Little Lady with possible Vent Gleet

[Weeg]

Lacey has been the subject of the majority of my threads lately, while unfortunate for her she has been a trooper. Lacey struggled with prolapse in the past, which she overcame and she’s been doing fantastic since then.

I did post not to long after that concerned about possible vent gleet because of her “leaky” vent. The responses I got said it was likely because the event was still healing, so I stopped all treatment hoping it would resolve itself. It seems to get better for a bit, but it’s looking pretty uncomfortable at the moment. Life has gotten pretty busy, and I will admit I’ve been slacking on keeping a close eye on it, so it’s been an issue for a matter of months.

Am I correct this looks like vent gleet? If so, what’s the best treatment moving forward? I’ve read this article, but there’s so many treatments listed I’m not sure where to start.
Thanks!

 

[azygous]

It certainly appears that it might be gleet. It's difficult to treat because the fungal spores are lodged in every nook and cranny of her digestive system, and maybe even up into the oviduct.

I suggest not holding back on treating it aggressively. This would involve a two-pronged attack - an oral anti-fungal plus a strong intestinal flush.

Do you have Medistatin or Nystatin or fluconazole on hand? If not, you need to order one of them. https://jedds.com/search?type=produ...tions[unavailable_products]=last&q=Medistatin

The flush requires tubing. Are you checked out on that? If not, it's easy and I can talk you through it. You need a tubing kit which any vet can sell you for just a few dollars. The protocol is one teaspoon of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) in half a cup of warm water. All half a cup of solution is tubed into the chicken twice a day for three days. It seems like a lot, but it's very well tolerated by the chicken, and when I've done it, the chicken seems energized by it. Evidently it makes the chicken feel so much better.

You also need to inspect the premises for mold. Often, the chicken with gleet is picking up mold spores from its environment.

 

[Weeg]

It certainly appears that it might be gleet. It's difficult to treat because the fungal spores are lodged in every nook and cranny of her digestive system, and maybe even up into the oviduct.

I suggest not holding back on treating it aggressively. This would involve a two-pronged attack - an oral anti-fungal plus a strong intestinal flush.

Do you have Medistatin or Nystatin or fluconazole on hand? If not, you need to order one of them. https://jedds.com/search?type=product&options[prefix]=last&options[unavailable_products]=last&q=Medistatin

The flush requires tubing. Are you checked out on that? If not, it's easy and I can talk you through it. You need a tubing kit which any vet can sell you for just a few dollars. The protocol is one teaspoon of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) in half a cup of warm water. All half a cup of solution is tubed into the chicken twice a day for three days. It seems like a lot, but it's very well tolerated by the chicken, and when I've done it, the chicken seems energized by it. Evidently it makes the chicken feel so much better.

You also need to inspect the premises for mold. Often, the chicken with gleet is picking up mold spores from its environment.

I don’t have either of the anti-fungals on hand, but I can order them for sure. I’ll do that today.

I am confident with tubing. I recently had to tube feed my RIR cross rooster, which I believe you followed in my last thread. I have never tubed a bantam, but I think I’ll be able to figure it out. I’m assuming I’ll need a smaller tube then I one I used for him. I think I have a 16ml as well, but I could be making that up. I definitely have a smaller one, so I hope that size will work.

Got it. I have Epsom salts, so I’ll see what I can do when I get home today. Is the 1/2c for a bantam hen or for a standard? She’s a tiny 2lb *ish* Cornish Bantam.

 

[Weeg]

Also, I don’t believe there’s any mold in her current pen, but there could have been in the last one. I used to have her in my little A-frame which did get relatively wet over the winter. It’s now my bachelor pen, but I’ll look it over for the boys.

 

[azygous]

A bantam would take half that amount of solution. One-fourth cup warm water with half a teaspoon of Epsom salts. The only difference in the tube would be the length. Just hold the tube up to her crop and make a mark on it where it coincides with the length of the bottom of the crop to beak so you don't shove too much tubing into her. I think you'll be able to handle this just fine. You may go ahead with the tubing over the next three days and then start her on the Medistatin when it arrives. Jedds is pretty prompt in shipping.

 

[Weeg]

A bantam would take half that amount of solution. One-fourth cup warm water with half a teaspoon of Epsom salts. The only difference in the tube would be the length. Just hold the tube up to her crop and make a mark on it where it coincides with the length of the bottom of the crop to beak so you don't shove too much tubing into her. I think you'll be able to handle this just fine. You may go ahead with the tubing over the next three days and then start her on the Medistatin when it arrives. Jedds is pretty prompt in shipping.

Got it. Thanks!
Do I only have to tube for the three days?

I’ll do a flush when I get home, and I’ll also try my hand with a holistic anti-fungal at least until it arrives. If anything it as least won’t hurt.

 

[TillyPeeps]

I treated two of my chickens with vent gleet with probiotics and Clotrimazole vaginal cream successfully. You can use either plain yogurt or probiotics powder like this:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-probiotics?cm_vc=-10005
They do prefer yogurt I just apply the vaginal cream into their vent twice a day. I caught both cases in an early stage, so it was easy for me. Never need to use Epsom salts or oral medicines. When my chickens are on fermented feed, they never had vent gleet. So now they always have fermented feed even it's a cold winter day.

 

[azygous]

Thank you @TillyPeeps for reminding us about probiotics. They are extremely helpful in combating gleet. I do recommend the flush since she's had it long enough that we can assume it's throughout her system. It's why it's so resistant to treatment when it has been going on for a period of time.

 

[Weeg]

I treated two of my chickens with vent gleet with probiotics and Clotrimazole vaginal cream successfully. You can use either plain yogurt or probiotics powder like this:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-probiotics?cm_vc=-10005
They do prefer yogurt I just apply the vaginal cream into their vent twice a day. I caught both cases in an early stage, so it was easy for me. Never need to use Epsom salts or oral medicines. When my chickens are on fermented feed, they never had vent gleet. So now they always have fermented feed even it's a cold winter day.

I was going to give her probiotics as well. I’m really passionate about holistic medicine, so I’m going to give her what I have for that as well. I treated my dog for a yeast infection, also Candida, a while back holistically, so I’ll use what I have from that.

 

[Weeg]

Thank you @TillyPeeps for reminding us about probiotics. They are extremely helpful in combating gleet. I do recommend the flush since she's had it long enough that we can assume it's throughout her system. It's why it's so resistant to treatment when it has been going on for a period of time.

Agreed. As much as Im not looking toward to it, it’s definitely an aggressive infection as this point.

I have probiotics I was planning on giving her as well.