Chronic watery eye with bubbles. How do I treat it?

[FattySmough]

Hello.

My 6 month old Easter Egger cockerel has had a chronic watery eye ever since he was a chick. It gets watery so often that the right side of his beard is always wet and caked from mucus, and some of the beard has fallen off on that side. His eye doesn't look inflamed, so it's hard for me to tell whether it's infected or not. It looks normal other than the fact that it is always watery. I have rinsed it with saline solution in the pass, but that only provided temporary relief. What else should I try?

Pics of the eye are attached. The black specks on his face are hardened mucus buildup.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Hard to say what it is since he has had it so long. I would try to find a good avian vet with poultry experience. I realize they are as rare as hens' teeth.

 

[Eggcessive]

MG or mycoplasma gallisepticum can cause a foamy eye. He also may just have something wrong with his eye. You could get him tested online through Zoologix to rule it out. Your state vet might also do that. I would use a warm wet compress held to his face to clean him up. Flush his eye with saline eye wash. Terramycin eye ointment found online and in some feed stores, can treat MG or certain bacteria if used 2-3 times a day. Tylan 50 injectable given orally 0.25 ml per pound given 3 times a day for 5 days can treat MG. Here is a link for Zoologix testing:
https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm

 

[FattySmough]

MG or mycoplasma gallisepticum can cause a foamy eye. He also may just have something wrong with his eye. You could get him tested online through Zoologix to rule it out. Your state vet might also do that. I would use a warm wet compress held to his face to clean him up. Flush his eye with saline eye wash. Terramycin eye ointment found online and in some feed stores, can treat MG or certain bacteria if used 2-3 times a day. Tylan 50 injectable given orally 0.25 ml per pound given 3 times a day for 5 days can treat MG. Here is a link for Zoologix testing:
https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm

If it's possible to treat it without doing a testing I would prefer that. Do you think Terramycin or Tylan 50 would be easier to administer several times a day? He is a cockerel after all, and cockerels aren't exactly known for their love of being handled a lot . Also is plain neosporin okay to use instead of Terramycin? I ask because the price difference between the two is quite steep, but I'm not sure if neosporin is safe to use in the eyes.

 

[FattySmough]

Hard to say what it is since he has had it so long. I would try to find a good avian vet with poultry experience. I realize they are as rare as hens' teeth.

I wish there was a poultry vet near me! But as you said, they are VERY hard to come by. I'm lucky I've never had an emergency severe enough to warrant a vet visit.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Try this place for advice.
Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Kansas State University,
CVM L232 Mosier Hall,
1800 Dennison Ave
Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5611
Phone: 785-532-5650

 

[FattySmough]

Try this place for advice.
Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Kansas State University,
CVM L232 Mosier Hall,
1800 Dennison Ave
Manhattan, Kansas 66506-5611
Phone: 785-532-5650

Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

If it's possible to treat it without doing a testing I would prefer that. Do you think Terramycin or Tylan 50 would be easier to administer several times a day? He is a cockerel after all, and cockerels aren't exactly known for their love of being handled a lot . Also is plain neosporin okay to use instead of Terramycin? I ask because the price difference between the two is quite steep, but I'm not sure if neosporin is safe to use in the eyes.

Tylosin (generic Tylan) powder for the water might be easier to administer. Dosage is 1 tsp per gallon of water for 3-5 days. Plain Neosporin ointment is used when Terramycin is not available, as it is in some states.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a good article about MG:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf