Hello all. I'm looking for advice/opinions on an illness that's entered my flock, and what I can do going forward. (Sorry for the text length in advance.) Months ago, my flock started showing signs of an illness- one of my birds, Bluebell, presented with some pretty extreme facial swelling and nasal discharge; because i could not afford to visit the vet at the time I decided to treat her with Tylan. Her facial swelling did recede but she still showed signs of being ill. Another bird had facial swelling as well about a week later, though not as extreme and her symptoms responded very well to Tylan. My other birds had sneezing and a drop in egg production.
Bluebell did well for a while, but the nasal discharge and occasional swelling of her sinuses continued. It was yellow in color and I believe I did notice a smell. I noticed her declining about 2 weeks ago- lethargic and had issues breathing with rales. I suspected coryza at this point, & I took her to the only vet nearby that sees chickens, who suggested coccidia (though said she didn't really see anything when she did a fecal) or the possibility of Marek's (I did choose to vaccinate my flock as chicks, but I know it isn't foolproof.) She prescribed smz/tmp for 7 days. This did help Bluebell's breathing considerably, but she became even more lethargic and refused to eat near the end of the treatment. (Also, her poop was a dark green color & urates a pale-ish yellow.) The vet said she may just be depressed because I had been keeping her inside & that her breathing was much better, but the vet couldn't do bloodwork & the nearest place that could was an emergency vet 2 hours away.
I (naively, I think) took her word & reintroduced Bluebell to the flock; a day later it was very clear that she was continuing to decline & I took her to the emergency vet. The exotics team there took x-rays, & bloodwork which showed her GI tract was distended with gas, & a full crop & gizzard. Fecal cytology showed an overgrowth of abnormal bacteria and yeast. She also had a plaque in her choana, which was consistent with infectious debris/pus. They diagnosed her with sinusitis & enteritis & kept her overnight. She initially responded well to therapies and was sent home with Fluconazole 100mg every 12 hours for 10 days.
When I brought her home, I could definitely tell she felt better for a few days- she was back to talking to me & wanting to forage outside, but after a few days of fluconazole, she is quite lethargic again, minimal interest in eating, and now seems to have some difficulty balancing with some continuing open mouthed breathing.
So now, I don't know what to do. The emergency vet was quite expensive, I couldn't really afford it but Bluebell is a dear little pet & I wanted to give her a chance. I'm wondering if the kindest thing I can do now is euthanasia, & I'm worried for the rest of my flock & just curious about what's caused this. Any ideas on what's going on would be extremely appreciated, & I'll try my best to provide more information if needed. Thanks
Bluebell did well for a while, but the nasal discharge and occasional swelling of her sinuses continued. It was yellow in color and I believe I did notice a smell. I noticed her declining about 2 weeks ago- lethargic and had issues breathing with rales. I suspected coryza at this point, & I took her to the only vet nearby that sees chickens, who suggested coccidia (though said she didn't really see anything when she did a fecal) or the possibility of Marek's (I did choose to vaccinate my flock as chicks, but I know it isn't foolproof.) She prescribed smz/tmp for 7 days. This did help Bluebell's breathing considerably, but she became even more lethargic and refused to eat near the end of the treatment. (Also, her poop was a dark green color & urates a pale-ish yellow.) The vet said she may just be depressed because I had been keeping her inside & that her breathing was much better, but the vet couldn't do bloodwork & the nearest place that could was an emergency vet 2 hours away.
I (naively, I think) took her word & reintroduced Bluebell to the flock; a day later it was very clear that she was continuing to decline & I took her to the emergency vet. The exotics team there took x-rays, & bloodwork which showed her GI tract was distended with gas, & a full crop & gizzard. Fecal cytology showed an overgrowth of abnormal bacteria and yeast. She also had a plaque in her choana, which was consistent with infectious debris/pus. They diagnosed her with sinusitis & enteritis & kept her overnight. She initially responded well to therapies and was sent home with Fluconazole 100mg every 12 hours for 10 days.
When I brought her home, I could definitely tell she felt better for a few days- she was back to talking to me & wanting to forage outside, but after a few days of fluconazole, she is quite lethargic again, minimal interest in eating, and now seems to have some difficulty balancing with some continuing open mouthed breathing.
So now, I don't know what to do. The emergency vet was quite expensive, I couldn't really afford it but Bluebell is a dear little pet & I wanted to give her a chance. I'm wondering if the kindest thing I can do now is euthanasia, & I'm worried for the rest of my flock & just curious about what's caused this. Any ideas on what's going on would be extremely appreciated, & I'll try my best to provide more information if needed. Thanks
Last edited:
She's my favorite bird. Can't bare to watch her suffer and it just seems like her body is failing her. I'll be having a necropsy done as well
