. Poops look good. The color has come back to her comb and wattles very nicely. I can't decide if they're the same as they were before and old pictures make them look darker because of the light, or if she still has a little ways to go. Eyebrow is still a bit swollen compared to the other side, and that black bump is still there, but they don't seem to bother her. She's back to reminding Limpy Jr. that she's top of the pecking order around here, and he's begrudgingly accepting it. Her pictures always make her look so tired, but she really does have plenty of energy. Got one of her up and about with the food and water, one sorta straight-on comparing eyebrow size, and one transient picture of her when she was looking up at me curiously (one of my favorite things she does), so sorry for the poor quality. I had to take a screenshot of my phone screen at the beginning of the "live" picture before she moved. And forgive the lighting (as usual). Enjoy.

 

[AmyJane725]

Well guys, this might be the conclusion to the saga. I took Ildi for her re-check today, and the vet has given her a clean bill of health!

He thinks the small size discrepancy between her left and right eyebrows is probably due to scar tissue (not surprising since she had it cut open 3 times), and the little air whistling sound isn't anything to freak out about. It'll go away or it won't, but it's not hurting her. Her lungs still sound great, she's putting weight back on and isn't dehydrated anymore, and her color has come back nicely. Everything looks great!

He was really surprised to see her looking so well this time, given how grave things were looking when we were last in. I asked him if at any point he thought she wasn't going to make it, and he said that last time she was in he wasn't feeling very hopeful since she had already been through pretty much all the antibiotics we had available she she was still so sick. He asked at what point she started improving (how far through the Tylan we were). I didn't want to lie, so I told him not to judge me, but the Tylan wasn't helping after days of it, so "I drove her down to the BAY, and we listened to the birds TRIL" and that seemed to help her. He said he doesn't care what I did as long as she's better. I think he's probably frustrated about the stupid rules where we live as well. He says she definitely wouldn't have made it without the tube feeding/all the supportive care that I gave her. I just said that I really felt like she could beat it if I could just keep her alive long enough for her body to have a chance.

It was a really nice visit. All smiles and good news. I'll be returning her to the flock this afternoon when my mom can be there to see it too, since she helped a lot with all the extra laundry and things that come along with having a sick chicken indoors. (Plus Ildi's her granddaughter, and she loves her )

Thank you SO much to everyone who helped me through this, whether it was with technical advice, well-wishes/support or both. This is such a great place, because there's always going to be someone there in your time of need. Thank you BYC. Ildi thanks you too.

 

[Painted Calls]

Wonderful news!

 

[casportpony]

That's great news, thanks for the update.

 

[AmyJane725]

Epilogue:

Ildi has officially rejoined her flock after two months of separation. Things went pretty darn smoothly all things considered. She had to do a couple of stare-downs with other hens, and one of the bigger ones, Tootsie, full-on jumped her and grabbed her comb. It was bleeding a little, so I got some Neosporin on that right away. Certainly don't need another infection fiasco very first thing.

Even though it's basically spring here now and the roosters are squabbling amongst themselves, my alpha rooster, ReeBee, was actually a gentleman and didn't try to get fresh with her or anything. He spent all his time breaking up fights between the other two roosters. Ildi's hubby, Baby, was SO excited to see her! He was dancing circles around her for ages and following her all around/kinda guarding her from the other hens. I think she must have been happy to see him too, because after a while when things had calmed down and she had gotten more used to being outside again, she actually squatted for him and they had their little reunion moment.

I stayed out there for a few hours with them all, as I normally do when I feed them, but just to make sure she was doing alright as well. There were no more incidents with Ildi, and last I saw she was taking a nice dust bath while Baby stood guard over her.