Gapeworm or MG/CRD?

[User4477]

Hello,
I found my 7 month old rooster gasping for breath about two weeks ago. Brought him inside and he's been in my bathtub ever since. His symptoms were gasping for breath, mouth breathing, shaking head, foamy/watery eyes, and congestion. I treated him with VetRx until I could take him to the vet last week. They prescribed Doxycycline twice a day for two weeks while we wait for lab results from a swab they took of his throat.
Honestly, it's been a week of treating him with the antibiotics and my boy sounds the same, if anything, I'm noticing more clear foam around his eyes.
Yesterday however, I noticed something new- he has developed a bright red skinny line down his palate which he didn't have before. So now I'm wondering if all his symptoms are due to gapeworm and not something like MG? Are his symptoms consistent with gapeworm? Should I treat him for that instead?

 

[dawg53]

Did the vet take a fecal sample and look at it under a microscope? You wouldve had your answer right then and there if it were gapeworms or not, or any other types of worms for that matter.
How are you administering the Doxycycline, in water or giving it orally? Is he eating and drinking regularly?

 

[User4477]

Did the vet take a fecal sample and look at it under a microscope? You wouldve had your answer right then and there if it were gapeworms or not, or any other types of worms for that matter.
How are you administering the Doxycycline, in water or giving it orally? Is he eating and drinking regularly?

Nope, they only did a throat swab.
I'm administering the Doxy orally with a syringe. He is eating and drinking regularly though sometimes I do hear gurgling after I give him the meds so I'm doing my best not to get it in his airway, it's just a bit difficult when he squirms

 

[dawg53]

You can administer liquids via syringe by dosing 1/2ml at a time. Anymore than that, there's the risk of aspiration which might be happening with your rooster.

Here's an easy way for you to administer the meds:
Cradle your rooster in your forearm. Make sure your syringe is preloaded with 1/2ml of the Doxy (or less if prescribed, but not more). Use your fingers and thumb on the same arm you're cradling him and pull straight down on his wattles and his mouth will open.

With your free hand grab the preloaded syringe and quickly squirt the Doxy in his mouth and at the same time let go of his wattles so he can swallow the liquid on his own.
If you dont immediately let go of the wattles, he will aspirate.

Practice this by doing a dry run, in other words, without putting a liquid in the syringe until you get used to holding your rooster and pulling his wattles down etc...
Dosing him in the dark at night or in the dark before sunrise is best. They are easy to snatch off the roost and dose them. Dont forget a flashlight.
I do this when I worm my birds orally with a liquid wormer.
Remember, practice make perfect.

BTW: Since he is eating and drinking regularly and this has been going on for the past two weeks, I seriously doubt it's gapeworms. He would be dead by now.
Are there any other birds showing similar respiratory disease symptoms?

 

[User4477]

You can administer liquids via syringe by dosing 1/2ml at a time. Anymore than that, there's the risk of aspiration which might be happening with your rooster.

Here's an easy way for you to administer the meds:
Cradle your rooster in your forearm. Make sure your syringe is preloaded with 1/2ml of the Doxy (or less if prescribed, but not more). Use your fingers and thumb on the same arm you're cradling him and pull straight down on his wattles and his mouth will open.

With your free hand grab the preloaded syringe and quickly squirt the Doxy in his mouth and at the same time let go of his wattles so he can swallow the liquid on his own.
If you dont immediately let go of the wattles, he will aspirate.

Practice this by doing a dry run, in other words, without putting a liquid in the syringe until you get used to holding your rooster and pulling his wattles down etc...
Dosing him in the dark at night or in the dark before sunrise is best. They are easy to snatch off the roost and dose them. Dont forget a flashlight.
I do this when I worm my birds orally with a liquid wormer.
Remember, practice make perfect.

BTW: Since he is eating and drinking regularly and this has been going on for the past two weeks, I seriously doubt it's gapeworms. He would be dead by now.
Are there any other birds showing similar respiratory disease symptoms?

Thank you so much, this really helped. I just got the call from the vet and they said he has an e. Coli infection and staph. Perhaps the redness on his palate is due to the staph. They will be giving me another antibiotic in pill form to crush, mix with water, and syringe as well to treat it along with the Doxy for the e. Coli.

Also, none of my other chickens are showing any symptoms besides increased sneezing lately. But none of them are gasping for breath or have watery eyes or anything.

 

[dawg53]

That's sort of good news about your rooster. I've dealt with ecoli infections but staph infections only in the form of bumblefoot.
In the case of ecoli infections, my go to medication is SMZ-TMP. I believe it'll treat staph as well but havnt used it for that purpose. If the meds you're currently giving doesnt help or improve your rooster's health, ask your vet about SMZ-TMP.

As for your other birds; ensure feces is removed from inside your coop daily, soiled bedding replaced and feces in your pens removed several times a day. You dont want the ecoli spreading to your other birds. Make sure waterers and feeders are feces free as well.
Soiled bedding can also cause breathing issues (ammonia fumes) if it isnt changed out on a regular basis, proper ventilation helps.

 

[SapphireHill]

I pray it isn’t but can your vet test for the avian flu that’s been fast spreading across the US? It should be free. If not check with your county’s disease center or university extension ag program.

Hope they pull through

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/02/avian-flu-scan-feb-28-2022

 

[dawg53]

I pray it isn’t but can your vet test for the avian flu that’s been fast spreading across the US? It should be free. If not check with your county’s disease center or university extension ag program.

Hope they pull through

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/02/avian-flu-scan-feb-28-2022

It's not Avian Flu. Not every flock has Avian Flu nor does every chicken have Avian Flu.
It was diagnosed as an ecoli and staph infection and appropriate medications were prescribed.