Well, me and Mr. Turkey pulled out this morning at 6:00 AM and made it to the University Animal Clinic in Lake Charles at 7:24 AM. I put him in a large dog kennel last night, so he slept in the garage. I wanted to make sure that I got a fresh sample of poop so that the vet could test it.
Got to the vets office and checked in. I had the dog kennel covered, so he wasnt able to see anything and the dogs and cats werent able to see him and possibly scare him. The people in the vets office were curious as to what was covered up in the dog kennel. When I told them that it was a turkey, they all wanted to see him. They were so surprised. None of them had actually seen a live turkey in person, so it was a treat for them and the kids.
Well, the receptionist called us to the back, so we picked up the kennel and went to the back and was placed in a waiting room. We only waited about 5 minutes and then the Vet walked in. He automatically knew that it was me and the reason that I was there because I had emailed him a 2 page document on Monday detailing the 2 episodes of the respiratory problems along with pictures of my tom turkey and his wry neck.
He came in and completed a physical exam on my turkey. He swabbed his mouth for testing. I gave him the sample of poop in the ziploc bag that I collected. We talked about the 2 episodes of the respiratory problems and wry neck. He explained that the respiratory problem is viral and can be spread to other turkeys. He also said that the respiratory problem is what caused the wry neck. He asked me how many other turkeys did I have and did they also get a respiratory problem and wry neck. I told him no. I explained to him that once I noticed that my turkey had a respiratory problem, that I immediately removed my turkey from ALL of the other animals, including the turkeys. What he said next shocked me. He said that it didnt matter if I had removed him immediately from the flock because the respiratory problem would have already spread to the other animals. He explained that a respiratory problem is a silent disease and an animal could have it for days and possibly die before an owner would know that their animal is sick. He said that my turkey could have had the respiratory problem for days before I even knew it. (This explains why so many people on the BYC turkey thread have posted that their turkeys were dead in just a few days after the owner noticed that something was wrong with their turkey. They didnt know that their poor turkey was sick.) He said that if my other turkeys have never had a respiratory problem or wry neck, then they are probably immuned to the virus and will never get it.
The vet went on to say a respiratory problem can be recurring. He said that it was a good thing that I was able to treat the 1st case of the problem 16 months ago and the my turkeys neck straightened out. He said if a bird has wry neck longer than 3 weeks, then it is highly likely that the bird will NOT get rid of the wry neck. He said that the neck muscles tense up in that twisted position and stays that way.
He said the wry neck in my turkey is most likely permanent being as though he has had it for more than 3 weeks. He said that my turkey can live a normal life with wry neck. He asked me was my turkey eating. I told him yes because I see my turkey eating and drinking every day. He told me that my turkey felt as if he could have lost weight. They weighed him and he was ONLY 20 lbs. That is SKIINNY for MY turkey. He said that my turkey is probably putting his head down in the feeder to get food but he is not coming up with much food. He said that he was probably getting just enough food to live. His suggestions was for me to raise my turkeys feeder and waterer to his eye level, so that he does not have far to go down to eat and drink.
He said that there are not too many antibiotics for this problem but he prescribed Baytril 136 mg. He gave me 7 pills to be given 1 tablet daily by mouth for 7 days to treat the infection. He said that he wants to see if there will be any change in my turkey. After the 7 days of treatment, to call him on Friday to let him know the status of my turkey. He went on to say that the swab test and poop sample showed no signs of any problem. All tests were good.
So, that is how my visit went with the vet. My tom was so good. He is so tame. I was able to put him on the exam table and let him go and he didnt move an inch. He stayed in place and he let the vet touch him, feel on him, open his mouth, check his back area and stood tall as if he was being judged for a Turkey Show. I was so proud of him.
When we got home, I gave my turkey his meds. I had to dissolve 1 of the tablets in water until fully dissolved. The tablet is HUGE. It looks like a BIG HORSE PILL. It was a lot of stirring and a lot of crushing the tablet. It took about 15 minutes before it was totally dissolved. After dissolving the tablet, I used the syringe that the vet gave to me and sucked up the dissolved tablet and squirted it in my turkeys mouth. I will do this every day and hope that maybe, just maybe his neck will straighten out. The vet didnt say that the Baytril will correct the neck. I think that he didnt want to get my hopes up in the event the meds dont work. He just said the meds are an antibiotic to make sure that if my turkey has any infections, it can be cured.
So, I am having a new feeder being built just for him and it is being measured specifically for his height. It will be raised a couple feet so that he can eat without having to lower his head so far down. His waterer will also be raised at his eye level. I will hand feed him a warm meal before bed and in the morning until his special feeder is made. Hell be having game bird feed, eggs, grits and yogurt. I was thinking about bringing him in tonight but I dont want him to sleep in his dog kennel. I want him to be comfortable and have a good nights rest on his roost. He roosts about 4 feet high and seems to enjoy that spot, so Ill allow him to continue to roost on his usual spot.
Before I left, I asked the vet does he see chickens and peacocks. He said YES!!! So, I was so happy to hear that. I asked him had he ever treated an egg bound chicken and he said yes. He said that he has seen and done it all. This was good news to my ears. So, now I know who to bring my turkeys, chickens and peacocks to in the event there is an injury or illness. So for those of you who need to bring your chickens, peacocks or turkeys to a vet, this vet is an option. I really, really like him and I will be taking any of my sick birds to him in the future.
One last thing .,to anyone wondering how much did all of this cost, I will give you a detailed invoice. See below:
Comprehensive Examination ............. ..$40.00
Fecal/Lab Examination ..................... $10.00
Medication (Baytril 136 mg - 7 tablets) ..............$42.82
Tax .........................................$ 3.85
Invoice Total ....................... ... .$96.67
When trying to treat your animals, nothing is too much, so Im happy with how today went.
Cross your fingers that a miracle will happen and my tom will have a straight neck at the end of this treatment. If not, then as the vet says, he can still live a normal live and wont be in any pain.
Thanks to everyone who asked about my turkey and who was concerned. I appreciate that.
I will give you all an update on Friday or this weekend as to the status of my turkey at the end of the medication treatment.
ETA: I forgot to include that my turkey had a white spot on his right eye and I was certain that it was a cataract but the vet confirmed that it was a "lesion" brought about by the respiratory problem. As the respiratory went away, so did the white spot on my turkey's eye.
Got to the vets office and checked in. I had the dog kennel covered, so he wasnt able to see anything and the dogs and cats werent able to see him and possibly scare him. The people in the vets office were curious as to what was covered up in the dog kennel. When I told them that it was a turkey, they all wanted to see him. They were so surprised. None of them had actually seen a live turkey in person, so it was a treat for them and the kids.
Well, the receptionist called us to the back, so we picked up the kennel and went to the back and was placed in a waiting room. We only waited about 5 minutes and then the Vet walked in. He automatically knew that it was me and the reason that I was there because I had emailed him a 2 page document on Monday detailing the 2 episodes of the respiratory problems along with pictures of my tom turkey and his wry neck.
He came in and completed a physical exam on my turkey. He swabbed his mouth for testing. I gave him the sample of poop in the ziploc bag that I collected. We talked about the 2 episodes of the respiratory problems and wry neck. He explained that the respiratory problem is viral and can be spread to other turkeys. He also said that the respiratory problem is what caused the wry neck. He asked me how many other turkeys did I have and did they also get a respiratory problem and wry neck. I told him no. I explained to him that once I noticed that my turkey had a respiratory problem, that I immediately removed my turkey from ALL of the other animals, including the turkeys. What he said next shocked me. He said that it didnt matter if I had removed him immediately from the flock because the respiratory problem would have already spread to the other animals. He explained that a respiratory problem is a silent disease and an animal could have it for days and possibly die before an owner would know that their animal is sick. He said that my turkey could have had the respiratory problem for days before I even knew it. (This explains why so many people on the BYC turkey thread have posted that their turkeys were dead in just a few days after the owner noticed that something was wrong with their turkey. They didnt know that their poor turkey was sick.) He said that if my other turkeys have never had a respiratory problem or wry neck, then they are probably immuned to the virus and will never get it.
The vet went on to say a respiratory problem can be recurring. He said that it was a good thing that I was able to treat the 1st case of the problem 16 months ago and the my turkeys neck straightened out. He said if a bird has wry neck longer than 3 weeks, then it is highly likely that the bird will NOT get rid of the wry neck. He said that the neck muscles tense up in that twisted position and stays that way.
He said the wry neck in my turkey is most likely permanent being as though he has had it for more than 3 weeks. He said that my turkey can live a normal life with wry neck. He asked me was my turkey eating. I told him yes because I see my turkey eating and drinking every day. He told me that my turkey felt as if he could have lost weight. They weighed him and he was ONLY 20 lbs. That is SKIINNY for MY turkey. He said that my turkey is probably putting his head down in the feeder to get food but he is not coming up with much food. He said that he was probably getting just enough food to live. His suggestions was for me to raise my turkeys feeder and waterer to his eye level, so that he does not have far to go down to eat and drink.
He said that there are not too many antibiotics for this problem but he prescribed Baytril 136 mg. He gave me 7 pills to be given 1 tablet daily by mouth for 7 days to treat the infection. He said that he wants to see if there will be any change in my turkey. After the 7 days of treatment, to call him on Friday to let him know the status of my turkey. He went on to say that the swab test and poop sample showed no signs of any problem. All tests were good.
So, that is how my visit went with the vet. My tom was so good. He is so tame. I was able to put him on the exam table and let him go and he didnt move an inch. He stayed in place and he let the vet touch him, feel on him, open his mouth, check his back area and stood tall as if he was being judged for a Turkey Show. I was so proud of him.
When we got home, I gave my turkey his meds. I had to dissolve 1 of the tablets in water until fully dissolved. The tablet is HUGE. It looks like a BIG HORSE PILL. It was a lot of stirring and a lot of crushing the tablet. It took about 15 minutes before it was totally dissolved. After dissolving the tablet, I used the syringe that the vet gave to me and sucked up the dissolved tablet and squirted it in my turkeys mouth. I will do this every day and hope that maybe, just maybe his neck will straighten out. The vet didnt say that the Baytril will correct the neck. I think that he didnt want to get my hopes up in the event the meds dont work. He just said the meds are an antibiotic to make sure that if my turkey has any infections, it can be cured.
So, I am having a new feeder being built just for him and it is being measured specifically for his height. It will be raised a couple feet so that he can eat without having to lower his head so far down. His waterer will also be raised at his eye level. I will hand feed him a warm meal before bed and in the morning until his special feeder is made. Hell be having game bird feed, eggs, grits and yogurt. I was thinking about bringing him in tonight but I dont want him to sleep in his dog kennel. I want him to be comfortable and have a good nights rest on his roost. He roosts about 4 feet high and seems to enjoy that spot, so Ill allow him to continue to roost on his usual spot.
Before I left, I asked the vet does he see chickens and peacocks. He said YES!!! So, I was so happy to hear that. I asked him had he ever treated an egg bound chicken and he said yes. He said that he has seen and done it all. This was good news to my ears. So, now I know who to bring my turkeys, chickens and peacocks to in the event there is an injury or illness. So for those of you who need to bring your chickens, peacocks or turkeys to a vet, this vet is an option. I really, really like him and I will be taking any of my sick birds to him in the future.
One last thing .,to anyone wondering how much did all of this cost, I will give you a detailed invoice. See below:
Comprehensive Examination ............. ..$40.00
Fecal/Lab Examination ..................... $10.00
Medication (Baytril 136 mg - 7 tablets) ..............$42.82
Tax .........................................$ 3.85
Invoice Total ....................... ... .$96.67
When trying to treat your animals, nothing is too much, so Im happy with how today went.
Cross your fingers that a miracle will happen and my tom will have a straight neck at the end of this treatment. If not, then as the vet says, he can still live a normal live and wont be in any pain.
Thanks to everyone who asked about my turkey and who was concerned. I appreciate that.
I will give you all an update on Friday or this weekend as to the status of my turkey at the end of the medication treatment.
ETA: I forgot to include that my turkey had a white spot on his right eye and I was certain that it was a cataract but the vet confirmed that it was a "lesion" brought about by the respiratory problem. As the respiratory went away, so did the white spot on my turkey's eye.
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