Goopy eyes with PICS

[Granny Hoffman]

I have a porcelian D'Uccle with goopy and swolen eyes. She has them closed all the time, they look swolen and when we pry them open it doesn't look like pus. Its a white pasty substance, no smell and no yellow tint to it like it would be infection. We have been cleaning out the white paste and flushing with saline solution. She is not active at all, but she drinks a little and is eating. We have put Deramycin (sp) in her water but not sure if that will help with her eyes. We have not noticed any wheezing, coughing or runny nose at all. Could someone tell me if we are treating her correctly or what else we can do for her, I don't want to loose her, she is a beautiful lil girl.

Thank you

 

[Granny Hoffman]

Anybody

 

[8hipchicks]

I would add warm (not hot) wet compresses 4x a day for about 5 mins to the eye to keep that goop more liquidy and moving. Are the sinus cavities around her eyes swollen?

 

[blueraspberry]

i get more interested in posts with pics plus they might help a LOT!

 

[Granny Hoffman]

bump

 

[8hipchicks]

I have dealt with this repeatedly and had to take my chicken to the avian vet for treatment. Your chicken looks like it developed an sinus infection. The infection starts out very liquidy and then as it progresses that liquid becomes thicker and thicker until it becomes a cottage cheese or ricotta cheese consistency. Because the sinus cavities are full that infection has nowhere to go but out the eyes.

That liquidy infection also drains and can make the chicken sound raspy in the chest.

My chicken was put on perscription Baytril. That being said, perhaps someone else here can provide a more easily accessible good substitute.

What you should be doing also is what I had suggested above. Apply wet, warm compresses to area for 5 mins a time. If you can this evening I would do it every hour. This will help soften up the infection to help it move out the eye. Also start to look for it to try to come out the nose. You may have to very gently and carefully extract it from the nose as well. I would use a narrow blunt embroidery needle and tweezers. I have pulled cheesy hunks the size of Texas out of my chicken's nose.

If you are patient and very diligent with the wet compresses you will have helped relieve your little one of this infection. Obviously keep her warm and hydrated with supplement water and lots of good food.

I have gotten to the point where I can take care of one of these without the vet. It takes longer (1-2 weeks depending on how advanced the infection is) without the vet or Baytril.

Hope it helps.

 

[Granny Hoffman]

thank you for your help, I will start this right away. Do you know how contagious this is?

 

[8hipchicks]

I don't think it's contagious. My vet never said anything like that. She just said to be sure that she was separated from the others so that she could get the attention she needed.

 

[ruth]

Her eyes are infected. You are doing the right thing - clean out with saline solution. But you need to be sure you get all of the infection out. First apply warm wet compresses and flush with warm water to get them to open. Gently apply pressure all around the eye area in an effort to get all of the infection to come out of the eye. You will probably see something that looks like flat white slivers of rice and/or melted cheese. All of that is pus and needs to be cleaned out. Check under the eyelids (chickens have an extra set). I use a warm wet q-tip to get some of the stuff out. Once you've cleaned out everything you can see and can "press" out, rinse with saline solution and put Neosporin in the eyes. Repeat a second day if necessary. If you have the fancier eye antibiotic ointment you can use that - your vet should have it - or, regular Neosporin works "just the same" per my vet who's always amazed at how many chicken procedures I do in any given week. I have about 300 chickens, most of whom are never penned, so there's alway someone with a "boo boo" of some sort. I never use antibiotics.

Since it appears both her eyes are closed you do need to be sure she is confined in a small kennel/cage and is shown where her food/water is until her eyes are opened.

 

[oreochip]

I agree with ruth. Rinse eye with saline and put Neosporin in the eye. I would recommend two or three times a day.

Keep separate from other birds for her own protection.

Feed her something that she really enjoys. My girls love scrambled eggs when they aren't feeling good.

Keep her electrolytes up. I put apple flavored Pedialite in the water. Polyvisol vitamins are a nice touch also.

Primarily, you have to keep her strong and healthy so that she can fight the infection.

The last eye infection we fought took about five days before the eye was well enough to see out of.