Hen with respiratory issue

[LongRanch]

Hi everyone, I'm on day 5 of treating my hen, who only seems to be getting worse. I thought she must feel poorly when she didn't roost for two nights in a row (slept on the ground). I picked her up on the second night and heard a ratting in her chest, so I brought her in. She's been on antibiotics (Triple C -- Chlortetracycline Hydrochloride) now for 5 days.Her sister is with her (unrelated issue) and together they drink 1 cup of water (that has electrolytes and 1/4 tsp antibiotics) per day. She has a heat lamp and a heater on her, and she can't get close enough to either of them -- she just basks in the heat all day long. She has has no nose or eye discharge and no swelling anywhere. Her only symptoms were the ratting in her chest (it's not in her sinuses) and eating less. She became quite thin, she was turning down most of her favourites, but as of now she shovels down mealworms and freeze-dried garlic, like no tomorrow. She won't take the probiotics anymore. Someone said to try cranberry and candied ginger, but I don't want to stress her by shoving food in her mouth. I'm giving her VetRx on her beak and under her wings. She is having large green poops (normal consistency) but her sister is as well, so I assume it is the antibiotics causing this. Her breathing gets slightly worse each day... It sounds like crinkling, like those fabric baby toys that crinkle. Today her breathing is a little more labored. This is the first day she is breathing through her mouth. I dewormed her lastnight with Ivermectin, on the off chance that this could be gapeworm (I had major gapeworm issues this summer, but I haven't noticed any gaping from her). No improvement.

No, I don't have any recent additions. I believe this issue was caused by a lack of ventilation and insulation in my new coop. The condensation was so out of control, it took me hours with a heater and a scraper to chip all of the ice off the walls.

Is there anything else I can do for her? She is one of my favourites. I don't have access to Tylan or any other antibiotics. She just needs to get this out of her lungs...

 

[Pyxis]

So, it might not be a respiratory disease caused by bacteria. Have you tried treating for anything fungal? I'd get some Oxine and treat with that and stop the antibiotics - they clearly aren't working and they can actually make a fungal infection worse, if that's what this is. Symptoms of a fungal problem include a lot of what you're seeing.

Some info about fungal infections.

Could also be something untreatable like tumors in the lungs, in which case there's nothing you could do.

 

[LongRanch]

Thanks, today is the last day for antibiotics (as the bottle says 3-5) so it's a perfect time to try anything new.. I am not sure I can get Oxine locally. I'm in Canada and we don't have a Tractor Supply -- can I find it in a regular store or pet store? I DO have Germe-Zone. Not sure if that would help. I also have copper sulfate.

I didn't realize that you were able to feed the VetRx to the chicken... I just did that too... put it in her water and down her throat.

 

[LongRanch]

Darn... Googled it, and it looks like people on my area have a particularly hard time getting Oxine. I'd have to order it from the US. With Christmas approaching, it'll probably take forever. Any alternatives? I have some fungal creams, but not much in the way of something I can put in the water or food, other than copper sulfate (used this to treat a canker successfully). I do have some candida pills and pills for yeast infection (the kind of pill you ingest). I have a feeling I'll be on google most of the night.

 

[Pyxis]

It might be pricey, but can you order it from US Amazon and have it expedited?

https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Healt...?ie=UTF8&qid=1482192840&sr=8-1&keywords=oxine

There are also links of where you can buy it in the article I linked you; maybe one of those places could rush delivery for you?

Also apple cider vinegar is known to offer some properties of Oxine so you could start adding that to her water in the meantime. Try also giving her some yogurt daily as that will help culture the good bacteria that she needs that would be getting killed off if she had a fungal infection. Also grapefruit seed extract is a good natural anti-fungal, maybe you can get some of that and nebulize it for her while you wait on the Oxine? Oil of oregano is another one.If you could get some Nystatin you could do that too. Check that article I linked for more ideas on what to use while you wait.

You really want to nebulize the treatment for her so it gets right into her lungs so check the article for ideas on that too.

 

[LongRanch]

Thanks, I will see what I can do about the Oxine. Just threw out her water and gave her some water with copper sulfate, ACV, Germe-zone, and VetRx in it. I have some awesome probiotics but just have nothing to put it in that she'll eat. Out of yogurt and applesauce... Oatmeal is the only 'soft' food I have so I'll cook some of that and cool it and see if she'll take the probiotics in that. I only have nystatin cream, not the oral stuff -- you need a prescription for that here unfortunately. Hopefully something will work! I think you are right that it is probably fungal.

 

[LongRanch]

Well, looks like it's ascites. Her belly is very bloated. My needle is too big to puncture her and it's so close to Christmas, I doubt I'll get into the vet this week. I don't know if there is anything else I can do. She seems to be suffering.