Please help Smudgie!!! Calling all experts!!!

[Cats Cradle]

I don't know much about Albon. If the chick is getting better, I would proceed with it. Finish what the vet prescribed. If Smudgie isn't better at that point, I would do a round of Corid. At some point, she is going to need probiotics to rebuild her healthy bacteria.

Albon is sulfadimethoxine, so its a sulfa and is used for a variety of things, which is why the vet prescribed it. My understandings is one of the dangers with cocci is the secondary infections.

My concern was how hard it seems to be on her. Her stools get dramatically worse 4-5 hours after taking it. Yesterday was the worst as far as her stools. They literally looked like straight blood just as it would look if it came straight out of a vein! That's also when she looked EXTREMELY anemic. She was pale before, but that blood loss made it much worse. Fortunately it didn't get nearly as bad today. The worst it got today was the watery red stool. I know I need to keep treating her... just don't want to wipe out the last few red blood cells she has!

Can you get her to eat some smashed up chicken liver? If she is anemic, this would help with the iron deficiency. I'm trying to remember everything that I just read and address the main points. If I left something out, please feel free to ask your questions again.

She doesn't eat on her own at all yet. Everything she gets is being tubed in every hour or two. (Timing depends on when her crop empties.)

There is ferrous sulfate in the formula, so she is getting some iron. Just don't know if it's enough considering how serious I believe her anemia to be.

 

[leadwolf1]

Ok, so now my question is this? What's killing the coccidia? They are protozoan, not bacteria. I'm wondering if you shouldn't be treating with both? I read on here somewhere about doing just that. One med to kill the coccidia, the second to take care of any secondary infections. Please, if you can, PM Dawg 53...he is so knowledgeable about these things.

 

[Cats Cradle]

Quote:

In extreme cases like yours I'd put the chick in an oxygen tank to help her. Unfortunately, you don't have one and your vet or staff apparently thinks 'it's only a chicken'.

Any idea what I can do at home to get her more oxygen?

I had the idea after your post to take her out for some good old fashioned fresh air. (No danger of chilling in the heat we have here!) I have to tell you she loved her little "walk." She lifted her head up and looked all around! She was completely alert for 5 minutes straight!!! I was concerned I'd over tire her so we came back in then. My daughter and I have repeated this two more times. This last time she actually made an attempt to stand! Too weak still, but she tried!

I don't know if its really "helping" but she clearly seems to like her outings! At any rate it makes my daughter smile and that makes me feel better.

 

[Cats Cradle]

Quote:

Ok, so now my question is this? What's killing the coccidia? They are protozoan, not bacteria. I'm wondering if you shouldn't be treating with both? I read on here somewhere about doing just that. One med to kill the coccidia, the second to take care of any secondary infections. Please, if you can, PM Dawg 53...he is so knowledgeable about these things.

I just sent a PM.. hopefully he can help!

Albon is used for treating cocci in a variety of species.

 

[leadwolf1]

Great!!! I hope he can help. He is very knowledgeable as is speckledhen. I know that I've heard about Albon before. I just am not well acquainted with how it works. I've just always had great success with Corid and didn't need to go further.

Her little walks probably made her very happy and to see your daughter smile was well worth it I think that the sun and fresh air will be healing for them both!

 

[dawg53]

I recommend dosing Smudgie with Corid. Albon only treats 2 types of cocci, corid treats all 9 types of cocci.

 

[Cats Cradle]

Quote:

I recommend dosing Smudgie with Corid. Albon only treats 2 types of cocci, corid treats all 9 types of cocci.

Thank you so much for your help!

Do I need to stop the Albon? If so for how long before giving Corid? (She has been getting Albon 1x/day, last dose was 7 am today.) She last had Corid on Sunday/early Monday.

How do I dose the Albon for tube feeding?

 

[leadwolf1]

She won't swallow at all? If she will swallow, you can use an eyedropper to drip the medicine into her beak. Just use the amount that you think that she would normally drink on her own. Do this every two to three hours until she gets strong enough to drink on her own.

Dawg53...thanks so much for helping. I knew that there was something about Albon that I couldn't remember...now I know, it is pretty much like Sulmet in its ability to treat coccidiosis.

 

[Cats Cradle]

Update on Smudgie

After some really scary points yesterday, Smudgie is doing better today. There has been no red in her stools and they are not watery. She is more alert and is even walking a little bit. Yesterday, if she wanted to move, she sort of "crawled" forward, but today she stands up and walks. It's usually only a short distance, but I think its a big improvement.

Smudgie has always been my daughters favorite and also always been a people friendly chick, but now that she's feeling better she's showing us that she's more attached to us than ever. If we talk to her she chirps back! Now that she's more mobile, she walks over to me and literally leans in like she wants a cuddle when I have her on the table for her feeding.

Many thanks to all who posted ideas and support! Yesterday when the bloody stools started up again and she was so weak I really felt I was loosing the battle. Your support really helped me keep going! It really means a lot to me!

 

[Cats Cradle]

Just a quick update on Smudgie!

She has continued to improve in energy level. Up until yesterday though she was still loosing weight despite her frequent feedings. The limiting factor on how much food I could give her was how fast it moved out of the crop to make room for more. If I tried to feed before the crop was mostly empty she would spit up. It was improving, and each day I was able to get more into her than the day before! This morning at her morning weigh in, was the first time she hadn't lost weight! She actually had gained a little less than a gram... not much, but it was a GAIN!!!

Then, a few hours ago, she finally started eating on her own! I can't tell you how exciting it was to see her do that!!! I am continuing to tube feed her in addition to what she eats, as I feel it's to soon to risk a backslide! (Anyone ever weaned a bird off of tube feeding before? If so, I'd like to hear what has worked!)

Thanks again for all the support! I think this one is going to have a happy ending!!!