Did Your Sick Chick Survive?

[Aunt Angus]

Unfortunately,
where I live in California you can only get it prescribed through a vet

Where do you live in CA? I'm in CA, too, and I ordered mine off Amazon, and TSC has it out on shelves.

But good advice. Corid is one of the meds in my medicine kit.

 

[RGB RIP]

I live in Los Angeles. My sick chicken experience was ridiculous. I called a dozen different vets to find one who would see a chicken. I finally found an avian vet, but she didn't have much poultry experience. The initial stool sample tested negative for coccidia (which is apparently common), so she wouldn't get me the Corid, which she would have had to order anyway. Amazon said it would take almost a week to arrive, and we don't have a Tractor Supply. We have a feed store, though, and the woman there told me it was illegal to sell in California except through a vet. I ordered it from Amazon, but the chicken died before I got it. I still wanted to know what she died of and if I needed to treat my other chickens, so I asked if the vet could do a necropsy. She took my dead chicken, then charged me $250, then called later to tell me she'd have the results back in 4-6 weeks. (Good thing I had treated my other chickens with the Corid in the meantime, because that was in fact what it was. And good thing I didn't wait 4-6 weeks to start medicating.)

That's all a very long story, but my lesson learned was: buy every poultry medication you can think of, plus every first aid supply, and keep a chicken medical kit on hand. When a bird gets sick it can deteriorate fast, and if you live in an area where it's hard to get that stuff, you may have a hard time treating it in time.

(Interesting TSC stocks it, BTW. I guess the woman at the feed store didn't know what she was talking about. Although they sell baby chicks there, so I assumed it was the kind of place where they would know.)

 

[Aunt Angus]

I live in Los Angeles. My sick chicken experience was ridiculous. I called a dozen different vets to find one who would see a chicken. I finally found an avian vet, but she didn't have much poultry experience. The initial stool sample tested negative for coccidia (which is apparently common), so she wouldn't get me the Corid, which she would have had to order anyway. Amazon said it would take almost a week to arrive, and we don't have a Tractor Supply. We have a feed store, though, and the woman there told me it was illegal to sell in California except through a vet. I ordered it from Amazon, but the chicken died before I got it. I still wanted to know what she died of and if I needed to treat my other chickens, so I asked if the vet could do a necropsy. She took my dead chicken, then charged me $250, then called later to tell me she'd have the results back in 4-6 weeks. (Good thing I had treated my other chickens with the Corid in the meantime, because that was in fact what it was. And good thing I didn't wait 4-6 weeks to start medicating.)

That's all a very long story, but my lesson learned was: buy every poultry medication you can think of, plus every first aid supply, and keep a chicken medical kit on hand. When a bird gets sick it can deteriorate fast, and if you live in an area where it's hard to get that stuff, you may have a hard time treating it in time.

(Interesting TSC stocks it, BTW. I guess the woman at the feed store didn't know what she was talking about. Although they sell baby chicks there, so I assumed it was the kind of place where they would know.)

Good gawd. That is an awful story. I am so sorry....

They do go downhill fast for many illnesses. You raise a good point. Those are good lessons to learn. It's too bad we have to learn so many the hard way.

 

[RGB RIP]

I am in such a bad place about the cost and state of veterinary care right now, at least where I live. Over the past year we have lost a dog, a chicken, and we're having our 18 year-old cat put down tonight. We rushed her to emergency on Friday because she suddenly got ill. They kept her over the weekend, accumulated $8K in charges as they told us she was improving, and then called us Monday to tell us she was beyond help. An ultrasound on a pregnant human female costs like $300, but somehow it's $1200 for a cat. I do not understand how it's all so ridiculously expensive, and yet responsible pet owners are supposed to get veterinary care for their pets.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am in such a bad place about the cost and state of veterinary care right now, at least where I live. Over the past year we have lost a dog, a chicken, and we're having our 18 year-old cat put down tonight. We rushed her to emergency on Friday because she suddenly got ill. They kept her over the weekend, accumulated $8K in charges as they told us she was improving, and then called us Monday to tell us she was beyond help. An ultrasound on a pregnant human female costs like $300, but somehow it's $1200 for a cat. I do not understand how it's all so ridiculously expensive, and yet responsible pet owners are supposed to get veterinary care for their pets.

I'm very sorry about your kitty...

$8k is so expensive! That's, like, almost a used car!

I lucked out up here in Nor Cal. I found several vets that will see chickens. I take them (and my ducks, dogs, and cats) to a guy out here who doesn't specialize in avian medicine, but works in conjunction with UC Davis for avian care. If he isn't sure what to do, he contacts the university ag folks. He charges $40 a visit, and I can call him anytime for advice for free.

The goat's vet is another story....

Pet insurance was a great deal when our dogs were younger. My older doggie has recurring mast cell tumors and chronic pancreatitis. We saved a fortune with insurance. Now that she's much older, the monthly cost isn't worth it.

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

That's all a very long story, but my lesson learned was: buy every poultry medication you can think of, plus every first aid supply, and keep a chicken medical kit on hand. When a bird gets sick it can deteriorate fast, and if you live in an area where it's hard to get that stuff, you may have a hard time treating it in time.

100% this. After my first month of raising chickens, I quickly began amassing chicken first aid products. There are 2 boxes in my pantry full of treatments for various things. I bought corid the first year and never had to use it, I used it this year as a precaution when one chick fell ill, but ended up needing to bring her to the emergency vet for immediate treatment anyway. The only things I've had trouble sourcing has been antibiotics. There is very little you can treat chickens with (legally) because they are considered livestock/food and not pets. We also had trouble finding vets- we did end up finding 1 very good one, and one that was more avian than poultry and was looking stuff up on the internet honestly not quite as well as I could have. But the emergency vet here has been fantastic- they've saved 2 of my chicken's lives. They have an exotics and livestock specialty unit (which is pretty much always an on call emergency - which means even more expensive than normal) but we are those kinda chicken owners, I guess.

When you'll go to pretty great lengths to ensure your pet's health and safety and then someone tells you to "cull" it- it never sits will. I know some people treat chickens like livestock, but to me, the "backyard" implies hobbyist or pet keeper. And I dunno, I wish people would remember that when they give that sorta advice. "Cull" seems to imply "this chicken is more trouble than its worth" whereas "euthanize" means quality of life is no longer good enough to justify trying to keep your pet alive. Two different connotations, imo.

 

[Sarahh_Janeyy]

I am in such a bad place about the cost and state of veterinary care right now, at least where I live. Over the past year we have lost a dog, a chicken, and we're having our 18 year-old cat put down tonight. We rushed her to emergency on Friday because she suddenly got ill. They kept her over the weekend, accumulated $8K in charges as they told us she was improving, and then called us Monday to tell us she was beyond help. An ultrasound on a pregnant human female costs like $300, but somehow it's $1200 for a cat. I do not understand how it's all so ridiculously expensive, and yet responsible pet owners are supposed to get veterinary care for their pets.

A friend of mine has a similar story- they racked up like 18K, but at least their cat is still alive. I'm so sorry for you and your kitty friend.

I got pet insurance when I got my second dog- the first dog already has heart disease and we racked up probably $3000 this year in vet bills for her- it's pre-existing so insurance won't cover it. I had to get surgery for the other dog to prevent another episode of bloat, but the insurance won't cover it because it's prophylactic (I'd have to wait for her to almost die to get it covered??)

My friends with the sick cat had gotten her pet insurance, but they wouldn't cover her bills because it was kidney related!! They told her that kidney issues in cats are SO COMMON that they just don't cover them! It's honestly infuriating. Pet insurance is basically a scam but I get it anyway "just in case". It's not like they are negotiating rates for you like human health insurance does- I've seen what the "allowable" price is on some procedures with and without insurance- it's insane and I don't know how ANYONE could be expected to afford it. Ugh.

 

[Anime2lover]

I have a sick chick so I did a search on BYC to see what others did for their sick chick. What I found was a numerous posts asking (and sometimes begging) for assistance with a sick chick. Some went unanswered... some got detailed diagnosis. But few followed up to let us know if the chick recovered or died. So if you had a sick chick, especially if you asked for help on BYC, please tell us what became of your chick. Did the make it? If so, what condition are they in now?

I've been on both sides. Some have survived, some did not. For example, I had a d'uccle that got sick with coccidia. But I got to it to late. It died after about a week of the corid medication. I asked on here about this one. That being said, I also asked about a weak chick I had that survived to adult hood and is thriving abong our older hens.

 

[RGB RIP]

100% this. After my first month of raising chickens, I quickly began amassing chicken first aid products. There are 2 boxes in my pantry full of treatments for various things. I bought corid the first year and never had to use it, I used it this year as a precaution when one chick fell ill, but ended up needing to bring her to the emergency vet for immediate treatment anyway. The only things I've had trouble sourcing has been antibiotics. There is very little you can treat chickens with (legally) because they are considered livestock/food and not pets. We also had trouble finding vets- we did end up finding 1 very good one, and one that was more avian than poultry and was looking stuff up on the internet honestly not quite as well as I could have. But the emergency vet here has been fantastic- they've saved 2 of my chicken's lives. They have an exotics and livestock specialty unit (which is pretty much always an on call emergency - which means even more expensive than normal) but we are those kinda chicken owners, I guess.

When you'll go to pretty great lengths to ensure your pet's health and safety and then someone tells you to "cull" it- it never sits will. I know some people treat chickens like livestock, but to me, the "backyard" implies hobbyist or pet keeper. And I dunno, I wish people would remember that when they give that sorta advice. "Cull" seems to imply "this chicken is more trouble than its worth" whereas "euthanize" means quality of life is no longer good enough to justify trying to keep your pet alive. Two different connotations, imo.

Sadly, it seems to be the case that a lot of animals are thought of as "throwaway" pets because they were inexpensive to acquire. I've been through that with all sorts of rodent and bird pets.

As for chickens as pets, I don't understand why it's not encouraged more. I grew up always having some kind of bird or another as a pet. I was in my 30s before I realized that these are all wild bird species, and even if they're born in captivity, it's not really humane to keep them as a caged pet, because they really need to fly free in a flock. I only recently discovered chickens. I have to admit, I was thinking about the eggs when I got them. But I've quickly gotten attached to mine, and they make much better pets because as domesticated birds, they actually like to hang out with people and interact with us. (And it's a shame there's so much media-produced hysteria about salmonella and so forth. All pets can carry diseases, and frankly, there's a much bigger danger of you getting your chicken sick than the other way around.)

 

[RGB RIP]

A friend of mine has a similar story- they racked up like 18K, but at least their cat is still alive. I'm so sorry for you and your kitty friend.

I got pet insurance when I got my second dog- the first dog already has heart disease and we racked up probably $3000 this year in vet bills for her- it's pre-existing so insurance won't cover it. I had to get surgery for the other dog to prevent another episode of bloat, but the insurance won't cover it because it's prophylactic (I'd have to wait for her to almost die to get it covered??)

My friends with the sick cat had gotten her pet insurance, but they wouldn't cover her bills because it was kidney related!! They told her that kidney issues in cats are SO COMMON that they just don't cover them! It's honestly infuriating. Pet insurance is basically a scam but I get it anyway "just in case". It's not like they are negotiating rates for you like human health insurance does- I've seen what the "allowable" price is on some procedures with and without insurance- it's insane and I don't know how ANYONE could be expected to afford it. Ugh.

We keep pet insurance on some of our pets, but I agree it's a mixed bag. The $8K cat used to have insurance, but the insurance company jumped on the opportunity to cancel her coverage when the credit card it was auto-billed to expired, and my husband didn't realize right away. (This, after 16 years of paying premiums.)

I also am a bit of a sucker for hard luck cases, and we've taken in a number of dogs who were either cost prohibitive or impossible to insure because of their age or pre-existing conditions. But for anyone adopting a young, healthy cat or dog, I still think it's worth doing. No one wants to have to make a decision about saving a pet's life solely based on cost, and at least it helps relieve some of those fears.