Roo with very swollen eyeball

[NajmoNests]

Roo has a very swollen eye that I have been treating with terrimycin for a week, with no improvement. He is not getting better and need advice. I will start 1/2cc of penicillan tomorrow, then maybe cut back to 1/4cc. He has electrolites in his water and a buddy to snuggle with.

 

[RhodeIslandRedFan]

Took me a while to find the steps to post pics, but here they are (hope the link works) https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/inserting-pics-in-on-the-new-byc

 

[NajmoNests]

I'm sorry if pic are too big. Any hope for this guy?

 

[klmclain1]

oops

 

[klmclain1]

Do you have any penicillin? I would give IM injections. AND start some hotcompresses to see if you can get that to drain! POOOOOR BABY!!!

 

[NajmoNests]

I have been holding a hot/wet cloth to his eye before applying terrimycin 3 or 4 times a day for a week. I have penicillan and 18 gauge needle... can administer to chest muscle, but don't know doseage? This is a bantam cochin roo. Advise please?

 

[klmclain1]

I did a quick search on this forum and came up with this bit of info-dosage is at the bottom.

Treat with Penicillin

​

• Poultry should be treated with "short-acting" Penicillin, not "long-acting," 48-hour Penicillin.
• Supplies you will need:
  • Small bottle of Penicillin (~$11 in refrigerator at most feed stores. You don't need a prescription.) -- Must be stored in refrigerator
  • At least one 2-cc size syringe (20 cents)
  • At least one 16-gauge needle (15 cents). 1/2 inch length is best but longer is alright.
  • One 20-gauge or 22-gauge needle for each injection you'll be giving (15 cents). 1/2 inch length is best but longer is alright as long as you don't push into chicken too far.
• To prepare shot:

1. Remove Penicillin bottle from frig and allow to reach room temperature (Wait 15-30 mins.).
2. Attach 16-gauge needle to end of syringe, for drawing out medicine.
   • Don't use a smaller needle for this (Higher numbers like 20-gauge or 24-gauge are smaller needles) because the large particles in the medicine can't go through as well.
3. Very important: Shake bottle vigorously 2-4 mins. right before drawing out medicine.
   • Penicillin has large heavy particles that need to be floating so they go into your syringe.
4. Push needle into top of bottle; then turn it upside-down so syringe is below bottle.
5. Pull back the plunger on syringe until medicine reaches mark 1/8 cc more than amount you want.
6. Turn bottle right-side up and withdraw needle.
7. Hold syringe with needle pointing up. Pull 16-gauge needle off the end.
8. On end of syringe, attach 20 or 22-gauge needle for making the injection.
   • Some Penicillin particles may not make it through this smaller needle, but enough will. A larger needle would be too damaging for the small size of a chicken.
9. Give injection, following instructions in previous "Give Injection" section.
   • Giving intramuscularly will get medicine circulating in system soonest and is recommended for Penicillin. You can choose to give subcutaneously. Don't give in vein.
     • Intramuscular Penicillin injections are very painful for people, cats, and some other animals, but do not seem to be for chickens.

• Dose is 0.20 cc (ml) [=a little less than 1/4 cc] per day for a standard-size chicken. Range of safety is good: up to 1/2 cc occasionally won't generally hurt the chicken.
  • For severe infections, it helps to split the dose in half and give twice a day for the first 2-3 days, so chicken gets Penicillin more frequently added into body.
• If Penicillin is a problem for you, do not eat eggs or meat from chicken for a while after treatment

 

[spish]

i would try and remove the 'cheesy' plug with a q-tip...apply gentle pressure at the corner and gently 'roll' the q-tip under the plug....it should pop out and release the pressure there...
he could have a foreign object in there causing the swelling, but it cant go anywhere because of the cheesy stuff (sorry...is there actually a technical term for that stuff?)

does he have any other symptoms? wheezy breathing? any discharge from nose or mouth? any sneezing? or is it just the swollen eye?

 

[Msbear]

i would try and remove the 'cheesy' plug with a q-tip...apply gentle pressure at the corner and gently 'roll' the q-tip under the plug....it should pop out and release the pressure there...
he could have a foreign object in there causing the swelling, but it cant go anywhere because of the cheesy stuff (sorry...is there actually a technical term for that stuff?)

does he have any other symptoms? wheezy breathing? any discharge from nose or mouth? any sneezing? or is it just the swollen eye?

Yeah.. it's an infection in his eye. I've seen it before in the eye as well as the nostril. Attempt to remove the infected mass. Like previous poster says, it will pop out .. like a huge nasty zit ahahahahha The infection could be secondary infection to MG or some other respiratory illness. Step up the antibiotic and pop the zit .. good luck

 

[NajmoNests]

Urp on popping the zit. LOL Looking in the lower lid I see: A thread of cheeze, and what looks like a cord holding this crud on the ball... I haven't seen the eye ball, but it has to be under this ick... will try to take another pic, but they post so big.
While I held him, hubby attempted to remove the cheeze with a Qtip & fingers... the cord thingie holding cheeze on gave a drop of blood so we terrimycined it & quit!
I had filled the syringe with 1/2CC penicillan this morn. The penicillan ran down his feathers - will try that again later .