Quail with head injury panting heavily

[maadroj]

I posted a bit about this in the quail forum but am now trying in emergencies.

Background
I have a quail that I have been nursing for a suspected head injury for two weeks. At that time, I found him lethargic, and within an hour he was unable to walk or stand. I brought him inside, and covered and heated the cage. After a day, I suspected he wasn't eating, so I started giving him food with a syringe (drops on his beak that seeped in and he swallowed). I tried NutriDrench, applesauce mixed with water, his regular food ground up with water, and after a few days also gave a few drops of poly vi sol per day. After about one week with no apparent improvement and very weakened, I spoke remotely to an avian vet who recommended two drops of children's Motrin per day. After a day or so, he turned around. His appetite returned, and he seemed a bit stronger each day. He never showed any interest in water, so I continued to drip liquids. A few days ago he started eating mealworms again, voraciously.

Current
Yesterday he was eating so well that I didn't take him out as often. I missed his evening dose of Motrin because it got dark before I got back to him, and I didn't want to disturb him after dark when he normally sleeps.

This morning he was very weak again, sometimes unable to keep himself upright, and panting slowly but deeply. He is able to hold his head up and has not quite regressed to his lowest point, but he is in very poor condition. I thought he might have an impacted crop, but it has not improved at all today. I contacted the vet again who suggested he may have aspiration pneumonia. He occasionally appears to gag but does not have anything stuck in his larynx that I can see. He still eats a little on his own. I'm afraid to give him liquids, but when I've tried to give him a drop at the tip of his beak, he swallows a moment later but then stretches forward like he's gagging.

I welcome any thoughts, insights, experience. Thanks.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry about your Quail.
I don't know much about them. Hopefully @Gray Farms @TwoCrows or @007Sean can chime in.

If you can, get some photos of him and his poop.
Is his crop empty in the morning? You mention gagging - what is the crop like?

 

[maadroj]

Thanks! This was his poop this morning. Unfortunately I'm not familiar enough with a normal crop to be able to tell you anything about it. I don't normally handle him when he's healthy.

Today he is very weak, does not walk or stand (but can move his legs and press when he wants to). He is still panting, less heavily than yesterday, and occasionally makes the gagging-type stretch. He eats a little on his own when I place him with the food, then quickly falls back asleep. He has swallowed some drops of water and medicine placed on his beak by syringe.

Edit: there was also a big patch of white urates that stuck to his feathers so aren't in this photo. I cleaned him.

 

[maadroj]

I tried to look down his throat yesterday. I happened to get these images while he was making the gagging motion.

 

[TwoCrows]

I am glad you started a thread here and was hoping others would chime in here too as I am not 100% sure on this, I sort of got caught up with the mealworm thing you had mentioned to me in our PM.

BUT....I am starting think he has a bacterial infection. He may have had one all along or contracted it after a head boink. Panting is a sign of infection.

Do you have any antibacteria drugs? Even human stuff will work here. Since this seems to possibly be pnuemonia, if you have any Amoxicillin, this stuff will attack it quick. You say you have contact with a vet? I would push to get some Amoxicillin asap. Again, if you have any human Amoxicillin, this will work too.

 

[maadroj]

I have this and started giving him some yesterday evening after talking to the vet. Since he isn't drinking on his own but is eating, she said it would be ok to mix some of the medicated water into his food. I've also been giving him a few drops at a time, but now I'm worried about aspiration.

 

[TwoCrows]

I have this and started giving him some yesterday evening after talking to the vet. Since he isn't drinking on his own but is eating, she said it would be ok to mix some of the medicated water into his food. I've also been giving him a few drops at a time, but now I'm worried about aspiration.

Perfect!! What you might do is this instead. Measure out exactly what the vet told you to give him. Mix it into the tiniest bit of baby food or even apple sauce. Load it into a syringe and squeeze it onto his tongue or the side of his mouth. Just keep it out of the back of his tongue or throat, front or side only. He will get it down.

Oh and exactly how much did the vet say to give him?

 

[maadroj]

Oh and exactly how much did the vet say to give him?

She didn't say an amount, so I've been following the directions on the bottle which is one gram per gallon.

 

[TwoCrows]

She didn't say an amount, so I've been following the directions on the bottle which is one gram per gallon.

Water and oral are two different things. Let me do some research along with tagging someone....BRB.

@casportpony Kathy, can you help with dosage here?

 

[TwoCrows]

I can't find anything on this particular bottle as how to dose. Maybe Kathy will be able to figure it out. For now, I would use this mix with an eye dropper, just one or two drops every hour, try to get it in the side on the mouth, not on the tongue or in the back. If this helps him, in a couple of days he should be able to drink on his own.