Emergency- Epileptic chicken, fading fast

[MistyValley]

Okay, if he has lost some weight and is already small to begin with is the dose to high?????????? That's about all I can think of that would be causing the issues you've mentioned. Hugs to you both.

 

[SeramaLife]

Sharol:
Thank you very much for your input. I do think that what you say makes sense. I have been giving him smaller pieces of his medicine lately, but not much smaller. His medication varies slightly in size, as it is unbelievably hard to cut an already small pill into eighths. I haven't given him his medication yet today, so I will refrain from doing so. This all started when Buckeye had a seizure, so I gave him an extra emergency piece, as instructed by my vet. Thanks again.

chickenzoo: That is interesting. The problem is, if he had that, so would we and the other chickens. I will feed him some scrambled eggs though. Thanks.

Thanks for the well wishes MistyValley and SilkieTime.

He seems to be getting a little bit worse. He did try to eat some dried mealworms, but he didn't have the coordination to eat them without help.

 

[CMV]

He sounds like he may be over-medicated. The only thing that will rectify this situation is time. Not much you can do about that, unfortunately. Keep him hydrated is all I can recommend. Try getting some protein-rich foods into him- scrambled eggs, meal worms, BOSS.

He's tiny, from your description. Is there any way (in the future) you can get a weaker dose of his meds? How about a different form of the medication? Sometimes a liquid form of the med can be more accurately broken down into smaller doses.

 

[SeramaLife]

Quote:
Thanks for your input.
How long do you think I'll need to wait? If it is too long, I don't know if I can keep him alive.
Yes, I think that could be arranged.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

my apologies did not mean to offend

Ondra's Seramas :

Quote:

An avian vet that I've spoken to has informed me that yogurt actually isn't good for them.
Thank you for your suggestions, but I will not cull him. You may have missed the part where I called him a treasured pet. I am willing to invest the time and money for him to survive. Besides, he isn't suffering.​

 

[SeramaLife]

Quote:
An avian vet that I've spoken to has informed me that yogurt actually isn't good for them.
Thank you for your suggestions, but I will not cull him. You may have missed the part where I called him a treasured pet. I am willing to invest the time and money for him to survive. Besides, he isn't suffering.


Don't worry, I'm not offended. You have been helpful.

 

[sharol]

Peanuts's pills were tiny. I can't imagine trying to get down to an eighth. He was about 10 lbs and got a total of 1 1/2 pills a day. As I said, we had an awful time with the dosage. The seizures were so strong he would fly off the bed if one hit when he was sleeping, and they would go on continuously if we couldn't get him medicated. We had about given up when he matured to adult (from adolescent) and stabilized. I spent one night on the bathroom floor with him wrapped in a wet towel (as per instructions from my vet) trying to get them under control. It was terrifying. I can only imagine how hard it is with a roo. My vet did say that darkness was better during seizures and that they could be brought on by sudden light turning on.

I'm sure your vet did the best that could have been done figuring the dosage. I don't know if the phenobarb tablets disolve in water (or oil or another liquid) or not, but you might be able to judge the strength of the dose better if it was spread out in a liquid. You might ask your vet.

Just keep up with dripping the water on his beak and offering easy food to eat. I suppose I would use poached mushed up egg yolk since it would be easy to eat and high protein.

Keep us informed.

Ondra's Seramas :

Sharol:
Thank you very much for your input. I do think that what you say makes sense. I have been giving him smaller pieces of his medicine lately, but not much smaller. His medication varies slightly in size, as it is unbelievably hard to cut an already small pill into eighths. I haven't given him his medication yet today, so I will refrain from doing so. This all started when Buckeye had a seizure, so I gave him an extra emergency piece, as instructed by my vet. Thanks again.​

 

[SeramaLife]

Quote:

Ok, thanks. Buckeye isn't very big, so I can usually handle him, but it is scary.
The Phenobarb does dissolve. I'll call my vet tomorrow.

 

[SeramaLife]

I really don't think he'll make it through the night. He is weakening so fast. He's eating and drinking now, and has had a full crop all day, electrolytes, etc., but he is just getting worse.

 

[chickenzoo]

Any news