Respiratory infection? Help!

[wyllyschickens]

On Friday my chicken Clementine began making this strange sound like a long cough and she would stretch her neck when she did it. She had no other symptoms and was her typical perky self. Saturday afternoon I discovered two poops that had round worm in them. I frantically went to the store (early Saturday PM) and bought wazine and put it in their water. Then I started researching what Clementine might have and thought this might be gapeworm since she did stretch her neck when she did the strange cough sound.

I took a qtip and swabbed her throat and saw nothing. It came out clean. Okay... Maybe not gapeworm....

Sunday morning I woke up really early to check on Clementine and found that Honey, my buff orp, was GURGLING!!!!! She sounded miserable. I took Clementine and Honey to the EMERGENCY vet because it really sounded THAT bad and they put her in oxygen for a little bit to help both of them perk up. They then tested the stool for worms and it came back negative! The vet said that you should treat your whole flock anyway and sent me home with antibiotics (enroflixacin) and wormer (panacur- isn't this a dog de-wormer??).

Last night honey sounded so bad I thought she was going to die. I didn't sleep at all!

So today Clementine sounds really bad and gurgly, as does honey but not AS bad as Sunday. I called my regular vet and she has not gotten back to me.

What is going on!?!?!?! Do you think it is an upper respiratory thing? Do I need to treat the whole flock with antibiotics? What is the best antibiotic for this? What is the best wormer?

By the way, the other 4 girls in my flock seem perfectly normal except one spit up clear water or liquid but she had just drank and put her head down to peck and that is when it came out.

All the poop seems fine as well.

Ahhhhh I'm losing it.

 

[Binki]

Hi and I'm sorry for your birds! I don't have experience with this but this may be a good link for you - it lists common poultry diseases, respiratory ones from the top, maybe you could read the symptoms and match it up with your birds and figure out treatment? It talks about behaviour, color, poop, spots, etc.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/m/#publication?id=PS044

 

[wyllyschickens]

Thank you.

I have called my vet 3 times now and she hasn't called back.

They don't have crusty or swollen eyes. Nor do they have smelly discharge from their nose. I just want to make sure that they are on the right meds and the timeline of the illness. If by tomorrow they aren't significantly better I'm going to show up to my vet since she refuses to call back.

Hasn't anyone experienced this????

 

[wyllyschickens]

And Clementine laid an egg today at her usual time... She is a true egg timer!!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

Many respiratory diseases can cause the symptoms you describe. Viruses such as infectious bronchitis (IB,) or ILT (infectious laryngotracheitis,) mycoplasma (MG,) coryza, and aspergillosis are the common ones. IB or ILT may cause the neck gaping, but without testing, you can only guess what you are seeing. Any respiratory disease can cause a decrease in laying. Antibiotics such as Tylan, oxytetracycline, and Gallimycin (erythromycin,) can be used to treat bacterial diseases or to help prevent secondary bacterial infections in bacterial or viral diseases. Most respiratory diseases can make the whole flock carriers for life (IB is only a year.)

 

[wyllyschickens]

Thank you very much.

Should I treat my entire flock?

Should I switch antibiotics to tylan?

 

[Eggcessive]

Enrofloxacin is a very good antibiotic, similar to Baytril. Just continue the treatment on the one sick chicken. I don't recommend treating chickens who are not showing symptoms of illness.

 

[wyllyschickens]

Thanks. This will be the third day on antibiotics and not too much better.... I'm worried.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks. This will be the third day on antibiotics and not too much better.... I'm worried.

Keep in mind that antibiotics won't cure a virus or fungal infection. IB, ILT are viruses, while aspergillosis is a fungus. Antibiotics will, however, help to prevent secondary bacterial infections. Infectious bronchitis typically lasts for several weeks, and has some of her symptoms. Symptoms can worsen at night or when they eat. You can't see gapeworm by swabbing the throat--it is only seen if you cut open the trachea after a chicken dies. If a chicken has gapeworm, they can't eat or drink. It won't hurt to worm your flock once she gets off the antibiotics, but I would give her some probiotics in her water for a few days first.

 

[wyllyschickens]

Now my whole flock has it..... This is extremely frustrating.

Called my vet again and the vet that sees chickens doesn't work on Tuesday so I will have to wait for tomorrow.

Meanwhile I called a bunch of vets in the area to ask about seeing my birds and the soonest they could see me was tomorrow. Ugh is there anything I can do?