Chicken blind in one eye

[Aunt Angus]

Just an update.

Within an hour or so of removing the pus this morning she started acting like herself. It was quite extraordinary. She was eating and hanging out with everyone else and being active. It was a major change in her countenance. I am amazed at how quickly that happened.

So this afternoon I opened her eye to reapply antibiotic ointment and found some light yellowish goo. Not sure if it was pus reforming or just eye gunk from the trauma. It wasn't much but I don't want to let anything reestablish. Either way I flushed her eye again, wiped out the small amount of gunk and reapplied salve. I am just watching her.

I'm so glad @azygous was able to come and save the day (as she often does)! I hope it continues to heal!

 

[irsmun]

Both of you have been superb support and help. I am going to follow through with this thread until she fully recovers. Thank you both so much!

 

[irsmun]

If the pus comes back, you might want this. https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30E07BC1-7B6A-11D5-A192-00B0D0204AE5

Is that an oral antibiotic?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Did your chicken recover from the eye infection? A week and a half ago I noticed the very same thing you saw, it just looked like white or yellow where the eyeball should’ve been. I was for sure someone had pecked her eye out. I found an avian vet an hour and 15 minutes away and they got me in there the next morning. The vet said it was definitely an eye infection and she flushed it first and picked out most of the infection. She said she had to leave a little bit because it was attached really hard to the eyeball. I was not there when she did it, they took her in the back room and she said she should have used anesthesia because it was definitely painful. She ended up giving me a tiny tube of prescription gel and a tiny bottle of drops that she said would help with the inflammation and swelling . She was going to prescribe Tylan for the antibiotic but I told her I had the powder kind that goes in the water and she said that was fine to use. She is eating and drinking so I was able to use that. She said to keep separated for two weeks. Two days ago, after a whole week of treating twice a day as she said her right eye is now closed and very swollen. It takes my husband and I both to put in the gel and the drops morning and night. I can’t afford to take her back to the vet, it was almost $200 and like I said over an hour away. I’m wondering if I should try to get some saline and just rinse both out after the m da run out. I am seeing something that looks like pus in there still. I cannot afford another $200 plus an hour drive to take her back.

I am so sorry. You have done everything you are supposed to do for a sick bird (and then some). You can try to clean out the pus. The infection needs to come out in order for the eye to heal. The antibiotics may have helped loosen the pus. I'd also try another antibiotic, like Baytril or amoxicillin. Both can be acquired without prescription.

 

[irsmun]

My chicken's eye infection did heal. Once I removed the pus cap everything went smoothly. I rinsed with a saline solution and applied triple antibiotic ointment. Unfortunately her eye is permanently blind likely from my attempt at removal and not the infection. I have to chalk it up to learning. I would not consider taking my chicken to a vet. The cost does not justify the function of the animal. Its a fine line between an animal having a purpose and being a pet. I guarantee I could probably pull it off without injury next time. Unfortunately she was my test case. That being said, she is doing fine with one eye.

In order to make it easy to put medicine in the eye you simply need to wrap her up in a towel with her head out one end and her legs out the other. She will be completely incapcitated and easy to handle. Use your fingers to firmly grab her beak to control her head while you administer. I found that she got used to the application and after a couple of times she submitted quickly and easily.