Figured out what was wrong with Basil! Woohoo! Further questions....

[LalaBuckholtz]

Woohoo! Finally figured out what was wrong with my hen! So she most certainly was molting, I think that is what started the whole thing. She's had a very difficult molt in spite of all the Care and supplements that I've been giving her. The molt caused her to be demoted in the flock since she was weak enough she didn't want to fight for food. On top of that, she had undiagnosed gapeworm. I hated to give her the dewormer for the gape worm, since she was in the middle of a molt, but the gape worm was serious. She was having a very difficult time breathing, stopped eating, difficulty sleeping since she kept having to stretch her neck to breathe. Anyway, after I separated her and force-fed her a certain amount to keep her strength up and administered a few days of dewormer, she has her strength back to fight for food and run around with her two other flock mates. Her feathers appear to be coming in nicely in spite of the dewormer.
I did give her 3 days of penicillin at the end of her dewormer, because she was gurgling pretty bad. Figured that might have to do with her lungs clearing out all the junk from the gape worms.
But that's been about a week ago. She's doing much better as far as her behavior, but she is still gurgling terribly.
Should I give her another round of antibiotics at this point? Should I wait and see if she could clear it on her own? I hate to just keep giving her antibiotics.

 

[Eggcessive]

Respiratory diseases from viruses, mycoplasma, or coryza can look like gapeworm, since they cause gaping, gasping, and other respiratory diseases. Penicillin does not treat any of those. Did you have any poop tested for gapeworm eggs? That is the best way to diagnose it, unless you do a necropsy after death. Gapeworm is rare and the Y-shaped worms are seen in the trachea, and cannot be seen while alive. Did you treat with fenbendazole or SafeGuard 1/4 ml per pound of weight for 5 days? If there is a respiratory disease that is causing this, all of the symptoms may point to which treatment is best. MG is treated with Tylosin or Denagard, while coryza is better treated with sulfa antibiotics. Viruses, such as ILT and infectious bronchitis, are treated best with time and support. Antibiotics are not effective. Can you describe all symptoms besides the gurgling and gaping? Are there bubbles in eyes, swollen eyelids, nasal drainage, or others?

 

[LalaBuckholtz]

Respiratory diseases from viruses, mycoplasma, or coryza can look like gapeworm, since they cause gaping, gasping, and other respiratory diseases. Penicillin does not treat any of those. Did you have any poop tested for gapeworm eggs? That is the best way to diagnose it, unless you do a necropsy after death. Gapeworm is rare and the Y-shaped worms are seen in the trachea, and cannot be seen while alive. Did you treat with fenbendazole or SafeGuard 1/4 ml per pound of weight for 5 days? If there is a respiratory disease that is causing this, all of the symptoms may point to which treatment is best. MG is treated with Tylosin or Denagard, while coryza is better treated with sulfa antibiotics. Viruses, such as ILT and infectious bronchitis, are treated best with time and support. Antibiotics are not effective. Can you describe all symptoms besides the gurgling and gaping? Are there bubbles in eyes, swollen eyelids, nasal drainage, or others?

She's down to just the gurgling. But she initially had gaping and neck stretching, gurgling, coughing, sneezing, lack of appetite, refusal to eat when prompted, lethargy. There was only a day or two that she had bubbly eyes when the sneezing and coughing was at is worst. She really acted near death a couple of weeks ago.

 

[LalaBuckholtz]

She's down to just the gurgling. But she initially had gaping and neck stretching, gurgling, coughing, sneezing, lack of appetite, refusal to eat when prompted, lethargy. There was only a day or two that she had bubbly eyes when the sneezing and coughing was at is worst. She really acted near death a couple of weeks ago.

And yes, it was safe guard, fenbendazole