Duck coughing and breathing heavy: respiratory or worms? (Treatment recommendation?)

[Lauraduck]

That is great news she has improved so much

There's nothing like h I f the correct medication. By the new year I (and the vet) expect her to be back to living outside full time again!

 

[Miss Lydia]

That's awesome!!

 

[mjnewark]

It just arrived in the mail today! Oh and she's also been treated for Trichomonas twice, and we have to repeat it again. But overall it's a night and day improvement

How did they treat the Trichomonas? My hen is gargling a lot, barely eating or drinking and every once and awhile gaping. I think this could be what she has. I looked for gapeworm down her throat, couldn't see anything. But should I treat for this just in case? Can it do her any harm to treat her for gapeworm even if that's not the cause?

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Lauraduck

 

[Miss Lydia]

How did they treat the Trichomonas? My hen is gargling a lot, barely eating or drinking and every once and awhile gaping. I think this could be what she has. I looked for gapeworm down her throat, couldn't see anything. But should I treat for this just in case? Can it do her any harm to treat her for gapeworm even if that's not the cause?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/a-duck-with-serious-gape-worm.1212903/ I don't know if this will help but I am sorry your duck is not well. I've never had to deal with gape worm in my ducks so really can't help other than give you this link I hope it will give you some info . Have you looked up Aspergillosis?

 

[Lauraduck]

How did they treat the Trichomonas? My hen is gargling a lot, barely eating or drinking and every once and awhile gaping. I think this could be what she has. I looked for gapeworm down her throat, couldn't see anything. But should I treat for this just in case? Can it do her any harm to treat her for gapeworm even if that's not the cause?

For Trichomonas you will need Ronidazole. You can order this here:
https://jedds.com/products/ronivet-s-vetafarm?_pos=8&_sid=9bff35466&_ss=r

You have to put it down their throat,
If it's in their water you don't know how much they're actually getting. It's dosed by body weight. My ducks weigh about 4lbs each, and they each get 20mg once a day for 5-10 days, depending on symptoms. Ronidazole is not approved for use in meat/egg birds, so you won't be able to eat their eggs for quite some time.

IF it is Trich you're dealing with, it is very contagious and is spread by wild birds, so once it's in your environment it's probably there to stay and you will need to manage it. My birds, when they were sick from it, couldn't eat, lost weight, were coughing and shaking their heads a lot. Once I started the Ronidazole they showed improvement within a few days.

I hope this helps!