Pain meds for chicken

[Chickenmomma9099]

One of my hens we suspect have EYP. Long story short, I’m monitoring her condition and giving antibiotics and meloxicam. How long can I keep her on the Meloxicam? If I take her off of it, is there anything else I can use long term for the pain? I read on poultry DVM I cannot use gabapentin. Is there an alternative?

Also how long does it take for an egg yolk to be reaborbed?

Thanks

 

[Debbie292d]

I found that a vet prescribed meloxicam for 7 days, and somewhere else for 10. It doesn't sound like she should be on this long-term, regardless.

For pain, Baby Aspirin is 81 mg. and a chicken can safely have 120 mg of aspirin per day. You could do 40mg three times a day. It isn't advised to continue this for more than a couple of days as it can start harming their kidneys and liver.

So neither of these are long-term for pain for her. I'm sorry but I'm not finding anything else that would help that she could be on long term. Perhaps there's something homeopathic. This article lists comfrey, rosemary, and chickweed can help with pain. I couldn't speak to if they work well or not though.

 

[Susan Skylark]

Any nsaid can cause kidney, liver, or gi issues, but in cases of severe pain or inflammation they can be literal life savers. Meloxicam is a relatively safer alternative to more traditional nsaids like aspirin, if your bird truly has peritonitis the risk of damage from excess inflammation or the bird stopping to eat or drink because of pain is far greater than the slight risk associated with using an nsaid. If it is a bird appropriate dose and you have an accurate weight, leaving it on for several months is an option without significant risk, but make sure the bird is getting plenty of water and watch for adverse symptoms (gi upset, lethargy, anorexia…).