My hen has Eye Issue

[rjskryd]

Hi all - My hen has always had an eye issue since she hatched 7 years ago. One eye would buildup and I would rinse without issue. Recently, she has developed a crust over the eye and it has now moved to the other eye and is swollen under the other eye. The area around her eye has a pungent infection like smell! We have been treating her for three weeks with rinsing twice daily Vetericyn, Terramycin (application in both eyes) and oxytetracycline - 1/8 tsp - Quart refreshed daily in her water. I put her in a separate area when I introduced the oxytetracycline. She has been taking the oxytetracycline for two days now and actually seems to be getting worse. She now has a cloudy discharge over one eye and the other eye is very swollen. She DOES NOT have any signs of a respiratory infection nor do any of the other hens in her coop. Does anyone have any suggestions? I do not know what else I can do for her and I think she is suffering.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you see a vet? She needs to have her eyes irrigated twice a day with saline eye wash, and try to express any pus around the eyes or in the sinus cavity. Then the ointment and the antibiotics may help. The vet has better antibiotics to prescribe, but the oxytet is helpful with MG. If you are treating coryza or E.coli, then sulfa antibiotics would be more effective. Those include SMZ-TMP (bactrim,) or Albon (sulfadimethoxine.) With the bad odor, that may be the problem. In cleaning the eye, I would look for a tiny seed or feather that may have gotten into the eye. Foxtails are known to cause massive eye infections. Here is a graphic video of getting pus from an eye:

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are 2 threads that have good information on eye infections:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/nasty-eye-infection-pics.1071718/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...e-sinus-lump-swelling-cure-treatment.1156995/

 

[rjskryd]

Can you see a vet? She needs to have her eyes irrigated twice a day with saline eye wash, and try to express any pus around the eyes or in the sinus cavity. Then the ointment and the antibiotics may help. The vet has better antibiotics to prescribe, but the oxytet is helpful with MG. If you are treating coryza or E.coli, then sulfa antibiotics would be more effective. Those include SMZ-TMP (bactrim,) or Albon (sulfadimethoxine.) With the bad odor, that may be the problem. In cleaning the eye, I would look for a tiny seed or feather that may have gotten into the eye. Foxtails are known to cause massive eye infections. Here is a graphic video of getting pus from an eye:

Thank you for the wonderful feedback! We don't have a chicken vet near us, unfortunately. The video was very helpful. We will try expressing around the eye. We discussed this morning, but we're afraid of injuring her further.

 

[Eggcessive]

Just be gentle. It may take several tries to get it all out over several days. In the upper part of her beak you can look for any pus in the choanal slit which is connected to the sinuses. If it has visiable pus you can push it upward to get it out. Here is a picture of the slit:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/6559203/width/500/height/1000

 

[rjskryd]

I did not think of looking inside. She had a yellowish crust on the outside of her beak, which we were able to clear after a few picking off sessions. Thank you so much! We will try anything and everything to save her!!!!!