Oil Gland Blocked?

[Isaac 0]

That is very backed up.

Any chance you could have him taken to a vet, or no?

 

[aart]

Didn’t realize there were two openings to the gland.

Got curious about this and found this pic, think it's from a chicken but would be the same on all fowl?
Pic came from here, but a quick look did not cite it's origin.

 

[Deleted member 94844]

Ha! I found that pic as well last night... more come up if you search “uropygial gland” which is the proper name.

As for an avian vet, it’s sort of an issue.

The avian vet that we’d been going to, who I hated, committed suicide a few years ago (awful story). That vet was terrible and misdiagnosed the birds many times, including killing Nibbeh’s mate mistaking poisoning for heat stroke.

I finally found another vet, and they killed this duck’s son (another awful story). There aren’t many avian vets in Los Angeles and I’ve been trying to find someone else reputable.

 

[aart]

Ha! I found that pic as well last night

Is it accurate as to where you found the two ducts?

 

[Deleted member 94844]

Is it accurate as to where you found the two ducts?

It is! It’s just confusing because it is swollen and misshapen. So this morning a bunch of pus and some blood came out after I heated and cleaned it (was dried up and clogged again), which I’m taking as a good sign that the infection is working it’s way out.

Last year my son got a horrible staph infection on his earlobe (another awful story) that I cured by packing the wound with gauze soaked in manuka honey, which is miraculous in clearing serious infections. So I put some of the honey on the gland and lanced it down into the slits with the blunt needle end... not sure how much got in there, hopefully enough to do some good. Will also keep it lubricated and prevent from crusting up as easily. Fingers crossed.

 

[Deleted member 94844]

I wanted to post an update to help others that might be dealing with this situation... it took nearly a month, but Nibb’s preen gland is back in business and he looks great. It was a tricky thing to treat and it would have been sorted much sooner if I’d done a few things differently, so I wanted to share my experience. This would have resolved in a week if I had immediately put him on Baytril... I delayed about two weeks for stupid reasons, mostly thinking I could treat it without antibiotics. Prior to that it was getting better and worse on repeat. Save yourself the hassle and just give them Baytril on first sign of infection. The main thing I did that was extremely effective was treating it internally with manuka honey. I have treated multiple staph infections with medicinal honey and it is amazing. Everyone should have this in their arsenal. Systemic antibiotics are not great at treating infections in nooks and crannies like sinus cavities, and the preen gland was infected on the inside. I got a long, thick sewing needle and used the blunt eye end to clear blockages and pull out infected matter. And there was a lot. I wore gloves and kept wiping the needle on a towel soaked in alcohol. The first few days were just clearing the clog and pulling the putrid muck out of there. The surface of the openings kept crusting during treatment, so I’m pretty sure this was staph. I also pulled what looked like rotted feathers out so it’s possible the infection started with an ingrown or impacted feather deep inside the gland. Once it was cleaned I soaked 1/8” sterile packing ribbon (plain, not iodoform) with manuka honey and threaded it down into the ducts very carefully with a toothpick and the needle. This was a real game changer and cleared the infection literally overnight. Combined with the Baytril 10% daily it was cleared up within a few days. Let the surface crust over completely, don’t pick at the scabs, and then you can pull it off with the sleeve intact... the entire interior of the duct will crust and come out in one piece, looking like a tornado. Hard to describe. Then it will fully heal. I gave him some Vitamin A and treated the surface with honey while it was healing. I also kept him isolated and out of the pond until the infection was under control. His gland is now functioning 100% and he feels great.

 

[Jak115]

Glad to see everything ended great!

 

[Deleted member 94844]

Here’s a pic with the packing ribbon in place... it was soaked in 16+ manuka honey and inserted about an inch into both ducts. It helped get the honey down deep, prevented clogging, and wicked out infected material. He would sometimes pull them out. Lol.

 

[Jak115]

What is manuka honey? Iv never heard about it before

 

[Deleted member 94844]

It’s a medicinal honey that is very effective at treating viruses and bacteria... one of the only things that can kill MRSA.

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/manuka-honey-medicinal-uses

I had a staph infection that was still active in my sinuses after two rounds of antibiotics. The honey killed it in two days. I take it regularly in my tea now and haven’t been sick since. Swear by it.