Ever see an eyelid like this??

[leighks]

Cosmo is a 2 year old mixed breed rooster. He has had this problem with his lower eyelid for almost 3 months. Have taken him to the bird vet twice, have tried several different antibiotic and anti inflammatory eye drops, but the problem keeps coming back and they eye lid seems to be progressively sloughing off. He gets a foamy discharge in the inner corner and it’s crusted closed in the mornings. Next step is a biopsy but even that doesn’t guarantee an answer, and that requires anesthesia- would really prefer not to go that route. A culture was taken of the discharge and the antibiotic drops should have treated it. The corned has been checked and isn’t scratched. He can see out of it and he is eating/ drinking/ acting normal otherwise. Just wondering if anyone has ever had this problem before and what was done about it??

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you know what the name of the bacteria that was found when it was cultured? Was it mycoplasma, E.coli, or something else? Do you know the names of the eye drops? I would be tsmpted to do some warm saline soaks to his eye to clean the crust off, and get any pus out of his eye with QTips. Terramcyin Eye Ointment from a feed store is a good OTC medicine. You can flush his eye with a comercial eye wash or Vetericyn eye wash twice a day, and apply the ointment. Since MG or mycoplasma can affect one eye and cause pinkeye and a sinus infection, I would treat it with Tylan injectable or Tylosin powder in the water for 5 days. You could also go nuclear and use something like Baytril (which is banned in chickens in the US because of the risk of antibiotic resistance.)

 

[leighks]

I will have to get the names of the bacteria again, I can’t find where I wrote it down. But I do remember it wasn’t anything the vet was overly alarmed about.
First he was on Neomycin/ Polymyxin B/ Gramicidin antibiotic drops. He was also on Ketorolac Tromethamine drops for inflammation (he was keeping the eye closed at times and seemed in pain). After the culture and sensitivity was taken from the discharge (several days post meds) he was put on Ciprofloxacin drops, which all 3 bacteria were sensitive to. I think Tractor Supply has Tylosan, I can try that next.

 

[Eggcessive]

Ciprofloxacin eye drops is similar to Baytril (enrofloxacin) which is a liquid that can be given orally. I would probably try the Tylan, or try to get him tested for MG. Do you think that he has been getting pecked around his eye? Has there been any fowl pox in your flock?

 

[leighks]

No fowl pox in the flock. Due to him being overzealous with mating and previously tearing up my hens’ backs, he has been separated from all other chickens (same enclosure but separated by chicken wire) for months.
He has been checked repeatedly for mites by the vet and by me and none have every been found. He does a weird thing where he scratches his head repeatedly with his legs- one side after the other and back again, several times in a row. He was seen a few times by the vet last year for this and nothing was ever found. As a precaution He had been treated with ivermectin inj (2 rounds 10ish days apart) Eprinex topically (two rounds 10ish days apart) and dusted- none of this ever resolved the itching. Ears were checked and no evidence of mites or infections there.
This may or may not have anything to do with the eye. At first I suspected he may have scratched the eye when he had one of his itching spells, but that doesn’t explain the sloughing eye lid or foam. It almost seems like his itching is like a seasonal allergy, worse in spring and summer. My poor little weirdo!

 

[leighks]

The culture showed growth of staph, klebsiella, and enterobacter. The staph was NOT antibiotic resistant and susceptible to cipro. I will be doing another round of cipro eye drops and will look into getting tylosan- I would prefer powder but as having a hard time finding it without an rx.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a link for the Baytril (enrofloxacin) 10% liquid—dosage is 0.25 ml daily for 5 days for a 5 pound chicken:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/misc/

And if you want Tylan powder for the water without a prescription:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/tylan-soluble-100-g/

 

[leighks]

Thanks so much!!