Canker?? Chicken expert please!?

[Salleh]

So I've been told that my 6 year old girl, Dorothy, has Canker. She's had gaspy/rattly breathing for over a year now, it started gradually but seems to get worse at times.

I've seen that she has got some solid white/yellow plaque on the roof of her mouth/throat, and she's usually always breathing with her mouth open.

- I've taken her to the vets 3 times now, and have been given Tylan soluble (to be given daily in water)

- Prednisolone tablets, twice daily alongside Metronidazole, twice daily.

Unfortunately nothing seems to have made it better, it got somewhat better at one point but has come back with a vengeance.

I just called the girls to get them closer to the house (they free range daily), but Dorothy couldn't keep up with the others and struggles to regain her breath. It breaks my heart. I managed to pick her up and i've just been sat in the kitchen with her on my lap (even though she's not the tamest girl!) listening to her breathing and I really don't know what to do, I want there to be an answer, rather than the last resort...

I have a feeling my vet isn't 100% clued up on chickens as she did have to refer to the use of Google after initial diagnosis and treatment, so I'm wondering if anyone here could help.

If it is Canker... Why don't my other girls have it? Is there anything more I can do?

Please!

 

[Salleh]

I've been scouring the internet as I have done numerous times on this canker condition, I'm trying to understand the Copper Sulphate solution - but it looks like a really dangerous/potent chemical component? Does anyone have experience with this?

Is this the right stuff? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Copper-Sul...eywords=copper+sulphate&qid=1601568089&sr=8-1

 

[Eggcessive]

No, that is not the right product. It should say acidified copper sulfate on the label, to help prevent canker in your other birds. Here is that product, and dosage is 1/4 tsp per gallon of water for 3 days each month as a preventative:
https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MI-_nW8-yT7AIVA9bACh00xwXIEAQYASABEgK33fD_BwE

There are other things that can cause yellow plaque inside the beak, and those include wet fowl pox virus, fungal infection (candida albicans,) and some respiratory diseases. Canker is said to have a terrible odor. Does her beak smell bad? What dosage of metronidazole is the vet prescribing? Usually 250 mg daily for 5-7 days is the usual dosage for a regular sized chicken. If you have a picture of the yellow plaque inside her beak, that could be helpful.

 

[Salleh]

No, that is not the right product. It should say acidified copper sulfate on the label, to help prevent canker in your other birds. Here is that product, and dosage is 1/4 tsp per gallon of water for 3 days each month as a preventative:
https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MI-_nW8-yT7AIVA9bACh00xwXIEAQYASABEgK33fD_BwE

There are other things that can cause yellow plaque inside the beak, and those include wet fowl pox virus, fungal infection (candida albicans,) and some respiratory diseases. Canker is said to have a terrible odor. Does her beak smell bad? What dosage of metronidazole is the vet prescribing? Usually 250 mg daily for 5-7 days is the usual dosage for a regular sized chicken. If you have a picture of the yellow plaque inside her beak, that could be helpful.

Thank you SO, SO much for your response, i've been researching out of my mind and did see that Jeffersons sold the ACIDIFIED Copper Sulphate, however I am in the UK and NOWHERE sells it.

When I had Dorothy on my lap earlier she did smell a bit funny as she was opening her beak and breathing.

The Metronidazole is 50mg tablets, twice daily. So that's a lot less than what you just mentioned - I'd be giving her 100mg daily, less than half your recommendation. Would it be worth me consulting with the vet again? I'm just concerned that at this rate, Dorothy doesn't have much time and I just can't see her struggling.

I could try and get a picture, but really don't want to stress her out. I'll try and upload one here shortly if I'm able to pick her up with no stress.

Thanks once again for your response.

 

[Salleh]

Managed to get her calmly and get a picture - can confirm that her mouth definitely smells bad.

Sorry the picture couldn't be much better, I didn't want to stress her too much as she seems to gasp more when she panics.

I'm thinking I maybe get in touch with the vet and ask for a higher dose of the metronidazole?

 

[Eggcessive]

The metronidazole dosage I have heard is 50 mg per pound daily. Ronidazole is another anti-protozoal medication that treats canker. Canker is brought in by pigeons and other wild birds. Disinfect your feeders and waterers and clean them daily to help prevent the spread. Do not let birds drink from puddles of water. Canker can affect the crops in birds. A few people have used thyme extract to help with canker, but I have not seen any studies done to know how good it does. Here is some reading about canker:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/canker