Help with eye injury.

[casportpony]

More on ocular Marek's... I have Marek's here, so I have seen all the types, including at least six different forms of the ocular form, one of those was cloudy/opaque eyes (confirmed by necropsy). Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I think it's Marek's, I just wanted to share my ocular Marek's experience.

-Kathy

 

[ernie85017]

Lily is opening the eye a little bit now and then. No change from last night's progress. I did change to the trobramycin.

She went out for a visit with her buds and had a long luxurious dustbath. Then I cleaned the eye up again!

 

[Blackberry Hill]

Hi to All --- I have been reading up on the latest on Marek's Disease in chickens which means being up to date on vaccines as there is still no treatment. I could tell you everything you never wanted to know about the disease and how to prevent it with vaccines and bio protocols. As far as SEEING it.... well, I called the clinic and asked if they had ever had a chicken for any reason. Bottom line: people do not ever or rarely take chickens in as patients. Now on my neighbor's farm who I do Vet work for, I have seen the paralysis etc. but he is good at recognizing it and culls at the first sign. His decision. I helped in making changes to sanitation to minimize it etc.

So, Roz go with those that are more intimately acquainted with it like Kathy when trying to make a diagnosis regarding Marek's Disease.

I am happy that Lily is doing well. Generally it's best to stick to a regimen for at least 10 days before changing over to a new drug. So, I am not suggesting you hop from one antibiotic to another without giving it a chance to do it's thing.

For future consideration, I would be remiss if I did not mention that Neosporin makes a triple antibiotic OPHTHALMIC ointment sold OTC. I even hesitate to bring it up because I know many people just see that word Neosporin and do not stop to make the distinction between a topical skin ointment and the ointment made for eyes.

I know you know the difference, Roz --- I only said all that for someone else who may come along. Bottom line: read the package. If it says not to use it in the eyes, then don't.

Also, Roz, I made a list of antibiotic ophthalmic ointments available thru the vet and I am checking online for suppliers. Let's just say some of them aren't going to check your credentials.

I will post the list of meds; anyone can do a search for suppliers but I will PM the suppliers to you. I am sure you understand why.

I will be back with things as I think of them. Always love an update. Keep up with the probiotics --- glad she likes yogurt; a spoonful a day is about right. Cannot give too much!

Take Care, Sherilyn

 

[ernie85017]

Blackberry:

Now that the infection has subsided, I can see what happened to the eye. I can't see the golden iris any more. The eye is black and not as full round as it should be. A little flat. The cornea is cloudy and there is a tear in it, and part of it is folded under itself. The tear is about 1/4 inch. Having had a corneal scratch, and a dog who got cut by a cat, I can imagine this hurts like crazy.

I don't see how this is ever going to resolve itself!

Poor Lily.

Where do we go from here?

 

[ernie85017]

Bump for Blackberry

 

[Blackberry Hill]

Hi, Roz --- I'm here. I'm thinking.

Are you still keeping up the aspirin? I haven't found anything that indicates that aspirin would NOT cause the same G.I. bleeding as it does in humans. Keep an eye on her poop for that.

When you say the eye is black.... could you expound on that? Is it simply that the pupil is enlarged? Does the conjunctiva look normal?

I hate to even suggest this because I can just imagine... can you try shining a flashlight in her eye to see if the pupil contracts allowing you to see the iris? It may be that the pupil is dilated in trying to let in as much light as possible.

From your description, it is easy to tell that this is an injury that resulted in loss of vitreous fluid so at least we have confirmed that.

Did the white "cap" clear up completely? That is amazing with just a week of antibiotics. Some eye infections can be really stubborn.

Is Lily acting like she is in pain? Sitting hunched up with ruffled feathers disinterested in her surroundings? Is she still eating well?

I agree that a 1/4 inch tear is a significant wound size relative to her eye. I assure you that it is possible for it to heal. Chronic infections, severe trauma or rupture can all lead to eye removal. I don't see it necessary yet. I would give it another week to ten days to see where it goes.

I hope having her inside isn't too burdensome. The last thing she needs right now is gnats or flies bothering her eye and spreading bacteria etc. Plus, you never know about the other chickens.

I will check back with you this evening to get your thoughts on the matter.

Take Care

 

[ernie85017]

I DID IT! Or, rather, she let me do it. I promised her watermelon. Whatever did we do before tiny digital cameras?

The whitest area is where the cornea is folded under itself. It's not white, but cloudy. You can see the cut above it. I couldn't see the cut and fold when the pus pocket was there. I can only see it yesterday and today when the pocket went away. When I looked with the penlight, there was no pupil response, the iris is gone, where I could see it a few days ago. In the center of the cut, where it is the deepest, it looks almost like the color of a blood clot. You can see it a bit in the photo. The eye is filled with clotted blood? She did have a tiny spot of blood at the corner of her eye yesterday at one of her care sessions.

Looking through the cloudy iris, the eye looks dark, navy blue.

You can see the cloudiness of the cornea. The membranes are now pink looking, no pus anywhere. The white pus pocket is gone. It lay over the area where the cut was and covered most of the colored part of the eye.

I am continuing with penicillin IM and the chloramphenicol eye ointment. When I went to the tobradex she looked worse very quickly, so I returned to the other and her progress resumed. I was also concerned about the immunosuppression of the dexamethasone.

She is not acting as if she is in pain. She is eating. Adores yogurt and watermelon. She recognizes the silver of the spoon with white on it as I approach with yogurt. Eats it right off the spoon. She is pooping like crazy and that is the worst part of having her inside. Smelly, and I am washing chicken poop towels regularly. The chickens have their own designated old, pink towels for their ICU. BLeaching the washer a lot! The poop looks great, very normal. No eggs since the first day. I am wondering if the stress would cause her to not release yolks.

She went out for a little while today so her pen-mates won't forget who she is and go after her when she goes back. She dug and dustbathed. Then she had to have a good eye cleaning and more medicine. Her behavior is so normal. She is one TOUGH BIRDIE. In fact, she was getting rowdy in there the other evening so I took her out for a while. Sometimes she does give her head a little shake. She will open the eye just a little now and then.

Her healing powers are pretty amazing.

Thank you so much for being there for us!

 

[Blackberry Hill]

CONGRATULATIONS, ROZ!!!

Never have I seen it so true that a picture was worth a 1000 words.... answered all my questions.

Let me get something to drink (nothing serious; I like orange soda) and I will settle in to tell you exactly what I would do with this. Bottom line: this should heal up just fine but of course she will be blind.

 

[Blackberry Hill]

Okay so you have the prognosis. Here is the diagnosis for you: corneal laceration with hyphema ( bleeding inside the anterior chamber of the eye). That is why the eye looks so black; consider how blackish - purple a bruise can be. A bruise is just diffuse bleeding into tissue.

I will post this now and then write up treatment separate.

Darling poochie, Roz!

 

[ernie85017]

That is y favorite picture of the girls. They were mock-fighting and look to me like they are laughing. My rescue girls. They had a very bad life before, and now they are spoiled.