Really nasty ear infection in a silkie hen ~GRAPHIC pics~

[casportpony]

Quote: Great pictures!

-Kathy

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Glad I found this thread! (Hi @casportpony !)

I'm helping out at a bird rehab center and someone brought in a chicken with a similar situation.
How long does it take for the stretched out tissue to close back up?

Here are some photos:
Before (right)


After (right)


Before (left)


After (left)


Plug that came out of right ear:

 

[casportpony]

Glad I found this thread! (Hi @casportpony !) I'm helping out at a bird rehab center and someone brought in a chicken with a similar situation. How long does it take for the stretched out tissue to close back up? Here are some photos: Before (right) After (right) Before (left) After (left) Plug that came out of right ear:

Great pictures!

 

[Woobsie]

I just treated my cochin roo with this. Used polysporin eye ear drops, tried to pull out the pus and had him on 10 days of tetracycline. Then I realized he had a mite and flea infestation so I gave him a dose of selamectin (Revolution here in Canada). the guy looks like a brand new bird again. Wished I had caught on earlier. Think his overall health was suffering because of the mites. His ear hole swelling went down to what it was before. But I will tell ya, man was there a LOT of nasty cheese pus down there. I feared I was going to pull out some gray matter at one point. Lol

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Glad I found this thread! (Hi @casportpony !)

I'm helping out at a bird rehab center and someone brought in a chicken with a similar situation.
How long does it take for the stretched out tissue to close back up?

Here are some photos:
Before (right)


After (right)


Before (left)


After (left)


Plug that came out of right ear:

Good photos! Thanks for sharing.

Did you need to soften it any with peroxide, ointment, etc. or did it just come out with a bit of pressure?

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Hello again,
@Wyorp Rock , sorry for the slow reply.
For the first ear, I gently pried the pus-scab (eew) and that big chunk just popped out. But in the second one, the pus-scab had hardened with some feathers stuck in it so my more experienced supervisor softened it with warm water and gently pulled it apart and out of the ear with blunt tweezers.

Do any of you have a feeling about the possible source of this type of infection?
I ask because this hen was initially seen by a vet who warned that she should be kept in quarantine, as she was possibly infectious.
(However, this same vet did not even suggest trying to remove the big gobs of pus in her ears, so they may not be too chicken-aware).
@casportpony , do you have any thoughts about the possibility that this could be related to a contagious ailment???

Thank you all for any thoughts!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello again,
@Wyorp Rock , sorry for the slow reply.
For the first ear, I gently pried the pus-scab (eew) and that big chunk just popped out. But in the second one, the pus-scab had hardened with some feathers stuck in it so my more experienced supervisor softened it with warm water and gently pulled it apart and out of the ear with blunt tweezers.

Do any of you have a feeling about the possible source of this type of infection?
I ask because this hen was initially seen by a vet who warned that she should be kept in quarantine, as she was possibly infectious.
(However, this same vet did not even suggest trying to remove the big gobs of pus in her ears, so they may not be too chicken-aware).
@casportpony , do you have any thoughts about the possibility that this could be related to a contagious ailment???

Thank you all for any thoughts!

There's no way to know the cause, but a few things can cause ear infections - mites/lice, insects/insect bites (ticks), pecking wound/injury, getting something in the ear canal (debris/dirt) and respiratory illness are usually the main causes. Since it was in both ears I would lean toward respiratory illness or possibly mites/lice if she had any critters on her when you got her.

It's always a good idea to keep even a seemingly "healthy" bird quarantined for about 3wks if they are going to be added to an existing flock. This gives you time to observe them for anyhealth issues.

If the ear infection was caused by respiratory illness she would be considered a carrier even though she has recovered and shows no symptoms of illness. Without testing, there's really no way to know if she has anything or not.

Just my thoughts

 

[casportpony]

Hello again,
@Wyorp Rock , sorry for the slow reply.
For the first ear, I gently pried the pus-scab (eew) and that big chunk just popped out. But in the second one, the pus-scab had hardened with some feathers stuck in it so my more experienced supervisor softened it with warm water and gently pulled it apart and out of the ear with blunt tweezers.

Do any of you have a feeling about the possible source of this type of infection?
I ask because this hen was initially seen by a vet who warned that she should be kept in quarantine, as she was possibly infectious.
(However, this same vet did not even suggest trying to remove the big gobs of pus in her ears, so they may not be too chicken-aware).
@casportpony , do you have any thoughts about the possibility that this could be related to a contagious ailment???

Thank you all for any thoughts!

My best guess is that it was from a respiratory infection, and most avian respiratory infections are highly contagious. Are you still in California? I ask because the CAHFS labs offer very low cost testing for such things.
http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cahfs/local_resources/pdfs/fee lists/Poultry_fee_list_040116.pdf

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Thank you both for the responses! I'm glad she is in quarantine.
I'm not in CA, but thank you for that link @casportpony , it's very useful.

What type of testing would have to be done to determine the source of the respiratory infection?
I'm wondering if there is some kind of sample I could take to the vet without having to bring in the hen herself. (Looking at that link makes it seem unlikely...)

 

[casportpony]

Thank you both for the responses! I'm glad she is in quarantine.
I'm not in CA, but thank you for that link @casportpony , it's very useful.

What type of testing would have to be done to determine the source of the respiratory infection?
I'm wondering if there is some kind of sample I could take to the vet without having to bring in the hen herself. (Looking at that link makes it seem unlikely...)

They can test for almost all respiratory diseases with a vile of blood I think, so a vet or tech is needed.