Infection or virus?

[StellaP]

Thank you, no she didn't, and I assumed because it's eye drops that it was innocuous.
I have read the contras and the potential benefits of using it and I've decided to continue with it in the hope it helps.
I have given Anna (the sickest hen with severe respiratory problems) 2ml of the amoxicillin twice today, so she has had 200mg in total, Sylvie who is not as bad but still very sick, has had 150mg and Dorrie who is doing quite well has had 100mg of the amoxicillin, they have all had two 15 min sessions with the chloramphenicol, both Dorrie and Sylvie have eaten some scrambled egg and chick crumb.
I'm exhausted, but still hopeful.
Thank you all for your help and support.

 

[coach723]

Let us know how it goes. Best of luck with them.

 

[StellaP]

Ok, so an update.
I’ve been told they don’t have internal parasites, but the throat swab cultures have not come back yet.
The sickest hen, Anna, has had 200mg of the amoxicillin for three days, twice daily nebulisation with the chloramphenicol, no change, she sleeps 90% of the time, is still chesty and her eyes are so sore.
The other leghorn, Sylvie has had 150mg of the amoxicillin for three days, twice daily nebulisation and she seems worse, she doesn’t have respiratory symptoms, but she is now burning up and her eyes are really sore, she is sleeping most of the time. Her fowl pox is turning black and getting smaller.
I am assist feeding both of them as neither is eating.
The third hen, Dorrie is doing better, but she was only sick for one day before I took them to the vet, she is still chesty, she has had 100mg of the amoxicillin and twice daily nebulisation, but she is now active and eating.
Now for the questions, how many days would you give amoxicillin for?
If the infection is deep routed how long could it take before I see improvement?
Am I ok to keep nebulising?
Is there anything else I should do or try?( please don’t tell me to cull them, it would break my heart)
They are doing a high number of cecal poops (probably 50% are cecal), why would that be?

 

[StellaP]

Hi all,
So the culture has come back and shows streptococcus sp
It should respond to penicillin, but we are now on day five and although they seem a tiny bit better today it's not cleared it.
Any suggestions what I can nebuliser with please? (it's resistant to chloramphenicol)
Also I have attached a couple of photos of Sylvies comb, does this look like fowl pox or necrotic comb please?

 

[Eggcessive]

To me that looks like fowl pox, the virus spread by mosquitoes. Most healthy grown chicken get over it in 3-4 weeks. Wet pox which causes yellow plaques inside the beak and throat is a type that can affect some chickens with pox, and is more deadly.

I am a retired nurse who used chloramphenicol many years ago on critically ill children with meningitis. It was fairly safe then. Most kids got until cultures came back, and then antibiotics were changed if the bacteria was resistant. Many drugs that were once used are not the first choice nowadays. In other countries it seems that chloramphenicol eye drops are more commonly used than say, Ciprofloxacin or Terramycin, etc. I hope the fowl pox doesn’t set her back too much.

 

[StellaP]

Thank you, she has had the pox for nearly four weeks and it just keeps getting bigger.

I won’t use the chloramphenicol any more as it’s not effective against the bacteria the swab culture showed.

I am concerned that firstly, isn’t streptococcus a secondary infection?

And secondly treatment for streptococcus is penicillin, they have been having the higher dose of amoxicillin for five days and are not improving? How long can it take?

 

[StellaP]

Hi
I am really struggling now and could really do with some help.

I have so many sick chickens and absolutely no idea what the problem is.

The original two are still about the same, they had a two week course of amoxicillin clavenate and seemed to be improving, the course finished two days ago and they are both now looking really ill again.

I now also have three other hens with the same symptoms and hand feeding, medicating and nebulising them all is becoming overwhelming.

The vet won’t offer any help unless I pay €300 for further testing, she has told me to stop the metacam immediately, as they have been on it for a month, and to continue giving the flock penicillin, but not the two sickest.

I am now nebulising with F10 (similar to Oxine I think), but have seen no improvement after four days.

I’m so confused and tired.

Please if anyone can offer and help…..

 

[StellaP]

Please, if anyone can suggest anything to help them?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that you are having so many problems with them. Fowl pox is a virus, and it doesn’t respond to antibiotics. Strep is present on the skin. Amoxicillin is usually given for 7 days. If the problem keeps on, it may be viral. Are you seeing any with yellow lesions or patches inside the beak and throat? That could be wet pox, a much more serious case of fowl pox. Supportive care, helping them to eat and drink is the most you can do. Can you try to keep the mosquitoes away from the flock with a spray or screens to keep it from spreading to more?

 

[coach723]

I'm very sorry.
If there is an underlying respiratory virus involved (not sure anything has been really ruled out??) it can weaken their immune systems and make them more susceptible to all kinds of things. Some of those virus's are chronic and symptoms recur during times of stress, they are not cured, just symptoms treated. If you do end up losing one, I would recommend you have it necropsied. That may be the best way to determine all that may be going on, and may point to the best treatment options for the rest of the flock. Not sure what resources for that are available where you are. I would hesitate to recommend trying other medications without knowing more, it could just cause you more problems.