His wattle looks like a balloon!

[cbdonley0917]

Eagle is a bantie rooster that I raised from a biddie. My spelling might be wrong but you know what I mean. He is about 4 years old and goes camping with me every summer. When we were preparing to come home, I discovered his wattle, both sides, were swollen like a balloon. My first thought is bee or wasp sting, maybe spider bite, maybe even a hemotoma from shaking his head too hard.

I discovered the abnormality on Sun, July 6th, in the evening. I put some baking soda paste on it. The swelling extends to his right earlobe, a little around the face and eyes.

He is eating and drinking ok. His poop looks normal. His voice is slightly different, like a bit of laryngitis & he has not been crowing today. His eyes are clear and bright, no ooze. He is snoozing more often than usual but is ready to play when offered a toy.

This rooster stays in a cage in my home. He is not around other chickens and he is still a virgin.

What is wrong with my bird and how can I help him?

Thanks,

Connie in Cleveland, OH

 

[speckledhen]

Swollen wattles are sometimes a sign of botulism or avian influenza. Not sure what to tell you. It could also be a reaction to a bee sting, hard to say.

 

[Pine Grove]

Fowl Cholera comes to mind. But usually by the time the wattles swell the bird has already lost weight and you can hear rattling in the lungs..Maybe you could take a rectal temp, birds with Cholera have a 106f + fever

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Good to know about the temperature, William! Always appreciate your knowledge here.

 

[cbdonley0917]

Eagle's tempurature is normal. I don't even have to use a thermometer to tell. He has no fever. The swolen area is a little warm around his earlobes but the wattle itself is cool. He has no trouble turning his head and putting it into his wing to sleep.

He is not interested in his cracked corn, but that happens on some days. I just gave him some leftover corn and lima beans. He devoured it with no problem and was looking at me for more.

I tried applying an ice pack to the wattle and he does not pull away. It seems to sooth. It is an on & off process. The swelling has gone down since Sunday but not fast enough to please me.

Unless he developes other symptoms I have to stick w/my first assuption...bee or wasp sting or spider bite or hemotoma from some sort of trauma.

I was thinking of giving him some benadryl, baby oral liquid & maybe a cream on his wattle. Anybody think of a reason I should not try it?

Thanks for you suggestions.

Connie Donley & Eagle

 

[sammi]

why not try giving him some aspirin to help with the swelling?
5 (325mg) tablets, crushed into gallon of water..
use only plain regular aspirin..no tylenol or anything else then aspirin.

do you give him any other kind of feed?

swollen head and wattles is usually a symptom of respiratory illness, such as Cholera, but he could have been stung or bitten..

 

[spook]

Interesting knowlege here. I assumed that colera was an illness of the past!
Great knowledge, great peeps on this site...
Hope your chicken becomes well soon!

 

[cbdonley0917]

Yesterday, I found a vet in Medina that knows chickens and I took a vacation day from work to have Eagle seen. Doctor did blood work but said he is not wasting time and put him on Baytril 22.7mg tabs, 1/2 tablet twice a day & Ciprofloxacin 0.3% nose drops, one drop in each nostril twice a day.

While we were at the Dr's office his right ear started to swell and the doctor showed me where his neck was swelling. I rarely touch his neck because he doesn't like it. The doctor also put a needle into Eagle's wattle to make sure there was no fluid. It was all air and his wattle puffed right back up after he took the needle out!

This morning it seemed like the swelling was going down in his neck. When I got home from work, this evening, he was testy, he wanted to peck at me & I know it is because he does not feel well. He did not want much to eat. He drank some water, too.

I took him out of his cage to give him his meds and discovered his chest and stomach are puffy. It is just starting and it is scarey. I'm afraid of how big his skin will swell over night. I had to refigure my math when filing out the forms at the vet. Eagle is not 4, he is 5.

After giving him his 4th dose of meds, I let him have time to stretch and run around, like we always do. He did not want to do anything. When it was time to go back into the cage, he put up a fight. He did not want to go on his perch. I ended up making him a towel bed in the bottom of his cage to get him to go into the cage. He is kinda squatted on the towel, his head tucked in his wing, sleeping.

When he is outside, during the day, he will lay down on a blanket or towel or in thick grass and nap sometimes. At night, he prefer to perch as high as he can be and he rests his belly on the perch. I can tell his belly hurts and that is why he is not laying down on the towel.

With his ears all swollen, his equalibrium is probably off and that is another reason he does not want to be on the perch.

To anwer the question about what I feed him: He gets just about anything he wants except chicken. He has poultry feed and cracked corn. He will eat almost anything that he sees me eat. I am careful about what I let him have and how much and it is always fresh or fresh cooked, no additives. He loves the clover when he is outside. I watch to make sure he doesn't eat any plants he should not have.

I am going to call the doctor in the morning, to report the additional swelling and ask about the asprin to reduce the swelling. Thanks for the suggestion. My assumptions of bee sting, insect bite or hemotoma have been ruled out.

I hope the poor guy does not swell anymore. I pray these meds start working!

Thanks for all you concern and suggestions.

Connie & Eagle, in Cleveland, OH

 

[sammi]

is it possible he's having an allergic reaction to a bee sting or insect bite, some sort of plant, etc.?

that swelling in other places sounds scary..especially down his neck..

some sort of antihistamine and prednisone would be the treatment.
and fast.

 

[cbdonley0917]

I talked to the doctor yesterday and he said Eagle may get a little worse before he gets better.

My boyfriend made mac & cheese for lunch. Eagle loves mac & cheese. David offered him some and he did not want it. That really concerned me, but I got to thinking...antibiotics upset my stomach and I don't want to eat when my tummy feels bad...probably Eagle was feeling the same way.

When I got home from work I warmed up the left overs and hand fed him some before giving him his meds. He ate about half of what he normally would.

I took some pictures w/my phone camera. I'm going to try to post them...if I can figure out how. I'm not that computer savvy.

I had to work this morning and when I came home, Eagle was crowing as I came up the stairs. This is normal! He always crows to announce "Mom is home!" He had not crowed for a week.

The swelling in his wattle is going down and the purple on his comb is gone. His chest and belly are still a little swollen but I think a few more days and that will go, too.

I talked to the doctor today and he will probably just mail some more antibiotics this week. He only gave me enough for 7 days and thinks we should keep him on them a little longer.

Thanks for the concerns and suggestions.

Connie & Eagle in Cleveland, OH

PS: Will someone please tell me how to post my pictures? I can't figure it out.