Coccidosis despite antibiotic

[enola]

I follow a lot of threads that you are helping with. I think your methods of treatment very consist and thorough! Your willingness to learn from other site members is commendable.

 

[dawg53]

Semi-hypothetical question... How would any of your treat a bird on death's door if you suspected one or more of the following:

• Cocciciosis
• Capillary worms
• Histomoniais
• E. Coli
• Enteritis

-Kathy

Edited to add: Fecal exam is negative

For the first two on your list: Treat for cocci first. Then probiotics for a few days. Then worm the bird and all other birds.
If it were the last three on your list, I'd cull the bird(s) in a heartbeat.

 

[casportpony]

Tube her with warm water/electrolytes.

Dose her with Valbazen.

Start Corid, by tube if necessary for 5-7 days

Continue tubing with medications and baby bird food until either she started eating and drinking on her own or I gave up on her.

Pray a lot.

I don't give fowl antibiotics, so answer may not exactly fit the criteria of this question.......

That's how I would start.

 
Semi-hypothetical question... How would any of your treat a bird on death's door if you suspected one or more of the following:

• Cocciciosis
• Capillary worms
• Histomoniais
• E. Coli
• Enteritis

-Kathy

Edited to add: Fecal exam is negative

For the first two on your list: Treat for cocci first. Then probiotics for a few days. Then worm the bird and all other birds.

If it were the last three on your list, I'd cull the bird(s) in a heartbeat.

That's the way many peafowl people might treat, but a few of us have been trying more drastic life saving measures.

Not trying to say what's right or wrong, just interested in how others might approach a situation like this.

-Kathy

 

[enola]

One thing that worries me is all of the reports of tests given by vets coming back negative for so many things....... I realize that when a vet does fecal exams or floats, they are devoid of parasites. I guess my point is, if you get test results from your vet that are negative, if you do not see improvements with treatment in a day or two, maybe it is time to run more fecal exams.

Did that rambling sentence make sense?

 

[dawg53]

One thing that worries me is all of the reports of tests given by vets coming back negative for so many things....... I realize that when a vet does fecal exams or floats, they are devoid of parasites. I guess my point is, if you get test results from your vet that are negative, if you do not see improvements with treatment in a day or two, maybe it is time to run more fecal exams.

Did that rambling sentence make sense?

Makes perfect sense to me Enola.

 

[dawg53]

Quote: That's the way many peafowl people might treat, but a few of us have been trying more drastic life saving measures.

Not trying to say what's right or wrong, just interested in how others might approach a situation like this.

-Kathy

I know what you're saying Kathy, it's a personal choice.
Histomoniais is transmittable to other birds via feeders/waterers, and birds are carriers for life.
A bird on its death bed with ecoli wont live, period. If caught early though...there might be a chance with baytril and heavy doses of probiotics.
Enteritis, I simply wont deal with it.
Those are my reasons for culling.

 

[enola]

My personal choice is no antibiotics. I can understand other poultry owners using antibiotics. I also understand some birds are very valuable. I consider several of my chickens to be very valuable. But, i use all of my birds for breeding and do not want to breed birds that have to have antbiotics to stay healthy.

I rarely have a sick bird, but when I do, if Corid, Safeguard (or Valbazen), or electrolytes can't fix the bird, I cull. The only exception I feel I would make would for a wound. I haven't faced that problem yet.

 

[Michael Apple]

Enteritis is a symptom of many pathogenic microorganism invasions. If caught early enough, inflammation of the intestinal tract can be remedied. Determining whether irreversible damage is done, is based upon recovery. If the bird recovers, then treatment was worthwhile. If approaches to combating infectious diseases were dismissed every time birds' health is compromised, there wouldn't be any. Some people avoid inconvenience by culling at the drop of a hat. I prefer to find out what the problem is, and trying to fix it in order to prevent future problems. This is separate from dealing with viral diseases which often require culling and a necropsy, then onward toward prevention/vaccination.

 

[Michael Apple]

Histomoniais is transmittable to other birds via feeders/waterers, and birds are carriers for life.
A bird on its death bed with ecoli wont live, period. If caught early though...there might be a chance with baytril and heavy doses of probiotics.
Enteritis, I simply wont deal with it.
Those are my reasons for culling.

I think "death's door" says much about decisions to cull. I won't allow a bird to suffer. On the other hand, Histomoniasis (Black head) is caused by a protozoan carried by the cecal worm as you know. Once the protozoa are eliminated from the bird's body with treatment of a proper nitroimidazole, the bird is no longer a carrier. I've dealt with it before. Good sanitation, avoiding the mixing of species (something some of the more ignorant continue to argue with me about on this forum because they simply "want to believe" otherwise), are important. I am surprised at some of the filthy conditions birds are subjected to by some people, then they wonder why they have sick birds. A nutritional diet which assists strong immunity, and of course regular worming to help control the intermediate hosts. Having both chickens and turkeys on the same property is likely to increase the risk of this disease in turkeys as well as chickens.
Metronidazole smacks it down!

 

[casportpony]

If any of you are interested, I have started a new thread for a sick peachick of mine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/944618/sick-peachick-and-his-treatment-pictures

-Kathy