EYE INFECTION - It's Not Always Mycoplasma - UPDATE w pics!

[MrsBrooke]

I spent all day yesterday Googling. Due to the potentially severe nature of Mycoplasma and the inability to pinpoint exactly where it came from, I called the woman from who I purchased the six pullets to let her know we had a maybe-case of mycoplasma. She was devastated and apologized profusely and reiterated over and over that she hoped the birds didn't catch it from her property. She shared with me that she had an instance of mycoplasma that decimated part of her flock and almost put her "out of the business," as she put it, a little over a year ago. My heart went out to her, and I reassured her that in no way was I "pointing fingers," just calling to let her know to keep an eye out.

I also contacted the breeder where I got my four breeding birds. She soothed my panic and said she vaccinates all her birds against mycoplasma, fowl pox, and Marek's. I was so relieved, I could have cried right there.

She also recommended I take care of this myself and learn to do the same for *MOST* maladies in the future. Unless a bird needs to be sown up or needs internal surgery, home-care is the way to go, she said.

She recommended I get Tylan 50 from TSC and start treating her with that. I read "on here somewhere" (said every BYC member EVER) that another member put the drops directly in a chicken's infected eye. I also picked up some water-soluble tetracycline powder (Terra-Vet, it specifically fights mycoplasma) at Livengoods down the road.

So Monday evening, I let her sit after the vet. I could tell she just needed to be left alone after all the poking and prodding. Tuesday, I gathered my supplies and gave her the first treatment after I got home from work Tuesday evening.

Saline rinse with Epsom salt
A few drops (~1cc, since most of it misses) of Tylan 50 directly in her eye
A dab of over-the-counter antibiotic ointment without painkiller all over it

And here we are today, after two treatments. I took these early this AM right after treating her.





It looks a lot worse than it actually is. It's definitely healing. No puss, no ooze, no smell. She STILL has no respiratory distress and is "talking," eating and drinking normally. She's fairly calm and lets me rinse her eye and do her drops without much protest. She's even learning to tolerate light pressure as I put Neosporin on her.

At this point in time, the vet's office has marked her as "deceased." She called me back without the information I requested (pricing on culture tests, the steroid eye drops, and blood work) to let me know that she went ahead and filled the prescription for these steroid eye drops. I fibbed slightly and told her, "We took care of the chicken." Which is mostly true. I am taking care of her. I am taking *very good* care of her. She got meal worms this morning for being such a nice girl during her treatment.

So, in the end, this may turn out NOT to be a mycoplasma thread, and while I still retain the shadowy heartache of a POTENTIAL case, I cannot imagine the pain suffered by someone who does lose birds to that horrible disease.

I will edit the title soon to reflect this, if her recovery progresses further, and update with any changes - for better or worse.

Thanks for everyone's advice! I welcome opinions and differing view points.

MrsB

 

[MrsBrooke]

She got another treatment this morning.

Her eye appears to be "drying." There is no puss or discharge, no respiratory anything, no runny nose, no weird behavior. I can see her eye moving under the "scab" (for lack of a better word).

I forgot to take a picture before her treatment, so ignore the gooey on her eye - it's antibiotic ointment.



A lot of the swelling has gone down under her eye as well. Poor girl.

I switched from Epsom salt to the super-pure sea salt I use for cooking (thanks, @Eggcessive )... We don't keep any other salt in the house, but I figure if it came from the ocean, it's got to be good.

Saline rinse and warm compress, antibiotic drops in the eye, Neosporin to follow, antibiotics in the water.

She is such a good patient, though. Sits patiently while I mess with her... I am constantly promising her that I'm only trying to help and I think she finally believes me. Any treatment on her eye must be better than having it forced apart with Q-tips. Yikes. I wonder if that's where all this bruising came from.

In the meantime, I gave antibiotic water to my other flock, and no one appears to have any symptoms of anything, either.

Here's to hoping the panic-induced shadow of Mycoplasma will pass over my flock and will remain at just an eye infection from a poopy claw or something.

MrsB

 

[casportpony]

Don't know if I mention it or not, but one can buy a very powerful antibiotic eye drop from Twin City Poultry. Just go to their website and search for Cipro. I hate the thought of buying anything from them (long story), but they are the only place I have found that sells it without a prescription. Anyone that has an extra $20 should think about buying.

-Kathy

 

[MrsBrooke]

"Make sure you get my good side."

Here she is this morning (BEFORE her treatment, if you can believe it).

I feel like she's getting better. Still perky, active, talking, eating, and drinking. Such a sweet girl!

MrsB

 

[Eggcessive]

It is looking better. I really don't think that it's a respiratory disease or MG. With the possible peck wound, the bruising around the eye, and the foam, I would bet it is just injury. With MG she would have other respiratory symptoms, and look sick and weak.

 

[MrsBrooke]

Sick and weak, she is not! I about lost hold of her in my kitchen this morning trying to put antibiotics in her eye.

Thanks for all the help and advice!

MrsB

 

[JediJinx]

Unfortunately, even "avian" vets are not poultry disease keen. A friend of mine took her best rooster to the supposed poultry vet near us with a paralysis issue, the vet said it was probably a back injury and he did a chiropractic procedure and charged her a lot for this, did no testing, nothing. The bird died two days later of what was clearly Newcastle. Best advice is do your research well and ask for testing to be done before treating.

 

[MrsBrooke]

^ Saturday morning.




^ Sunday morning. She's covered in antibiotic, because she decided to get feisty during treatment. -_-



^ Monday morning.

Lo and behold, an eyeball! I can see it's a little cloudy... I wonder if she is now blind in that eye?

Don't mind the crud on her beak... She just finished breakfast.

So there you have it! I rinsed it with the sea salt warm saline solution before I left this morning. Skipped the antibiotics and Neosporin. I'll continue to rinse and dry her twice a day and keep you updated!

MrsB

 

[casportpony]

She looks better... I can't remember, do you have any Baytril?

-Kathy

 

[MrsBrooke]

She looks better... I can't remember, do you have any Baytril?

-Kathy

No. No Baytril. :/ Only Tylan 50 that's been going in her eye and the Terra-Vet that's been in her water.

What would be Baytril do?

MrsB