Bubbling Swollen Eyes

[Jennycoastalchick]

Hi Everyone,
I have a little silky who developed bubbles in her eyes. I took her to the vet and have been giving her antibiotics for about 2 weeks now. She came good for about 4 days but then developed the bubbles again. Then she also developed a swelling under her eyes. She has somehow made herself really dirty and scratches her eyes the we have been bathing several times a day. We have her isolated from the flock. Any ideas?

 

[Isaac 0]

Welcome to BYC.

Sorry to hear about your hen.

Swollen bubbly eyes are often a sign of respiratory disease, to be more specific (MG) Mycoplasma Gallisepticum, or Coryza, are ones that may show up that way.

What kind of antibiotics did your vet put her on?

Both diseases can be "relieved" with the use of antibiotics, but for example, the bacteria Mycoplasma Gallisepticum has a very thin/no cell wall, and therefore has built resistance to most antibiotics and can not be cured only alleviated with the use of them. During times of stress (Molting, cold/weather, predator attacks) the signs may show up again.

Another possibility could be that she has/had some foreign matter in her eye, and it's now infected.

Could you post a photo of both of her eyes up-close in the light?

Does the discharge smell at all?

With these types of problems its best to know what you're dealing with, so you can use an antibiotic that works best for that type of infection. I would consider sending some samples to either your state veterinary diagnostic lab, or sending them to a national lab like Zoolgix.

Here are some links,

Testing.

https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

MG

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-infection-in-poultry

Coryza

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-coryza/overview-of-infectious-coryza-in-chickens

 

[Jennycoastalchick]

Welcome to BYC.

Sorry to hear about your hen.

Swollen bubbly eyes are often a sign of respiratory disease, to be more specific (MG) Mycoplasma Gallisepticum, or Coryza, are ones that may show up that way.

What kind of antibiotics did your vet put her on?

Both diseases can be "relieved" with the use of antibiotics, but for example, the bacteria Mycoplasma Gallisepticum has a very thin/no cell wall, and therefore has built resistance to most antibiotics and can not be cured only alleviated with the use of them. During times of stress (Molting, cold/weather, predator attacks) the signs may show up again.

Another possibility could be that she has/had some foreign matter in her eye, and it's now infected.

Could you post a photo of both of her eyes up-close in the light?

Does the discharge smell at all?

With these types of problems its best to know what you're dealing with, so you can use an antibiotic that works best for that type of infection. I would consider sending some samples to either your state veterinary diagnostic lab, or sending them to a national lab like Zoolgix.

Here are some links,

Testing.

https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

MG

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-infection-in-poultry

Coryza

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-coryza/overview-of-infectious-coryza-in-chickens

 

[Jennycoastalchick]

Thanks so much for your help Isaac. The vet prescribed Oxymav 5g per day. She has developed quite substantial swelling around her eyes but today one went down a lot. We mixed the antibiotic with a little water and she usually drinks it. She's been on antibiotics for over two weeks now so not looking good

 

[Isaac 0]

That's good some of the swelling has gone down.

Does your vet specialize in avian animals?

I noticed you say she "usually drinks the water" are you implying she doesn't drink the water very much? If so that's quite common, sick birds tend not to drink water as much, then you go ahead and add a nasty tasting antibiotic to their water which will sometimes exasperate the problem. If she's not drinking as much as she should be, she's not getting the full dose. I would let your vet know if she's not.

As I suggested above, contacting one of the testing links might be the wisest thing to do.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She has quite a bit of facial swelling as well. Pus in the eyes or surrounding tissue needs to be pressed out or removed (by a vet if it needs lanced). Antibiotics alone will not dry up pus.
If you can re-consult your vet that would likely be the best course of action. Cleaning/flushing the eye out with saline and pressing out what pus you can a couple of times a day along with apply an eye ointment may also be helpful.

Oxymav *should* help treat symptoms of respiratory disease like Mycoplasma. You mention she's been given it for 2 weeks, is she taking the medication in everyday? You may want to ask your vet for a different course of treatment. You are in AU? I assume? So your vet is the best option for getting medications.

Also, are you noticing any lesions, yellow/pasty material inside her beak? Does she have a bad odor?

 

[Eggcessive]

Good advice from folks already. I would give the oxymav orally throughout the day. Are you mixing a scoop in 50 ml? You have given it a lot longer than it should be, so there could be also a secondary viral infection or the facial swelling should be addressed as the videos show. MG doesn’t only affect the sinuses, but can damage other organs, and the chicken may affected by the disease all of their lives.

 

[Jennycoastalchick]

Good advice from folks already. I would give the oxymav orally throughout the day. Are you mixing a scoop in 50 ml? You have given it a lot longer than it should be, so there could be also a secondary viral infection or the facial swelling should be addressed as the videos show. MG doesn’t only affect the sinuses, but can damage other organs, and the chicken may affected by the disease all of their lives.

Oh no I also heard that it will continue to be a carrier? Do you know if this is correct? I would hate to have my other 9 girls infected. My son loves her

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Oh no I also heard that it will continue to be a carrier? Do you know if this is correct? I would hate to have my other 9 girls infected. My son loves her

Since she's under vet care, ask if they can do some testing to find out what she has.
Respiratory diseases with the exception of Infectious Bronchitis make birds and those exposed carriers for life. IB is up to a year.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Eggcessive]

Also keep in mind that if you have one with a disease the others most likely were exposed to it at the same time she was. In that case, most backyard owners close their flock to new birds and keep their remaining birds for life. Besides trying to get testing by contacting your local vet or the state poultry vet, there is Zoologix, a private company that lets you collect swabs and send them in for testing. That way costs more most likely than the state vet which may cost a few dollars. If you lose a bird, a necropsy can be done by the state poultry vet as well, to get a diagnosis.