Brahma with canker looking worse after 6 days of Metronidazole. Any other suggestions to help her?

[JennyK1233]

My Brahma was having trouble swallowing about 8 days ago. I figured out it was canker and bought the fish metronidazole the next day. I actually ordered the pills and then bought the powder before the pills got here. Day 1 I gave her the powder. Day 2-6 I gave her the pill the best I could. I had read to give the pills for 5 days and 6 days so I opted for the extra day. The dosage was 250mg/day, once a day. Day 6-7 she was looking better and very interested in eating. We are on day 8-9 I think now and she is looking way worse. It almost looks like something is growing outside on her beak where the beak meets skin. I thought it was just dirt and grass but it seems stuck on there and she won't let me really touch it. From almost the beginning you could see one side of her neck was swollen where the canker is and that has not gone down at all. Her face/neck area today almost looks too red and she has her eyes closed a lot. She doesn't seem very interested in eating or drinking either. She's probably on her way out but if anyone has any other suggestions or something else I could try, even just as knowledge for the future I would really appreciate it.

Other Info:
We did also realize that she had mites so we got some diatomaceous earth and that killed most of them but that could also be contributing to her illness.

I did also notice that in the evening when she would drink she would dip her entire beak into the water and then clear mucous looking stuff would drip out. I can't be sure when I first noticed that but it has been most of the 8-9 days since I noticed she was sick.

No other chicken has this (thank goodness). Our birds free range every day so I'm sure that's how she picked I up. She has felt thinner and lighter since the first day I noticed she was having trouble swallowing.

 

[coach723]

Depending on your birds weight, the 250 mg may have been correct. Merck says 60mg/kg, 1kg = 2.2 lbs. Some sources say to divide into half and give twice a day.
There are some other medications that can be used if the metronidazole is not effective, Carnidazole is one, you can get here:
https://birdpalproducts.com/products/carnix

To cover the bases, fowl pox, the wet form can also cause lesions in the beak and throat, there is no treatment for fowl pox, it's viral and has to run it's course. The wet form is more serious and may require supportive care, the dry form usually presents no serious problems.
Pictures might be helpful. How old is she?

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/trichomonosis/trichomonosis

https://the-chicken-chick.com/fowl-pox-prevention-treatmen/

 

[JennyK1233]

Thank you for the other medication suggestion. Honestly I'm not 100% sure how old she is. I would say 3-5 years old.

Thank you for the information on fowl pox too. I'm not sure that's what she has but the information is definitely helpful for the future.

I attached a picture of her face. This is the most affected side and you can see the dark stuff on her beak. I can't get a picture of the inside of her mouth by myself. Sorry if this isn't that helpful.

 

[coach723]

I don't see any other signs of pox, so likely that is not it. Is vet care an option?

 

[JennyK1233]

Not at the moment unfortunately.

 

[dawg53]

Is there a foul odor coming from her mouth? if so, it's definitely canker. If not, it's wet fowl pox.
There is no treatment for wet pox since it's a virus.
Just for you info; birds with canker are carriers for life and it can spread to other birds via waterers. She will need monthly treatment to keep it in check.
It might be in your best interest to cull her if in fact it's canker.