Help with eye injury.

[Blackberry Hill]

Ernie, are you there? Did you do the exam? How did it look?

 

[ernie85017]

Blackberry:

Sorry, I got sidetracked.

Now I'm just puzzled.

The white area seems as if she is trying to localize it. A bit smaller overall. It is more of a circular area and I can see the circumference. It sits on her eye like a ball cut in half and lain on her eye. The "fold" is still there. Saline qtip still won't move it, but I didn't push very hard.

Now the puzzling part: I can see the colored iris of her eye behind this thing, beyond its edge. It looks like her eye would normally, what I can see of it. Not deformed, wrinkled, etc. This surface is deeper in her head than her eye would normally be. Would the iris structure stay in place if the eye ruptured through the pupil? I am wondering if the eye itself deflated when the vitreous came out, and the "shell" remains. The amount of gel I found looked about right for the amount of vitreous a chicken eye would have.

She is still eating and pooping. I haven't seen her drink, but she is eating watermelon.

I only have one more day off, then I go back for two 12-hour shifts. I wish I could get this fixed before then. There is no problem with her staying in her cage in the kitchen, but I won't be able to be so "intensive" about her care.

What do you think?

Roz

 

[dawg53]

Ernie, are you there? Did you do the exam? How did it look?

I would like to know the procedure on how to remove an eye for future reference.

 

[casportpony]

I just let them resolve on their own, lol, way too chicken to try something like that.

-Kathy

 

[Blackberry Hill]

Evening, Roz --- Wow. Now NICU Nurse; that's a demanding but I am sure rewarding position. I can skip the eye anatomy lesson.

I very carefully read thru your description of how Lily's eye appears. Saying the eye has deflated with the shell remaining sounds like an apt description. This has a promising prognosis. I am particularly glad to hear that there is no drainagr & no pus.

Essentially, the eye remains intact with a loss of vitreous humor which along with corneal scarring will affect sight. I believe that when the ruptures heals, the body can replace the fluid. Lily may be able to differentiate light from dark in that eye.

Let us hope that the antibiotics clear any infection instead of creating an abscess, walling it off or letting the eye die --- that is when the eye would need to be removed. Although infection is always possible, you do not see the damage here that would result in the eye dying. Nothing has occurred to interrupt the blood flow.

On your Tylan --- is it 50 or 200? Injectable? Note it may cause pain at the injection site and / or possible GI disturbance. If Lily goes off her feed, I would suspect that or the aspirin first. I would suggest keeping her on the aspirin while you work those two days and then when you are off next to cut it back and see how she is feeling.

I hope that covers everything right now. I will check back tomorrow for a progress report. Keep up the good work. We will make a chicken nurse out of you yet!

edit: spelling error

 

[casportpony]

Tylan may cuase pain, but i can also cause tissue damage as I just found out after using it for the first time.

-Kathy

 

[ernie85017]

Blackberry,

Yessss! No eye death! At least so far. Do you have any idea how much help you are giving me? I nominate you for semi-official BYC Chicken Vet. Have you seen how many reads this thread has? You are teaching, and some one else may not be so frightened when this happens to their birdie. I so appreciate your time.

I am wondering if that white hemi-sphere on her eye is a pus pocket. Leave it be and let it resolve? Or will it? The nurse part of me wants to lance it, drain it, and medicate it!

I took her out into the yard to stretch her wings, and she made her way to the pen and wanted inside! I don't think she is ready to stay there yet, but her buddy came to say hi. Violet seemed a bit lost sleeping alone last night.

The Tylan is 50 inj., and the pen is 150,000 benzathine and 150,000 procaine. I drew up her dose of Tylan for today, was thinking I would put it back, but I really want her to have any possible extra coverage it might provide.

I note that the oiliness from the eye ointment is draining out the nostril on the same side. Not a lot, but some of it. It hadn't occurred to me that they would have tear ducts leading to the nose as we do.

Today's exam: No change. The white thing is perhaps a little bigger in circumference. I can't see here eyeball as well as yesterday. Clear teary-looking drainage when I opened the eye. Not a lot.

The funny in all this: I read on BYC about "chicken depression" when caged alone, and it was suggested to put a mirror in with the chicken. She proceeded to attack that other bird. Anything but restful. The mirror came out.

THe first day she laid an egg, none yesterday, but the day is still young for today.

 

[casportpony]

FYI, I believe the Tylan dose for birds is 10-40mg/kg IM once to four times a day (never more than 40mg/kg per day if that makes sense). Will post a picture of the dosing info later.

-Kathy

 

[Blackberry Hill]

Hi, Roz, Lily & Kathy --- I can see that there is alot here to talk about from the Tylan to chicken depression but I am at work in my lab so it will have to wait til late this evening.

Right now, I am sure the most important issue is that "pus pocket". First of all, we need to determine if it is pus (could be) OR damage and subsequent scarring of the lens (cornea) from the initial injury which I am assuming was one chicken pecking Lily. Is Lily still holding her eye closed? How good a look have you gotten? As a nurse, I am sure you know pus when you see it so I won't put you to the trouble of a photo. Just try to evaluate it.... The color & consistency of pus is determined by the bacteria involved. (More on that later.) Injury to the cornea above the iris would cause it to appear milky white. What do you think Roz?

If it IS a pus pocket: I would not try lancing it without sedation because the patient won't cooperate and you could make the situation worse. You can swab it out with sterile gauze saturated w sterile saline solution followed w an antibiotic eye ointment.

(For anyone: that is an OPHTHALMIC ointment (made for use in the eye)that you can buy for animals at a farm supply or feed store. DO NOT use Neosporin in any eye. It is made for topical use only --- that is skin wounds. READ the PACKAGE. Neosporin says it is not to be used in the eye. Love it; highly recommend it but NOT IN THE EYE.)

Everything else sounds good here and can wait til this evening. Kathy is right that Tylan can cause muscle damage. You need to consider it on the risk / benefit ratio, Roz. More later.

And, Roz --- you are welcome!

 

[ernie85017]

Blackberry,

It looks like pus to me, not a gentle cloudy, but solid cream colored. I wanted to get a photo, but she won't cooperate. I need three hands.

Last exam showed a little bit of pus in the eye. Good flushing and more ointment.

If I could just get her to hold still, I could prick it with an18 g needle.