HELP!!! Need Pox Advice!!! Sooo many questions!!!

[loralei]

Ok after much worrying and fretting Fancy has developed a couple black wart-like things... one on her foot and one on her comb and I can see that a few more are starting to develop there. Originally her only symptom was the runny eye so I suspected Coryza or bronchitis. At least know I have a somewhat accurate diagnosis.

I have been giving Fancy and the other gal with a runny eye 1/2 cc of Tylan 50 each morning and evening as well as flushing their eyes with saline solution with a few drops of Tylan 50. I've done this for 2 days now and their eyes are looking better.

Currently I only have the 2 with symptoms and Fancy is the only one with the lesions... so far. Neither appear to have any breathing difficulties in fact both are eating and drinking normally. Fancy's poos have been runny brown and white, kind of mucusy looking. My other gal's seems to be normal.

At this point I would say we have dry pox and I seem to have caught it early soooo I have some questions that need answering.

1) I understand that pox is a virus but should I continue the Tylan to ward off any secondary infection(s)?

2) Does dry pox progress and become wet pox or are they 2 different viruses?

3) How long does it take for the virus to run it's course?

4) What should I be doing that I'm not? One thing I should be doing is feeding them a probiotic, i.e. yogurt!

5) How bad is dry pox? Is it a death sentance? I read one post that said "cull immediately!" I will know in my heart when it is time to end a life in a humane manner and we certainly have not reached that point.

6) I've read that once they have pox the virus remains in their system and they are in effect "carriers". Will vaccinating any new additions protect them and at what age can they be vaccinated?

7) Should I vaccinate my gals and roo who at this point are not showing symptoms?

8) I fear this is going to get worse before it gets better. What should I be prepared for?

9) The virus is spread by mosquitos, right? Then once infected it can be transmitted from bird to bird?

Thank you so much to all you folks at BYC!
God bless.
Laura

 

[jenjscott]

Well, I can't answer all of them but, .... Pox is slow to spread and I have read that if you vaccinate everybody else you can prevent some of the spread. I had dry pox in my flock at one point, and never lost a single bird. I think the idea of culling immediately is to try to keep it from spreading. I took a very casual approach to it and let it run its course. Here is a really good article from cornell university.

http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/search/disease/510

 

[fargosmom]

I'm curious too - I think one of our hens had a case of this in the last few weeks but she seems better now, and none of the other three have shown any signs. She only had one lesion on her comb, that I could find, which looked like the photos. It's gone now and I haven't seen any others . . . and I think she hasn't been laying for the last couple of weeks. Based on above advice, I've been planning on simply observing the other three . . . if they don't show any symptoms in the next month can I assume they've been "vaccinated" by being around the infected one, or do I have this hanging over my head till they all show signs of infection?

 

[loralei]

I forgot to mention one thing... Fancy seems to be losing some feathers, not an alarming amount and her feathers seem dry, like she has feather dandruff! Weird! Probably unrealted and an indication of something lacking in her diet but I thought it might be worth mentioning.

Thanks Jen! The Cornell article was interesting. I'm grateful to have a mild case. Some of those poor birds!

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

My roo had dry pox. It is a different virus than wet pox, and has a much better prognosis. I treated mine by swabbing the sores/scabs on his comb with iodine and giving him a mixture of crumbles and yogurt (plain). Hard boiled or scrambled eggs will help also, she could brobably use a bit of extra protien while she's fighting it off.
Good luck!

 

[Judy]

Dry pox is not only not a death sentence, it usually resolves without treatment. It's not that they are carriers afterwards, it's that they are supposedly immune to future outbreaks afterwards.

Many in my flock had it a couple of months ago. I did treat the lesions once, with either iodine or Neosporin (Neosporin for the lesions near eyes,) to prevent a secondary infection. Most of them probably would have healed fine without any treatment; a couple had so many lesions they did need the local care to prevent a secondary infection. After a month or so, one day, all the lesions were simply gone.

 

[powerline]

Fowl Pox is spread by mosquitos. As the weather cools, spreading shouldn't be a problem. Any of the Tetracyclines will help keep them from developing secondary infections.

 

[loralei]

Thanks ya'll! I feel more optimistic. Your support and advice is invaluable! I do, however, have more birds with lisions this morning. Ughhhh! After I made breakfast for my husband I scrambled a bunch of eggs for the girls! lol They really go crazy for em'! Everyone's appetite seems fine.

I see no point in separating them at this point since about half of them have it. I have 23 birds. I will stop with the injections but continue to put the antibiotics in their water. I will also continue treating their eyes. We just got Terramycin ointment for this.

I have Baytril 10 and Duramycin 10, both water soluable. Which, if either, should I be using? I also have the Tylan 50 injectable but think that is probably over kill and I don't really want to give 23 chickens injections twice a day unless it is absolutely necessary.

I can't get my girls to eat yogurt no matter what I mix with it. Any suggestions there? Is there an alternative? Would apple cider vinegar be of any help here? Would it affect the effectiveness of the antibiotics?

Thanks!
Laura

 

[powerline]

I would go with the Duramycin. It is a good broad spectrum antibiotic. Tylan is good for treating respiratory illness, but it isn't a good broad spectrum antibiotic.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

I take a very laid-back approach to the dry fowl pox, but it may not be the way for everyone. I'm here in the swamps of south Florida and the mosquitoes are prevalent. Often at night I can see them swarming all around the birds as they roost, poor things. It seems to be true that once a bird gets the pox they build their own immunity to it because it's usually the young birds that show the lesions each summer.

Only one year did I lose chicks to the wet form of the pox, it got in their nostrils & eyes. I did not aggressively treat them, just let it run its course and lost a few chicks in the process.

Most of the time I do nothing to treat the dry pox, just let them fight it off with their own strength. And they usually do. But the president of our local poultry club, a wise old lady who has been keeping chickens long enough to know for certain which came first, the chicken or the egg, advises dabbing black liquid shoe polish on the dry fowl pox lesions. It must block the air to the little germs and kill them off. I've done that a few times when I have a bird with a really bad infestation.

Keep up with the good treatment you've been giving your birds, it will probably do them a lot of good. But at the same time, don't worry so much, I don't think dry fowl pox is a the worst thing to affect your flock.