Is Piperazine effective for trematodes?

[FandangoRanch]

I think my chick may have flukes or other worm infestation that has migrated into his eyes. The only wormer I could get is Piperazine and wondering if anyone knows if that will be effective, and is it ok to flush the eyes with it as well as administering with food/water.

 

[FandangoRanch]

I am desperate and so I have dosed my two sick birds orally and flushed their eyes. I really hope this is ok and that it is going to work. After hand feeding them for 8 days and going through every kind of possible thing they could have and giving them antibiotics intramuscularly, I really hope I haven't done further damage. I would really like some advice on whether to continue antibiotics as they are definitely not making a marked improvement. I am at the end of my rope. I will do anything I need to in order to save them. I spend every moment of every day with them, making sure they have a will to live and get enough fluids and nutrition. I just don't know what more I can do.

 

[Brookliner]

What is going on with the eye? Can you post a picture? How old is the chick? What other symptoms are there.

 

[FandangoRanch]

What is going on with the eye? Can you post a picture? How old is the chick? What other symptoms are there.

The chick is 7 or 8 weeks old now. This has been going on for about 10 days. The eyes and surrounding area are bulging. He does not eat on his own because I don't think he can see much. I have taken him into the yard and the garden where he wanders around and every once in a while figures out he can peck at the ground. If I put a brightly coloured water dish in front of him, he will usually take a drink but often just walk right over it. No matter where I am, he will always find me and walk up close to me so I think he can still see a bit. I have treated him with oxytetracycline injections but with no change so I don't want to continue with that. It was only a couple of days ago I noticed something in his eye and it looked to me like a small worm so I switched directions, got some Piperazine and some mulit-vitamins. I have been feeding him by hand wet food with acv and cane sugar water, yoghurt and chick grower - have switched back to medicated chick starter as of this morning. I flushed his eyes last night with Piperazine in water as well as adding it to his 'mush' and this morning I took out of his eye what is clearly a worm. It is roughly an eighth of an inch long and is narrow on one end and a fair bit wider on the other.

In addition, I have a SLW who is about a week older than this Buff Orpington and she became unable to walk about the same time. The treatment has been the same as with the Buff with little improvement but I have been acute caring for them in isolation. She is now beginning to exhibit the same issue with her left eye. It is a little swollen and she tends to keep it closed a lot, as did the Buff.

 

[dawg53]

You're not dealing with flukes (trematodes,) you're dealing with eyeworms, one of several types of nematodes that infect chickens. Piperazine only treats large roundworms, not eyeworms. Purchase valbazen (albendazole) liquid cattle/sheep wormer at a feed store or order it from Jefferslivestock.com or call them. Mix equal parts of valbazen and water and liberally flush each eye. Then dose the infected bird 1/2cc/ml valbazen orally undiluted. Repeat this procedure 10 days later.
Eyeworm eggs will have infected your soil from infected feces. Birds continually pick/peck the ground, they will pick up the infective eggs or eat an infected insect. This will cause the eyeworms lifecycle to repeat itself over and over again reinfecting your birds. You will need to treat ALL your birds with valbazen, dose them all orally, 1/2cc/ml. Repeat dosing them again in 10 days. Dosing them orally will prevent eyeworm and other worms from infecting them, do this every 6 months at a minimum.
FYI: Valbazen kills flukes as well.

 

[FandangoRanch]

You're not dealing with flukes (trematodes,) you're dealing with eyeworms, one of several types of nematodes that infect chickens. Piperazine only treats large roundworms, not eyeworms. Purchase valbazen (albendazole) liquid cattle/sheep wormer at a feed store or order it from Jefferslivestock.com or call them. Mix equal parts of valbazen and water and liberally flush each eye. Then dose the infected bird 1/2cc/ml valbazen orally undiluted. Repeat this procedure 10 days later.
Eyeworm eggs will have infected your soil from infected feces. Birds continually pick/peck the ground, they will pick up the infective eggs or eat an infected insect. This will cause the eyeworms lifecycle to repeat itself over and over again reinfecting your birds. You will need to treat ALL your birds with valbazen, dose them all orally, 1/2cc/ml. Repeat dosing them again in 10 days. Dosing them orally will prevent eyeworm and other worms from infecting them, do this every 6 months at a minimum.
FYI: Valbazen kills flukes as well.

Wow. This is terrible. Because we don't have cockroaches here, I am at a loss as to how this could have happened. To top it off, our feedstore , which is an hour away, does not carry Valbazen. Both Vet offices are closed and so is Zoetis, the pharmaceutical company handling Valbazen. I am trying local cattle ranchers but they so far are not familiar with the product and I also have an emergency call in to one of the Veterinarians. Is there another host besides cockroaches for eyeworm?

 

[FandangoRanch]

Would Ivomec work and does it have to be the injectable or could liquid Eqvalan be used?

 

[Suzierd]

Wow.  This is terrible.  Because we don't have cockroaches here, I am at a loss as to how this could have happened.  To top it off, our feedstore , which is an hour away, does not carry Valbazen.  Both Vet offices are closed and so is Zoetis, the pharmaceutical company handling Valbazen.  I am trying local cattle ranchers but they so far are not familiar with the product and I also have an emergency call in to one of the Veterinarians.  Is there another host besides cockroaches for eyeworm?

If you can't find it in the cattle section at the feed store order it from www.Jefferslivestock.com
I'm sure they can do a quick ship. Best of luck.

 

[FandangoRanch]

If you can't find it in the cattle section at the feed store order it from www.Jefferslivestock.com
I'm sure they can do a quick ship. Best of luck.

Thank you so much. After waiting half the day for a call back from the emergency Veterinarian (It is a long weekend and annual stampede rodeo in town), still haven't heard back and have been successful in ordering Valbazen from Jeffers just now. Fingers crossed!!!!

 

[Suzierd]

Thank you so much.  After waiting half the day for a call back from the emergency Veterinarian (It is a long weekend and annual stampede rodeo in town), still haven't heard back and have been successful in ordering Valbazen from Jeffers just now.  Fingers crossed!!!!

Great! Hope it gets to you fast!