Chick gasping... =( **He Passed**

WhiteMountainsRanch

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I lost one cornish the first day I brought them home, it was weak, couldn't stand and was gasping. Now I have another one doing the same thing except it is up walking around and seems strong, still eating and drinking... Is there anything I can do, or is that a sign he wont make it? It puts its head up towards the sky and opens its mouth, every few seconds, like it can't get enough air...
 
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It might have something stuck in it's throat. That has happened to mine, and usually it will work itself out. If it is still eating and drinking, that is a good sign. Are there any additional symptoms which might indicate a sickness of some sort? Runny eyes, nose, coughing or sneezing... if so, I might isolate it, but otherwise it should be ok on it's own. Giving it vitamins & electrolytes will help too.
 
I read somewhere where it might be a piece of the wood shavings? He is gasping, but it was better this afternoon, and now a little worse like it was this morning. There are no other symptoms, eating, drinking, pooing, running around, maybe just a tad more lethargic, but I would be too if I couldn't breathe!


I gave him a few drops of olive oil, careful to make sure he didn't aspirate it...


Hopefully something helps!
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Hey Pure SnowChick,

There is also gape worms that will cause that I believe, and not all wormers treat it. I want to say you would need to treat with fenbenzole (sp sic) It comes in a tube like toothpaste, for sheep or cattle or goats, maybe, and you give each little girl a bb sized bit of the paste right on their beak and they just eat it right down.


I'm sorry the spelling is off a bit, but hopefully someone else will chime in with more info.
 
No, I don't think so because I found this from a prior posting on gapes:

Gapeworms
The gapeworm (Syngamus trachea) is a round red worm that attach to the trachea (windpipe) of birds and causes the disease referred to as "gapes". The term describes the open-mouth breathing characteristic of gapeworm-infected birds. Heavily infected birds usually emit a grunting sound because of the difficulty in breathing and many die from suffocation. The worms can easily block the trachea, so they are particularly harmful to young birds.

The gapeworm is sometimes designated as the "red-worm"; or "forked-worm" because of its red color and because the male and female are joined in permanent copulation. They appear like the letter Y. The female is the larger of the two and is one-fourth to one inch in length. The male gapeworm may attain a length of one-fourth inch. Both sexes attach to the lining of the trachea with their mouthparts. Sufficient numbers may accumulate in the trachea to hinder air passage.

The life cycle of the gapeworm is similar to that of the cecal worm; the parasite can be transmitted when birds eat embryonated worm eggs or earthworms containing the gapeworm larvae. The female worm lays eggs in the trachea, the eggs are coughed up, swallowed, and pass out in the droppings. Within eight to fourteen days the eggs embryonate and are infective when eaten by birds or earthworms. The earthworm, snails and slugs serve as primary intermediate hosts for the gapeworm. Gapeworms in infected earthworms remain viable for four and a half years while those in snails and slugs remain infective for one year. After being consumed by the bird, gapeworm larvae hatch in the intestine and migrate from the intestine to the trachea and lungs.

Gapeworms infect chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, pheasants, chukar partridge, and probably other birds. Young birds reared on soil of infected range pens are at high risk (pen-raised game birds). Some control or reduction in infection density (worms/bird) is achieved by alternating the use of range pens every other year and/or using a pen for only one brood each year. Tilling the soil in the pens at the end of the growing season helps to reduce the residual infection. Treating the soil to eliminate earthworms, snails and slugs is possible but the cost is usually prohibitive.

Gapeworms are best prevented by administering a wormer at fifteen to thirty day intervals or including a drug at low levels continuously beginning fifteen days after birds are placed in the infected pens. One drug that is effective for eliminating gapeworms is fenbendazole, however, its use is not presently approved for use in birds by the Food and Drug Administration.


Is she doing better today?

If not hopefully someone else will have an idea or three!
 
He seemed a little better then a little worse, pretty much the same this morning. Still doing it, but I haven't seen him eating now.
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Can anyone help? I don't want to lose him.
 
Chick grit. I have found this helps them break up small wood shavings if they do ingest it. Although, usually by the time their gasping it's too late and lodged in there.
 
This morning he looked a lot worse, but still eating a little bit. I can now hear what sounds like "squeaking" coming from his lungs every time he breathes. I feel like he is going to go rather than turn around so I gave him 1 small drop of my cat antibiotics mixed with some warm water. I hope it helps. I don't know what else to do, had to try something.
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