Infection and Penicillin use

[CathrynK]

I have a Frizzle Hen that was attacked by a hawk, over 2 weeks ago. The hawk took off when I ran outside, but he had done some considerable damage to her. My first response was to attempt to bathe her to see the extent of her wounds. Probably the worst was 2 puncture wounds near her right eye. I used an antibiotic ointment on them and put her on Duramycin-10 because that is what I had available. It is water soluble, but she wasn’t really drinking it and I was running out. Her head swelled and she can’t see out of her right eye. I am hoping she will eventually be able to use this eye again, once the swelling goes down. A friend gave me Pro-Pen-G. I have been giving her injections of this, diluted, for 11 days now. The problem is, I don’t know how long to continue. Her head is still slightly swollen and her eyelid is slowly opening. I’m thinking for 14 days? I have been only giving this to her once a day. Any ideas? As a side note, There are no vets here that want anything to do with a chicken. I’ve been down this road before.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

over 2 weeks ago

Her head swelled and she can’t see out of her right eye. I am hoping she will eventually be able to use this eye again, once the swelling goes down. A friend gave me Pro-Pen-G. I have been giving her injections of this, diluted, for 11 days now. The problem is, I don’t know how long to continue. Her head is still slightly swollen and her eyelid is slowly opening. I’m thinking for 14 days?

Do you have a photos of your hen, the eye and of the bottle of the Pro Pen G?
What dosage are you giving her - and what are you diluting it with?

As far as I know Penicillin is given up to 7 days (once a day).

Hopefully someone else like @Eggcessive will chime in.
If the head and eye is swollen, is there pus that can be removed? (photos)

 

[coach723]

What dose have you been giving? Usually penicillin is 4 or 5 days, up to 7, but it's usually tolerated well, so you are probably OK. I've given up to .5 cc with no ill effects,usual recommendation is .1 cc per day. I've never diluted it, just drawn and injected as is.
If you think there is still infection in there you may need another (different) antibiotic.
You can get oral enrofloxacin for pigeons without prescription. You can get bird sulfa and cephalexin and clindamycin and amoxicillin as fish antibiotics. Pictures of your bird and injuries might help.

 

[CathrynK]

This is the medicine . I’ll have to go get her as I have been giving her outside time in a protected area. I have been using 1 ml of water with .2 ml of penicillin. From there I give her .2 of that mixture. She is not a large chicken.

 

[CathrynK]

She won’t exactly stand still and I don’t have help at the moment, but here’s the best I can show

 

[CathrynK]

Other 4 pictures

 

[CathrynK]

I am thinking 14 days as she still has some swelling.?

 

[coach723]

It's very hard to tell from the pictures, but I would be inclined to stop the penicillin, get some sterile saline or veterycin eye wash, and flush that eye out really well. Pull back the lids as best you can and really take a good look. If you see any white or pale yellow matter in there it's pus, and that needs to be cleaned out, it will be firm. Then get some terramycin ointment (most feed stores or tractor supply carry it) and put in that eye twice a day. Hopefully that will help. If it gets worse, then I would switch to a different antibiotic. I think what you've been giving is pretty low in dose, may not have really been effective. So sorry, she's mid hard molt, so have someone hold her wrapped in a towel as gently as you can while you work on her eye. Usually laying them on their back helps to calm them some.
Video (sorry it's grapic and kind of gross) of removing pus from an eye, and pic of terramycin.

 

[Eggcessive]

Procaine penicillin G dosage is 0.1 ml, but as Coach pointed out, some give a little more either 0.25 ml or even 0.5 ml without ill effects. You were underdosing your chicken, but after 14 days, she probably doesn’t need it now. The eye looks full of puss, and you might be able to squeeze some out. Can you tell if it is in the eye socket or above it? Is she eating and drinking well? My hens will eagerly eat chicken feed mixed with warm water, and love chopped egg or tuna. Liver is good too. I would just feed plain water since she would not drink the medicated water.

 

[CathrynK]

The dosage was hard to tell. I was afraid of giving her to much. The antibiotic was originally for a dog. Tonight would be her 12th dose. Yes she was going through a hard molt. That may have been helpful because I was able to see her damage. On the other hand, if she had her feathers, maybe the hawk wouldn’t have tore her up as bad. I will check her eye further.