Peacock emergency

[casportpony]

Quote: I also worry about that, but if worms get them down to the point he is at, what choice does one have? Does anyone know what a vet would recommend?

-Kathy

 

[KsKingBee]

I also worry about that, but if worms get them down to the point he is at, what choice does one have? Does anyone know what a vet would recommend?

-Kathy

The picture we share of my chick that succumbed to worms is a case in point, too high of a load of dead worms for the bird to handle. I don't know what else a person could do other than to help the birds defenses with antibiotics, of which I had not done. Perhaps if I had known that it had such a bad load and given the antibiotics it may have had a chance to fight off the infection.

This bird we are watching here should have a better chance since it is getting the antibodies it needs before worming. I hope she started the treatments last night and is not waiting, this is very serious indeed.

 

[Ersika]

Some people may disagree, but when I can't take them to the vet for a proper diagnosis, I use the shotgun approach, which means I treat for all things peafowl are most likely to get (coccidiosis, worms, blackhead and enteritis). Most of the time I get lucky,

-Kathy

You may call it the shotgun approach, Kathy, but it is based on years of experience. It isn’t luck, it is skill and instinct combined and we all appreciate you sharing. I am sorry to not be updating to the minute – just found out my inlaws are coming today for a week’s visit instead of tomorrow, so I am caring for The Bird first and foremost, getting on the computer only sporadically.
My vet did respond to my text last night that he knows little about peafowl but did look up the same things Kathy just mentioned. Between us and based on his weight we settled on 1.5 ml of the enrofloxacin he had prescribed for my cat, twice /day. I increased his fluids to 120 ml and added the antibiotic to the feeding tube as I changed to the 2nd syringe so he had fluid first and then the drug was washed down by fluid. He handles the extra fluid so I am going every 6 hours now, whew! He has a measured amount of food and water in front of him.
He was quite bright-eyed and perky this morning. I can’t believe he is the same bird who was flopping around in the tree 24 hours ago then lay in my lap with a droopy head for two hours after he fell out. He looks so normal, although I can’t judge if he has good balance or not in the small space.

So now my concern is confinement. I have him in a 3’ by 5.5’ wire dog pen. Anything bigger and I don’t think I can catch him, he is already becoming increasingly difficult. I can see two feathers that broke during his episodes yesterday but I am afraid the crate will damage them more. And what about muscle tone? He survives by flying to the roof of my house and then high in the pine tree next to it each night and has done this for nine years. How much damage can his feathers sustain and still carry him up there? I guess he still makes it during molt each year, although I always worry.
I intend to go the full five days on meds and get a dose of Safeguard into him before releasing him. I love hearing all of your more experienced advice and will try everything that makes sense in our situation. Will update as I can in between house-cleaning for inllawsL

 

[casportpony]

The cage you have him in will be fine. If he were mine and didn't start eating on his own I would start tube feeding Kaytee Baby Bird Food. You should also ask your vet if he could check his poop for coccidia and worms, and ask him to recommend a Safeguard dose for treating capillary worms. If he were mine I would give 2.3 ml *five* days in a row, but do consult with your vet on that.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

The post and thread below is probably worth reading... Her hen had two fecals, the first one was negative, but the second one showed capillary worms and coccidiosis.

This is a cross post. I posted also in emergencies, but I'm needing help fast.

I have a 3 year old peahen that lives in the aviary with a 5 year old male. The first indication that I had that anything was wrong was on Sunday, 2 days ago. She was lying in her nest box inside the coop which she never does. She is always sitting on the perch. I went in and encouraged her to get up. She popped up and ran outside to the pen just fine, but when she tried to fly up to the perch, she couldn't make it. The perch is about 4 feet high, she flapped up about halfway and came back down. She tried a couple of times and did not have the energy to get to the perch. She did peck at the scratch feed that I had scattered on the ground. Then she went back inside and lay in the next box again.

When I checked on her later in the afternoon, she could not stand or walk without tumbling over. She doesn't want to get up, but if I get too close, she will make the effort, but falls down. She was the same yesterday. I waited down there until I could collect a fresh stool sample from each of them and took the samples to a vet. (We don't have a qualified avian vet in the area. There is one vet in a town an hour away that treats parrots and lizards, but he admits he knows nothing about poultry. He can read a fecal, though). But both samples came back clean. I didn't really expect to see any parasites, as I do a regular worming program on the birds, and they had just been wormed two weeks ago. The hen's stool yesterday was yellowish and mucus, but today it looked pretty normal, just a little softer that usual.

I don't think there is any foot or leg injury, as she was able to walk just fine 2 days ago, just seemed too weak to fly at that time. I don't know if she is eating or drinking, as I suspect it is too much effort for her to get outside to the feeder. I sprinkled some food and scratch on the floor of the pen this morning and set a dish of water in there for her.
Frankly, I was surprised to find her still alive this morning, but she was actually standing on the floor when I went in. Still flopped and fell down when she tried to walk.

If I know what medicine she needs, I can get it down her throat.

Any ideas? I hope that someone out there can help, as we have no vet to turn to here.

Donna

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Here is some Safeguard info:




Capillary worm info:




-Kathy

 

[Trefoil]

The one initial dose of safeguard is a good idea if you are concerned with the toxic effects of too many dead worms in his system. But, to kill all his internal parasites you will have to wait several days for the dead worms in his system from the safeguard to expel and then really worm him. The cage is fine. Mine love chopped up boiled eggs, it might encourage him to eat. If this works you will need to worm him at least every 6 months. Using a different type of wormer every other time. Once he's free you probably aren't going to be able to catch him again unless he's ill, so make sure he's well before releasing him.

 

[casportpony]

If he were mine I would worm 5 days in a row straight away, I would not wait.

-Kathy

 

[Ersika]

A quick question if any one can answer it really fast..I have been dosing The Bird with his enroflxacin into the crop tube while giving fluids. Is it ok to do the same with the Safeguard?

 

[casportpony]

Yes.

-Kathy