Is there an alternative to Tylan?

[Gooter]

I've got a very sick hen, and I'm sure it's CRD. She was my first hen and is young, so I'd like to save her. Her symptoms 'blew up' when the dominant hen started tormenting her over a couple days. I culled the wicked hen, but the stress really has taken a toll on my sweet hen. Anyway, I live rural and have been calling around to places many miles away and nobody seems to have Tylan. I have on hand Norocillin and a local vet suggested I try that. I did give her some yesterday. Her situation at present is:

She is inside with me, in a comfortable cage. She did not drink voluntarily for almost 24 hours, but last evening she did finally drink. This morning she even ate a few bites of some beef and barley that I gave her (left-overs from my dinner), but she is struggling to breathe and is resting as best she can. Surprisingly, her color is pretty darn good. Anyway, if there is ANY GOOD alternative to Tylan that I might get at Southern States or Tractor Supply, please tell me. I have called and they don't have any Tylan in stock, but maybe there is something else that can work. OR, is it possible that the Norocillin might work? I'd appreciate any help with this.

I know many would cull this bird, and I would too if it weren't this bird and if her color wasn't this good. I have turned to giving medicated feed to all my chicks and chickens that I bring in/hatch because CRD is so prevalent here. I do not let any of my birds leave the property. None of the rest of my flock has developed severe symptoms from this and they've been with me for more than a year. I really believe that the stress of what that mean hen did to her sent her over the edge. Her, I should have culled a day sooner!
Thanks for your help!

 

[stargirl]

I've heard really good things about Denagard for respiratory infections, but haven't used it myself.
Search the forums to find out dosages and stockists

 

[hencam]

Ask your vet for doxycycline. He should have it for other animals. I've written about respiratory disease on my blog. Start here http://www.hencam.com/henblog/2011/05/lulu/ and then read the updates.

 

[Gooter]

Thank ya'll for the information. I hope it's also helpful to others. I actually just managed to fenagle some Tylan so with a lot of luck I can pull her through. I am going to read up on that blog page. THANK YOU!

 

[Jerseycoop]

Sending prayers

 

[dawg53]

There are alot of treatments for CRD, but no cures as you know. You didnt mention what were your hens symptoms, treatments can vary disease to disease. As mentioned by stargirl, denegard is a good one from what I've been reading about it. Other than tylan...here are others meds used for CRD; aureomycin, gallimycin, tetracycline, terramycin, oxine AH...there are others.
Here's a link to respiratory diseases that chickens can get and treatments:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Gooter]

Thanks for all the support! I appreciate it!

Her symptoms: she had the bubbles in the eye thing going on before she got worse but she's seriously rasping/gurgling when breathing and coughing/sneezing. When I picked her up to carry her in yesterday afternoon she let go of very thin liquid milk-like - whatever. Poo? She stands with tail down and wings dragging. She's in bad shape.

Right now her face actually looks pretty good, especially considering all... And she's got her head up. This picture (sorry it's a bit blurry but I'm not going to stress her by taking another) makes her look better than I'm sure she feels. If I hadn't been able to get something for her this morning I would have put her down rather than see her go through this. I kind of have this thing with certain situations where people make an animal endure suffering because they can't let go. I can let go of her, but I do think she's worth saving and she seems to agree. If she isn't improving enough to drink more by this evening, I'll put her out of her misery. Fortunately, she is a very calm bird that was handled a lot as a chick, so she's taking being tended to quite calmly.

So this leads to another question: She is losing weight fast. Breathing for her is exhausting and taking up all her energy. Assuming she improves and is going to make it, what is the best thing I can give her that will entice her to eat, that will help her get strength quickly, and then to build her weight up as fast as possible...SAFELY? I suppose I ought also to give her some electrolytes, and dang if I didn't think to pick some up!

Well, here's a picture so you can kind of see her.

 

[Gooter]

Update on Lucy:

Lucy is still with us and is definitely wanting to get better. Yesterday afternoon she moved over to the water and started taking regular sips...and has continued to do so. She has NOT been drinking like she was desperate (tho she was definitely getting quite dehydrated), but rather just steady, taking a sip every several minutes. She pooped a respectable poop later in the afternoon, again in the evening, and then again this morning - none of it very runny or terribly scary looking. She has also been showing interest in food both last evening and this morning, but it seems just a bit much for her at this moment. The interest is good to see and I'm pretty confident that she will be eating by this afternoon. I've got to give her a second shot of Tylan in just a bit. As to her breathing, it improved enough last evening that the rasping has virtually stopped, unless she stirs to move. That means she got a little rest over night. She's pretty weak, but I'm feeling like she's going to keep improving.

I realize that she's going to need to be kept safe from the others once she recovers, but that's okay. I've got the set-up for that. Do keep the well-wishes going for her. She's not out of the woods yet but I do think she'll recover. At least she can finally breathe better! Thank you again for all the support!

 

[stargirl]

I'm so glad she's still with you and fighting through! What a wonderful chicken owner you are

So pleased she's taking some food and drink! Have you tried offering her a little scrambled egg yolk?

I've heard that steam is really useful for helping to clear their breathing. I've read about people putting them in the bathroom with the shower on full!

Maybe something like a cup of steaming water in her cage, and a towel over the top? The steam helps to loosen the mucous etc, which might help her sleep

 

[BirdWalkFarm]

Quote:
Hello , sorry to hear about your hen . I had this problem last summer and used the Oxine treatment suggested on the board . I couldn't believe the difference and this year no problems . Some of my chickens were almost at death's door but recovered . I still use the Oxine to clean with and once in a great while will close the coop and do a breathing treatment . There is some great info on this product thru the this chick board . I tried every antibiotic and herbal treatment available , but this worked for me .


Hope this info helps you .