Eye infection in Polish roo

[WriterofWords]

Our little TX Polish Roo Dapper Dan got infections in both eyes. He had feathers get stuck in both of them and they got infected so fast I couldn't believe it. On Thursday his eyes were puffy, and that is when we saw the feathers stuck in the out corners. We removed the feathers and trimmed them, but last night after work both eyes were swollen shut and pussy. We opened them, cleaned them and they seemed ok, but this morning they were swollen shut with infection that looked like cottage cheese in them under the swollen lids. What can I do for him?

 

[WriterofWords]

Just checked him again, one eye slightly open the other was shut with puss in it again.

 

[Lollipop]

You can get Teramycin at your feed store and rub it in his eye. That`s what it`s for. Works pretty good......Pop

 

[WriterofWords]

Thank you, I'll pick some up in the morning. My other Polish have never had issues, so I wasn't sure what to use and I appreciate your advice greatly.

 

[verthandi]

A tea bag soaked in lukewarm water and applied to the eye will sooth it over night until you can get the supplies that you need in the morning. Just be careful as the tea bag can break easily.

 

[WriterofWords]

Well I just happen to be drinking a Jasmine green tea right now. Would that be ok?

 

[AngelzFyre]

Instead of the powdered Terramycin, pleeease use the OPTHALMIC ointment of the same antibiotic if that's what you are going to do. Most places that deal with animal food, medicines and grooming will carry it or you can get it online at Jeffers or Valleyvetsupply.com. The Terramycin powder is made to be an oral antibiotic and not for use in the eyes and can be very irritating.

In the meantime, you can flush the eyes out with a sterile eye flush that you can get at Walmart or any pharmacy and they also can be done with a very weak <looks like diluted tea> solution of Betadine diluted in either sterile saline or bottled water. This will give you a bit of antiseptic solution to help start getting the bacteria out of there. If you notice the eyes don't get better with the eye antibiotic you use, it may be a fungal infection and will need a different opthalmic ointment to medicate and cure it.
Whatever you do, make sure to not cross contaminate what you're using by touching it to the eye itself and wash your hands immediately afterward and before touching any of your other chickens and even your eyes.

 

[WriterofWords]

Thank you, I have Betadine here and sterile saline. It started with a feather stuck in the outer corner of one eye, then the other eye got a feather in it. I was planning on buying an ointment that was opthalmic use, I figured that was what was used on me for an infection I got in my own eyes, I can't imagine putting a powder in my eye! I'm just hoping he doesn't end up blind. I put Helena in with him in a small pen with their own kennel house so he isn't alone.

 

[AngelzFyre]

Since you caught it early and are treating it aggressively, hopefully you'll be fine.
The feathers may have scratched the corneas and the main thing is to keep them clean and medicated and to NOT put a steroid of any kind in them in case they are scratched.
You should see great improvement in the first couple of days usually. If not by the 4th day, then I'd suspect you either need a different antibiotic opthalmic ointment because what got it infected isn't susceptable to Terramycin.
I usually keep both Terramycin and a triple antibiotic opthalmic on hand just in case.
I do this for our horses, dogs, cats too.

Keeping good thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery on both eyes!

 

[WriterofWords]

He's doing much better now, I had already wiped his eyes with the Jasmine tea bags and treated them with the Betadine solution last night. He woke up able to open his eyes and he has some vision I just don't think very much right now. Our feedstore is out of the antibiotic but will have it by noon tomorrow for me. I called the next closest feed store to me which is about 20 miles and they were closed. I appreciate all the help from you guys, I've always treated horses, cattle, dogs, cats, etc,,, but never chickens! They just seem so much more fragile that the others.