Cloudy eyes, coughing bloody mucus, Marek's/laryngotracheitis?

avidity

Songster
Dec 30, 2020
104
210
171
Western WA
I have a year-old Polish hen with cloudy eyes, and she spends most of her time sleeping with her beak on the ground. She does eat in the mornings, and I've been giving her nutri-drench. She's been lethargic for about a week, but I didn't notice the foggy eyes until this afternoon. Her laying has slowed but hasn't stopped. Droppings look normal.

For the most part, she keeps both eyes closed. Her left eye is mostly fogged over. Her right eye I think has some trouble with the nictitating membrane. It was mostly cloudy (closed?) earlier, but after all the jostling in an attempt to get a clear photo, it looks mostly unclouded.

I have some ofloxacin 0.3% opthalmic drops leftover from when I injured my eye, would it be safe or helpful to give that to my girl? What else can I do?


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This morning she started to gurgle/rattle while breathing, and she coughed (sneezed?) blood a few times. Her breathing is clear now. One eye is almost entirely clouded, the other halfway. I have her isolated inside.

She's still eating a little, but not very interested in drinking. Droppings are normal, but she's no longer laying. She keeps her head pulled in or droopy, eyes closed. She will occasionally preen behind her wings and alternates between standing and sitting.

This thread describes something similar. I'm forgoing the eye drop question in favor of whatever OTC oral antibiotics I can find at the nearest farm store. I'm suspecting Marek's because of her eyes, but Laryngotracheitis fits the coughing blood symptom better. I don't know.

This sucks more than usual. I really love this girl.
 

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