Can't get any antibiotics but Terramycin & Sulpha

[jbkinor]

I would like to treat my sickly bird with something other than terramycin but can only get sulpha (which won't help at all I'm sure) over the counter and there's only one vet locally that treats chickens and they're out of town. Sheesh, what a sad and frustrating area I live in. Even the vet school doesn't do chickens. Only post mortem.

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent. No pun intended.

 

[silkiechicken]

What is your bird sick with? If it is not a bacterial infection, all you can do is support them and treat symptoms.

 

[hinkjc]

Depending on the meds you are looking for, most can be purchased online. You could try First State vet supply. I do want to point out that it is very important to know what you are treating, so you can purchase the correct meds.

http://www.firststatevetsupply.com/store/index.php?osCsid=ddbecf29b67d88f410c5bb9aaa7ee1a3

Jody

 

[jbkinor]

Well, that's always a problem. Knowing what is wrong. She's having some respiratory distress, dark comb, slow moving. Could be a tumor pressing on airway, could be an infection. I don't know. She behaved this way last year at this time also, but not nearly as bad and came out of it by herself. Do chickens have allergies?????????? She was attacked by a hawk (wound in breast) when she was about a year old but survived that. She's 7 years old now. Do you think a shot of Tylan or Gallimycin would help her if I could find some to buy?

 

[silkiechicken]

Sounds like a tumor or some internal problem. You say she has done this before... I am suspecting that maybe she has become an internal layer and she "improves" when she stops laying eggs "inside" herself?

I don't think giving them antibiotics will help anything here, but might make things worse by selecting for bacteria resistant to the medications. Then if she does come across an injury, antibiotics won't work.

Does her abdomen feel hard? How is her weight? Her droppings? Finding the cause might be better than dosing with meds which can be potentially worse in the long run.

 

[jbkinor]

She started laying eggs last year about 2 weeks after she got better.

Now, Her abdomen was feeling hard but since giving her meds is not hard now. Droppings are normal. Weight seems less but that could be because her abdomen is not swollen now. She does eat pretty good when she finally gets around to it.

Is there anything to do for her if she's laying internally? I hate to have her suffer.

 

[dlhunicorn]

cold will exascerbate many conditions especially those affecting the heart (and there are many conditions that do so )... if she is a favorite I suggest you baby her as far as cold goes and keep her inside (light will add to stress even tho providing warmth so she will need a different kind of warmth to keep the stress levels down.
IF she is an internal layer then no there is no cure nor antibiotic for that condition and it runs a risk of infection... keeping the stress down and providing a good complete vitmanin/nutritional supplement regularly to her feed (considering her age) and reducing stress including cold/heat stress are some very effective basic support tctics to keep her going and prevent things getting out of hand that a younger and more fit bird can easily deal with.