Hen aspirated liquid medication, breathing seems slightly laboured now

[Chickflick29]

I’m beside myself, hoping for any and all advice.. it’s been a looong month with my chickens already.

I have a 3.5 year old Australorp hen that I began treating yesterday for suspected coccidiosis. She was also overdue to be wormer, so since she was showing GI symptoms I treated for worms as well. The only fenbendazole I could find was tablets, so I crushed the dose she required into powder and mixed with a few drops of water (total liquid was approximately 2.5mL).

I’ve been caring for older hens with cancer/tumors that required regular oral medication, so I’m familiar with how to administer medications orally, but unfortunately while trying to get the wormer liquid into her she broke free from my helper’s grip and definitely aspirated. She made a gurgling noise and sneezed a few times, luckily most of it came back out of her but I can’t say it all did.

Today, she seems to be breathing slightly harder while lying down (her tail is up, but I see a subtle pumping motion with each breath) and I catch her sneezing after lying down for extended periods - only 1 or 2 sneezes so far.

I’m terrified she’s developing pneumonia, but I can’t get to a vet that will see chickens (or birds in general, even) until after Labor Day.

She’s received .6mL Toltrazuril yesterday and today. Should I treat with an antibiotic to keep away pneumonia complications? I have SMZ/TMP and Tylosin at home that I could administer.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

She’s received .6mL Toltrazuril yesterday and today. Should I treat with an antibiotic to keep away pneumonia complications? I have SMZ/TMP and Tylosin at home that I could administer.

I'm sorry to hear she aspirated.

What is her crop like?

What symptoms are you seeing that would indicate Coccidiosis in an older hen?

For aspiration pneumonia, I believe most would use an antibiotic like Amoxicillin. I'm not sure how effective Tylosin or SMZ-TMP would be. Perhaps @Eggcessive or @coach723 would know more.

Hopefully she will improve quickly. Keep us posted.

 

[Eggcessive]

We are not vets and I’m not sure that I would treat with antibiotics for aspiration. Chicken’s respiratory systems are different in that air is pulled in by the air sacs and then goes to the lungs. Tylosin is used for mycoplasma. Bactrim can treat certain respiratory infections. Amoxicillin may have some benefit, I just don’t know. I would give her supportive care and offer fluids and moistened feed.

 

[coach723]

Unless she is definitely going downhill, struggling to breathe, lethargic, I would wait and see on the aspiration. One, having them aspirate something small happens and most of them do just fine. As @Eggcessive said, their respiratory systems are very different. I've had them aspirate small amounts of wormer before, and they have been fine. Two, Antibiotics will only treat bacterial infections, so unless that happens, they won't help. And if she's already got something going on, then loading up on the antibiotics unnecessarily will just add more for her body to deal with. Pneumonia in birds is hard to treat generally, due to the way their systems work, the air goes into the air sacs and from there into the lungs. Supportive care, keeping them warm, fluids and electrolites, and sometimes oxygen therapy are used.