canker in chicken

[aussimom]

Hi all , i have a EE that i have been tube feeding x 1 week, she had a large canker on the right of her mouth. I called my vet and he sent a Rx for the meds and she has two more days left.
She does not make any attempt to eat, I have been feeding her twice a day, via tube, I have soaked the layer food and made it into a consistency that i can pull up into a 60 cc syringe.
I follow that by approx. 30 cc of water. I have also given her some rooster booster.
The problem is she is not gaining wt. This am she was 1234 gas.. I have just been using the layer feed but feel that i prob. may need to get something with a little more protein.? She is alert but sleeps a lot and makes no attempt at eating or drinking.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Linda

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi all , i have a EE that i have been tube feeding x 1 week, she had a large canker on the right of her mouth. I called my vet and he sent a Rx for the meds and she has two more days left.
She does not make any attempt to eat, I have been feeding her twice a day, via tube, I have soaked the layer food and made it into a consistency that i can pull up into a 60 cc syringe.
I follow that by approx. 30 cc of water. I have also given her some rooster booster.
The problem is she is not gaining wt. This am she was 1234 gas.. I have just been using the layer feed but feel that i prob. may need to get something with a little more protein.? She is alert but sleeps a lot and makes no attempt at eating or drinking.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Linda

Can you post some photos of the inside of her beak?
What did the vet prescribe?
Has the canker/lesion reduced in size or gone away?

If she is not improving, the first thing to do is to re-consult your vet for a follow-up.
How old is she? You can use something like Kaytee baby bird formula if you are tubing food into her.

 

[Eggcessive]

What size feeding tube are you using, or is it aquarium air tubing? @casportpony is very good at advising types and amounts of tube feeding. Those aquarium tubes do not allow much to go through, and using a large regular feeding tube with a catheter tip syringe, you might get more feed into her. Have you ground the layer feed? Flock Raiser has more protein, and I am not sure how much KayTee has.

 

[dawg53]

It's possible the canker has spread to the esophagus and/or crop, or simply not able to swallow food due to the lesion in her mouth blocking the esophagus. This is why she has lost weight.
Metronidazole is the standard treatment for canker.

 

[aussimom]

Can you post some photos of the inside of her beak?
What did the vet prescribe?
Has the canker/lesion reduced in size or gone away?

If she is not improving, the first thing to do is to re-consult your vet for a follow-up.
How old is she? You can use something like Kaytee baby bird formula if you are tubing food into her.[/QUOTE


She is approx 3 years old. The vet Rx. Is metronidazole 250 mg 1/2 tab daily.The canker in the mouth is much improved and she no longer has a rotten smell.inam using a 12 gauge red rubber cath and feeding 60 ml of soaked and blended 20 % protein.

 

[aussimom]

She is 3 years old. The med is metronidazole 250mg 1/2 tab daily. The canker in the mouth is much improved and she no longer has that rotten meat smell. I have been using a red rubber cath I think it is a 12 f cath. I am soaking and blending the food and giving 60 ml followed by water.
Thanks for the reply

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does it seem like she has some lesions in her esophagus as well?

I'm not sure why she wouldn't be motivated to eat if the canker is improved. Can you get some photos of the inside of her beak?

 

[aussimom]

Can you post some photos of the inside of her beak?
What did the vet prescribe?
Has the canker/lesion reduced in size or gone away?

If she is not improving, the first thing to do is to re-consult your vet for a follow-up.
How old is she? You can use something like Kaytee baby bird formula if you are tubing food into her.

It's possible the canker has spread to the esophagus and/or crop, or simply not able to swallow food due to the lesion in her mouth blocking the esophagus. This is why she has lost weight.
Metronidazole is the standard treatment for canker.

Yes we have been giving Metronidazole , last dose was today. I have been tube feeding 2 x a day using a 20% protein feed that i soak for a while then use the Ninja on it. I then give 60 ml of feed and approx 30 ml of water each feed. I am thinking that I made need to feed q 8 hrs which would give her more calories and prevent further wt loss.
thanks for you help.
Linda