Can favus turn respiratory? Treatment?

[micstrachan]

Hi. I haven’t been on the diseases forum in quite some time. My old girl, Bridge, has had a bum foot for a couple years now, but had never been sick. Ever. And she’s almost ten. However, she has a white, crusty rash on her head now and has for several weeks. I tried anti-fungal cream (miconazole) and it may have been helping, but I went out of town twice and have been battling my own health issue (MRSA), so probably didn’t treat Bridge long enough. Fast forward, now she also has LOTS of fluid when she breathes. It is very crackly and gurgly. If her white, crusty rash is favus, can that get into the lungs?

She still eats, drinks, poops and seems in good health otherwise. A little background, because of her bad foot, the junior hens started beating her up badly after one of her sisters (Little Mill) died. I didn’t realize the sister was providing protection until she was gone. I had to separate Bridge. The friend I had her with (Buttercup) also died, along with some other hens. It was a rough autumn. Anyway, I’m down to three hens now, and she is still physically separated, except during supervised ranging. They do gather at the hardware cloth fence, though, so she is not entirely alone. Despite all of this, Bridge still acts like a healthy hen and mostly looks like one. I think she still has a good amount of life left in her if I can help her through this respiratory thing. My gut tells me it could be fungal. What can I treat her with? Fluconazole capsules? Dosing help? Thank you!

@Eggcessive
@casportpony
@Wyorp Rock

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes rales or rattly/crackly breathing is just due to food or crop contents coming back up into the throat. It happens especially if the crop is squishy or turning sour. If the crop is pressed on when squishy that can happen. Is her crop empty by early morning?

If the problem is not from her crop, then it would probably be from a respiratory disease. Those can be viral, bacterial, or sometimes fungus. The fungus that might cause it is aspergillis. So, no, I don’t think favus would affect her respiratory tract. Sometimes just fumes, dust, mold, pollen, or environmental stimuli could affect breathing.

 

[micstrachan]

Thanks. For months she had something that felt like a cyst about the size of a dime or so, near the top of her crop, but it seems to be gone now. Crop is working well. Perhaps the two (white favus-like crust on head with feather loss and breathing crackle) are not related, but this girl has never been sick once in almost ten years. The only times I’ve ever questioned her health was heading into molt (and I would be relieved to see the feather drop start). If they are unrelated, the timing is uncanny. Or perhaps her immunity is not so good now in her older age. Avian vets who will see chickens are getting harder to come by around here these days, but I’ll see if I can find one. The vet who euthanized Cashew 3 1/2 years ago might still take chickens.

Last night I read somewhere that favus can enter the respiratory tract in severe cases (nodules or yellow plaques). Not sure hers is severe, but I’ll start the miconazole again and see if it helps her head. Can’t find the article now. Years ago I bought a nebulizer for the chickens (don’t remember why) and wonder if there’s something I could use in it. The trouble is, I don’t know if it’s bacterial, viral, or fungal.

Bridge has lost function in her right foot, which seemed to start from an injury. I understand a slow progressing Mareks is also a possibility, especially since 5 1/2 years ago, a necropsy of a flockmate revealed a possible background infection shown in the nerve cap endings.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Michelle, I'm sorry to hear you have not been well

Do you have any photos of Bridge?

I'm sure you've already looked inside her beak for any plagues or lesions.
I'd have to dig a bit deeper, but think I have also read that in severe cases, it's possible secondary infection of the respiratory system can occur with Favus, but if I remember correctly, you'd also see evidence of lesions or plagues similar to Canker in the beak and airway.

You mention you had purchased a nebulizer at some point, but forgot why. Could it have been to use Oxine? https://shagbarkbantams.com/the-many-uses-of-oxine-ah-animal-health/

 

[micstrachan]

 

[micstrachan]

Michelle, I'm sorry to hear you have not been well

Do you have any photos of Bridge?

I'm sure you've already looked inside her beak for any plagues or lesions.
I'd have to dig a bit deeper, but think I have also read that in severe cases, it's possible secondary infection of the respiratory system can occur with Favus, but if I remember correctly, you'd also see evidence of lesions or plagues similar to Canker in the beak and airway.

You mention you had purchased a nebulizer at some point, but forgot why. Could it have been to use Oxine? https://shagbarkbantams.com/the-many-uses-of-oxine-ah-animal-health/

Thank you, Melody. Yes! I think I bought it for oxine, but never used it. I might still have a gallon of oxine around here. I will read your link. No, I have not checked inside her beak nor airway yet, but will tomorrow.

 

[micstrachan]

Look at her poor foot. Her wing looks funky because sometimes she uses it to catch and stabilize herself.

 

[micstrachan]

@Wyorp Rock I found my gallon of Oxine. I also found dilution instructions from Hen Pen Jem (remember her?) from years ago to use in a nebulizer. She had used it safely on her birds before. (11mL of Oxine in 1 cup of water.)

My Oxine says 2009, which is very old. That’s strange, as I’ve only had chickens for ten years, and would have purchased the Oxine well into chicken keeping. I’m guessing around five years, but cannot find a record of the purchase. It is unopened has been stored in a closet in the center of the house in the dark all this time.

My understanding is it breaks down to salt, so should be safe even if expired (though could be ineffective).

I may try it on Bridge today. Of course, all the warnings say to keep it away from animals and not let them breathe it and all of that, which is scary, but I do not plan to activate it and I would dilute it properly.

Thoughts?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

@Wyorp Rock I found my gallon of Oxine. I also found dilution instructions from Hen Pen Jem (remember her?) from years ago to use in a nebulizer. She had used it safely on her birds before. (11mL of Oxine in 1 cup of water.)

My Oxine says 2009, which is very old. That’s strange, as I’ve only had chickens for ten years, and would have purchased the Oxine well into chicken keeping. I’m guessing around five years, but cannot find a record of the purchase. It is unopened has been stored in a closet in the center of the house in the dark all this time.

My understanding is it breaks down to salt, so should be safe even if expired (though could be ineffective).

I may try it on Bridge today. Of course, all the warnings say to keep it away from animals and not let them breathe it and all of that, which is scary, but I do not plan to activate it and I would dilute it properly.

Thoughts?

I don't think the Oxine would be any good with that expiration date, time to get some new.

Don't activate it for sure.

Yes, I remember @Hen Pen Jem she had a lot of interesting posts and a wealth information.

Poor Bridge! It does look like she's trying to hang in there though. I agree, I'd apply ointment/anti-fungal to the skin and see if that helps and try nebulizing with some fresh Oxine to see if that makes a difference.

 

[micstrachan]

So I started Bridge on doxycycline just in case. I figured she’s almost 10, so I’m not too worried about antibiotic resistance in her. I’m waiting for new oxine and a new nebulizer since I can’t find mine. I think both come tomorrow.