ear infection not improving after treatment - need advice please

[zeely]

hi everyone, i have been treating an ear infection in my 8 year old easter egger hen for a few weeks now, with no sign of improvement. initially i was flushing her ear with hydrogen peroxide, cleaning the pus out with tweezers, and packing it with neosporin. then i added tylan 50 orally, 3 times a day. i've been giving her 1/2 cc, every 8 hours. this is the 4th day out the 5 days i was planning to give her antibiotics for.

when i clean her ear, the initial layer of pus is easy to remove, but deeper in her ear cavity it seems like it's attached to her tissue. i can't get at it without causing her extreme pain, and sometimes making her bleed. her other ear still seems clean, she is not sneezing, or having any other obvious issues. no one else in the flock appears to have a respiratory illness.

she has had a crossed beak all her life, and her ears have always been waxy, but never a full blown infection like this. i've always trimmed her beak and given her a little extra to eat if she's seemed underweight. since the infection, i've trimmed her beard and muffs to keep them dry but her face is still a mess. i can wash it but i've been hesitant to introduce more moisture into her ear. i feel terrible for her because she's still active, trying to do normal chicken stuff, but clearly in discomfort.

i'm attaching pictures of before cleaning and after, so you can see how deep the pus goes. there are no vets nearby who treat chickens. does anyone have any suggestions? thank you in advance.

before:

after:

 

[HappyDuckie]

I hope someone can help, as I don't have any experience with this. Cleaning around the area may help. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[Wyorp Rock]

initially i was flushing her ear with hydrogen peroxide, cleaning the pus out with tweezers, and packing it with neosporin. then i added tylan 50 orally, 3 times a day. i've been giving her 1/2 cc, every 8 hours. this is the 4th day out the 5 days i was planning to give her antibiotics for.

when i clean her ear, the initial layer of pus is easy to remove, but deeper in her ear cavity it seems like it's attached to her tissue. i can't get at it without causing her extreme pain, and sometimes making her bleed.

Does she have any gunk or pus inside the beak too? Look in the roof of her mouth in the choanal slit.

You may have to treat with a different drug or seek vet care. A lot depends on what is causing the infection.
https://www.chickenwhisperermagazine.com/health-and-wellness/ear-canker
Do your best to push out what you can.

Tylan50 injectable dosage is 0.25ml per pound of weight, given orally 3 times a day for 5 days.
If she only weighs 1 pound, then your dosing is correct, if not, then you have been under dosing her.

 

[Eggcessive]

I don’t know if I would have anything to add. I haven’t treated an ear infection before, but the steps that you have done sound like they are what some veteran BYCers have recommended in the past. Cleaning with peroxide to bubble out any infection or pus, then fill the ear canal with plain Neosporin, is what most recommend. There could be a bacterial infection that might not respond to Tylan, or you may not be giving enough. SMZ-TMP, bactrim, sulfatrim or sulfadimethoxine might be good to use, if you have no success with Tylan at the correct dose. A vet, of course would be your best bet. Make sure there are no mites that may be causing problems.

 

[zeely]

@Wyorp Rock thank you for your help. i’ll up the dosage, not sure why i thought what i was doing was correct for standard breeds.

i don’t see any canker in her mouth or throat, but the inside of her upper mandible has always been weird from the way her beak closes. it’s like the lower mandible has pushed in some of the soft tissue after years of being this way.

good news is i was able to find a vet not too far away who will see her! we’ll be going there tomorrow.

 

[Eggcessive]

Let us know what the vet has to say.

 

[zeely]

update on our vet visit: the vet prescribed a polmyxin b sulfate and trimethoprim solution to drop in her ears three times a day. he seemed optimistic and said she looked good for an old girl.

here is the patient eating her dinner of corn (not too much, only enough so she can see the food!), oatmeal, egg, and yogurt.

 

[Eggcessive]

Glad that the vet started the sulfa antibiotic and ear drops. Let us know how she gets along.