I really need help~ pullet with weepy swollen eye/fever

[Chicken Fruit]

I havent taken her temperature, but she's very noticeably hotter to touch than normal- all over her body under her feathers- not just localized to the infected area.

Her eye IS there, the lid and surrounding tissue is just swollen almost closed. There is a large bump atop her eye, towards her forehead that is a little squishy around a pea sized lump that does NOT give to pressure. Almost like there's something lodged under her lid or scalp?

Its not a pecking wound. I thought yesterday it might be a bug bite gone wrong, but this morning it does smell a little (no puss, just foamy weepiness) like something sickly salty- not something dead. A few weeks ago my other EE pullet had swollen eyes- just barely noticeable to me, and it remained that way for a week or two and then it went away. I thought it was just the look of her face as she had grown... but now iam wondernig if we have some sort of infection thats going around?

I should start her an antibiotics but I wasnt sure what kind?

Thanks all!

Oh, I was wondering, should I also consider some terramyacin for her eye? Or just leave it to some broad spectrum antibiotic?

 

[Blue_Myst]

If it's a hard lump, the first thing that comes to mind is an infection or abscess.

It could also be MG, or Coryza, if more than one hen shows symptoms. If you don't know the symptoms of this disease, do a quick search here, there have been lots of threads involving MG lately.

I hope someone will come along who is more experienced about this than I

Best of luck with her!

 

[birdlover]

Google coryza and see if the symptoms fit. I know it has a distinct odor but I believe it comes from the nostrils running. But I do know swollen, weepy eyes is a symptom too. If it is coryza, I believe it's a virus and has to run it's course but you can give antibiotics for a secondary infection. The antibiotic I like best is baytril but you have to get it through a veterinarian. Maybe you can get it here:
www.firststatevetsupply.com

It's me again. I googled coryza and it took me to the poultry site. Turns out it IS bacterial and it gives info on treating it with antibiotics. You might want to check out the site as well but google coryza instead of going directly to the site. I had a dickens of a time getting the same info when I went directly to the site!

 

[Chicken Fruit]

She doesnt have any other symptoms. It must just be an abcess from something... The other hen that had something going on it didnt effect her in any way whatsoever, and i was looking at her today and realized her eyes are naturally puffy- so maybe I wasnt seening what I though.

This pullet in the pictures was fine day before last, i found her yesterday afternoon- she didnt have fever then. Iam betting its some sort of localized bacterial infection.

Iam just going to pick up a broad spectrum.

Do you supposed terramyacin would work? Or whatever that one is in the whtie and yellow packet...

 

[birdlover]

I believe they sell an eye cream that's terrimycin or some similar antibiotic. I'd use that as well as an oral antibiotic just to be ahead of the game. Best of luck to your girl!!

 

[Blue_Myst]

They make terramyacin eye ointment. If you can get your hands on it, I think it will really help her.

 

[threehorses]

By your description and the clarity of her other eye, I'd be tempted to say it's a wound that abcessed and is infecting the eye below (which requires a different antibiotic than respiratory, and also requires drainage, possibly lancing of the abcess - certainly something I'd take to a vet.

However, with mention of the other hen having something, I feel this indicates that you might have a 'bug' going around that the other bird overcame. This one is just fighting it now.

Of course, the best option is to seek advice of a qualified vet. ( I am not a vet.) I'd follow all the supportive advice here (probiotics, vetRx or flush, supportive nutrition, etc) even if you see a vet. They often drop the ball on these bits of support and think in terms of only medicine. The supportive therapy works in tandem with antibiotics if you choose to medicate or the vet chooses to do so.

If you want to medicate, here's my suggestion. Otherwise I'd follow the rest of the recommendation without the antibiotic part. STILL do the probiotics/flushing/nutritional support, etc.


LS50 is great for MG. Tylan injectable works for both Coryza as well as MG. I'd recommend either antibiotic. If those aren't available, you could possibly use Aureomycin. Sulmet works for Coryza but isn't indicated for MG.

MG is apparently often complicated by secondary bacterial infections. The smell of the eyes indicates to me that there's at least ONE bacterial infection of the sinuses happening. Bacteria = stench. Really you won't know which one unless you had a culture grown from a swab of her exudate (gunk).

It could possibly be a "one eye cold".... But it could also be what the other poster has suggested, the MG or coryza.

If she were my bird, I'd treat her with an injectable Tylan (tylosin) or LS50 if you think it's not just an injurty. Do that with supportive treatment with VetRx to enable breathing to get air into the sinuses and help clear up the eye infection.

You could additionally use the topical (ointment) Terramycin Opthalmic Ointment in her eyes without contraindication.

For VetRx: You use a clean q-tip for each area and swab their nostrils (nares) with it, their 'tear duct' area, the cleft in the roof of their mouth. You won't be able to use in the water as you'll be medicating. But if the bird sleeps with her head under her wing, put some there as well.

If you can't get VetRx, use clean warm water or saline eye wash.

You will want to clean and possibly flush those sinuses. It's important to get the purulent (pus-filled - and it is likely pus) material out of there so that air gets in and bad bacteria don't thrive in three.

Also, sinuses drain into the mouth (through the chonanal opening in the roof of the mouth) which drain into the digestive tract. The combination of that and antibiotics that you use will cause a secondary digestive tract issue. You'll want to prevent that as best possibly by using a NON-dairy probiotic daily during antibiotic therapy and then daily for an additional week, every other day for a further week.

With acidophilus capsules from the grocery store (the least expensive manner) you can use one capsule per adult bird daily - at the opposite time of day from when you freshly medicate. Same with Probios probiotic from the feedstore, or Fastrack brand. For those - use as directed on the label.


Make sure she's eating. If she won't, try breaking up her pellets into "crumbles" (not powder) in the blender. You can give her mashed boiled egg yolk to increase her nutrition. I'd stick with easily digested foods, no whole grains or treats. No dairy products whatsoever. (They make the -mycin and -cycline drugs not work.)

Also make sure she stays hydrated. If you treat with water medication, you can't use electrolytes etc with it. SO keep her drinking. You can use baby vitamins (Enfamil PolyViSol WITHOUT added iron) 2 drops on the beak if you want to hedge your bets. Personally I'd stick with crumbles and egg yolks and wait on the vitamins until the 2 weeks after medicating.

So my opinion in a nutshell:

Buy LS50 (for water) or Tylan (injectable). Use for no less than 7 days if you choose to medicate.
Buy VetRx (rabbit formula is fine) if the feedstore has it. Use saline eye wash if VetRx not available.
Buy your choice of probiotic. Use daily during medication and one week afterwards; use one additional week every other day.
Make sure she stays nourished and hydrated.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

Well, I believe it ended up being a bacterial/viral thing. My cochin hen presented with the same (though not as severe) symptoms a day later. I put them both in confinement in the sick tractor and after a week they've both cleared up and no one else came down with it. I cleaned out the coop during that time too, on our cleaning routine that just happened to fall on that day.

No one needed any medication, their little birdy immune systems kicked it just fine.

Chickens truly are amazing little critters.

 

[threehorses]

Oh well that's good news at least! did the other hen have the lumpy bit? (That was the stumper).