Ongoing Care for Respiratory Illness - not Mycoplasma

[JBirdy]

Hello,

My small backyard flock is currently suffering from a bout with respiratory illness. Aside from sneezing and head shaking, there aren't any other major symptoms at the moment. We've been to a avian vet and they are currently being treated with Tylan orally. I've made the choice to provide them with ongoing care, so long as their quality of life is good. On a side note, the birds have tested negative at the provincial lab for mycoplasma.

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for ongoing support and treatment (other than what the vet has prescribed when they're showing symptoms). They regularly have natural apple cider vinegar, GSE, and garlic in their water, well as goldenseal and echinacea when showing symptoms. I've heard good things about VetRX, denegard, as well as probiotics (they have been getting some yogurt mixed in with their feed but no poultry specific preparations). If anyone has any suggestions, I would be grateful!

While I know that many opt to cull their flocks, I've researched my options and have chosen to maintain a closed flock.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pyxis]

May I ask what diseases they tested for, if any, aside from mycoplasma? I ask because that changes things as far as treatment goes. Denagard, for example, will work on Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale, but not coryza.

And some diseases are viruses and you can't really treat them at all, just provide supportive care until the symptoms pass.

 

[Eggcessive]

Are there a lot of birds sneezing now? Infectious bronchitis is a virus that causes sneezing every few minutes as the main symptom, and spreads through a flock like wildfire. It lasts about a month and usually grown birds tolerate it well. It can cause wrinkled egg shells or thin shells.

If you see bubbles in the eyes or swelling, that is more a sign of MG. Do you know what kind of testing they did, whether it was blood or a nasal swab, or if it was PCR testing or Elisa? We all learn from others here, and so few get tested, it is good to know what others are doing. And we are kind of nosey as well....

Be careful not to overdo the herbs if you are putting them in water. Sick chickens drink less water, so make sure they are drinking well, and they may not like drinking flavored water. You can also make a small portion of their chicken feed wet with water in a bowl or pan. Here is a good link for the common respiratory diseases to compare your symptoms:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[JBirdy]

May I ask what diseases they tested for, if any, aside from mycoplasma? I ask because that changes things as far as treatment goes. Denagard, for example, will work on Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale, but not coryza.

And some diseases are viruses and you can't really treat them at all, just provide supportive care until the symptoms pass.

I don't think they were tested for anything besides mycoplasma.... but they weren't showing any of the symptoms for coryza. They did improve with the Tylan, so it must be having some effect? The vet seemed to think it could possibly be a virus, as well. It's frustrating not knowing!

 

[Pyxis]

I don't think they were tested for anything besides mycoplasma.... but they weren't showing any of the symptoms for coryza. They did improve with the Tylan, so it must be having some effect? The vet seemed to think it could possibly be a virus, as well. It's frustrating not knowing!

If Tylan is helping, then it may well be coryza, since Tylan is effective against it. Coryza symptoms are pretty much exactly the same as mycoplasma, with sometimes the addition of a bad smell. However sometimes the only symptoms with it might be sneezing in mild cases. The other symptoms don't have to be present.

 

[JBirdy]

Are there a lot of birds sneezing now? Infectious bronchitis is a virus that causes sneezing every few minutes as the main symptom, and spreads through a flock like wildfire. It lasts about a month and usually grown birds tolerate it well. It can cause wrinkled egg shells or thin shells.

If you see bubbles in the eyes or swelling, that is more a sign of MG. Do you know what kind of testing they did, whether it was blood or a nasal swab, or if it was PCR testing or Elisa? We all learn from others here, and so few get tested, it is good to know what others are doing. And we are kind of nosey as well....

Be careful not to overdo the herbs if you are putting them in water. Sick chickens drink less water, so make sure they are drinking well, and they may not like drinking flavored water. You can also make a small portion of their chicken feed wet with water in a bowl or pan. Here is a good link for the common respiratory diseases to compare your symptoms:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

I'm thinking infectious bronchitis could be a possibility too from the sounds of it. We haven't had any out of the ordinary eggs - they're actually laying well at this time. Luckily, there's been no bubbles in the eyes and/or swelling. When they tested, they took a swab down the throat. It was a really expensive test ($150) but at least we can somewhat rule out mycoplasma.

They seem to be drinking normally and don't seem to mind the water at all... I put a small amount maple syrup in when giving them the goldenseal/echinacea because I've heard that it masks the flavour a bit.

I'm going to have a look at your link - thanks for that!

 

[JBirdy]

If Tylan is helping, then it may well be coryza, since Tylan is effective against it. Coryza symptoms are pretty much exactly the same as mycoplasma, with sometimes the addition of a bad smell. However sometimes the only symptoms with it might be sneezing in mild cases. The other symptoms don't have to be present.

If Tylan is helping, then it may well be coryza, since Tylan is effective against it. Coryza symptoms are pretty much exactly the same as mycoplasma, with sometimes the addition of a bad smell. However sometimes the only symptoms with it might be sneezing in mild cases. The other symptoms don't have to be present.

Ok, that's good to know! None of the more extreme symptoms seem to be popping up but if it's possible to have more of a mild strain, that could fit. I'm glad the Tylan is having some effect!