We had our Lavender Orpington's swollen eye operated on Thursday. It was a tumor, not an infection as we originally thought. It was done by a vet with some bird experience, although not maybe a lot of chicken experience. She got an antibiotic shot before surgery and we are supposed to put Terramycin on 2x a day. They did not remove the eye, though we haven't seen the eye since she came home (swelling and crusted with blood/stitches). The vet did not prescribe any additional antibiotics.
It looks awful, of course. The vet indicated she couldn't get it all, and is concerned that it is a cancer caused by a virus. She would send it off for testing but I'm not sure that would really affect our decisions about our flock of three. Most of what I have read about viral leukosis etc. seem like she would have passed from it many years ago (she is almost 4).
Question though--she seems increasingly not well. She was eating and drinking well after the surgery, and she is passing increasingly normal stools, but today she is just lying in her cage more (we have the more gentle of her friends with her) and not as active seeming. I feel like her eye is more swollen also.
Should she be on an oral antibiotic? Should I be giving her some nutritional supplement right now? The vet seemed largely unconcerned about her recovery. She was very well before the surgery. We had brought all of them in due to the extreme conditions and her eye issues about a week ago. I hesitate to put everybody out now, there's still 4 inches of snow on the ground. Hopefully by Monday. I think she would be better if she could do her chicken thing outside.
Thoughts? She gets scratch, feed, water, and really anything else we can tempt her with, but she wouldn't really even consider an apple core I offered today.
It looks awful, of course. The vet indicated she couldn't get it all, and is concerned that it is a cancer caused by a virus. She would send it off for testing but I'm not sure that would really affect our decisions about our flock of three. Most of what I have read about viral leukosis etc. seem like she would have passed from it many years ago (she is almost 4).
Question though--she seems increasingly not well. She was eating and drinking well after the surgery, and she is passing increasingly normal stools, but today she is just lying in her cage more (we have the more gentle of her friends with her) and not as active seeming. I feel like her eye is more swollen also.
Should she be on an oral antibiotic? Should I be giving her some nutritional supplement right now? The vet seemed largely unconcerned about her recovery. She was very well before the surgery. We had brought all of them in due to the extreme conditions and her eye issues about a week ago. I hesitate to put everybody out now, there's still 4 inches of snow on the ground. Hopefully by Monday. I think she would be better if she could do her chicken thing outside.
Thoughts? She gets scratch, feed, water, and really anything else we can tempt her with, but she wouldn't really even consider an apple core I offered today.
