Sick chick, eye infection

[H.R. Cluck-N-Stuff]

Found this poor chick on the farm, had a swollen eye. I imagine in a scuffle with another chick or such, but I sprayed singe banixx on it, and hoped it would do better. Found the dame chick, eye worse and infection had progressed into the good eye (didn't know it was an infection at first) and looked like the corner of her eye was swollen. I did what I could with a little spray and triple antibiotic ointment, and put her in a little cage with food and water.

Both eyes swelled shut. I thought she was on her last leg but she drinks water from a syringe and in desperately trying to figure out this nurtri-drebch solution someone purchased for me because I tend to the chickens, but im having a hard time understanding the dosing, and prepping of it.

Anyone have any advice? What can I do for the little chick? I'm just a farm hand, and I try to care for the chickens best I can because the farmer is of an older mindset and he's just an egg and poultry farmer. We have hundreds of chickens, but im more an animal person than people and I bet I know them better than some people, so I do the best with what I can, so if anyone knows something I can do, please in all ears.

I don't think I'm skilled enough for tube feeding or anything like that without hurting a bird. I don't have antibiotics in hand, and I myself live in a farm hand salary of very little and my meals here. So I wish I could do everything, but im probably going to be able to do very basic things. I do have a vet tech friend in the community that I might be able to reach out to - is there a specific antibiotic that helps and how to dose? I have cow amoxicillin....

Any help is appreciated please though. Ill try my best to pull get through, does anyone know what I'm dealing with?

 

[azygous]

I suppose you meant "Poultry Nutri-drench". Give the chick one undiluted drop each day.

What is the size of the amoxicillin dose per capsule? You will probably need to divide it up into 50 mg doses - 50mg twice a day for at least seven days.

The opaque white covering the eye in the photo concerns me. If the other eye is obscured as well, the chick is effectively blind, and it may not be reversible. At some point, you may want to consider euthanasia. Just something to think about as an alternative.

This may be a chronic respiratory infection, and if it is, it's contagious.

 

[JustJaxson]

I would suggest that you talk to your vet friend about an antibiotic for the chick. I have had something like this happen before and I used terramiacin eye ointment it’s meant for horses but it works great for these situations. It will take a few days but it’s will be healthy and not swollen. Good luck!

 

[coach723]

That looks like an accumulation of pus to me, and it will have to be cleaned out in order for the antibiotics to be effective. After cleaning it out and treating you will know if any vision remains or not. I'd clean it out well being careful of the eyeball obviously, flush with an eye wash or sterile saline for the eye, and use the terramycin ointment.
If you check out this thread, post #1 has pictures of a bird with a similar looking eye and post #9 has two videos showing the removal of pus from an eye, *warning* they are graphic : https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/eye-injury-infection-and-treatment.1259877/

 

[H.R. Cluck-N-Stuff]

That video was really helpful. I actually already had cleared one eye today of any intact softened plug from using the banixx spray by her eye that I just felt intuitively needed out. Her eye blinked under... the other side gave so much resistance I couldn't. I'll try again though.

I have human amoxicillin at home, that current. 50mg for this little chick? What can I do to try to make due for the lack of eye ointment? I've done a lot with good old farm ingenuity before, I know I can make a good effort.

 

[H.R. Cluck-N-Stuff]

I suppose you meant "Poultry Nutri-drench". Give the chick one undiluted drop each day.

What is the size of the amoxicillin dose per capsule? You will probably need to divide it up into 50 mg doses - 50mg twice a day for at least seven days.

The opaque white covering the eye in the photo concerns me. If the other eye is obscured as well, the chick is effectively blind, and it may not be reversible. At some point, you may want to consider euthanasia. Just something to think about as an alternative.

This may be a chronic respiratory infection, and if it is, it's contagious.

Can you help me generally understand how to use this product? I don't quite get the three different sets of instructions and ratios

 

[coach723]

Amoxicillin dose I use is 57 mg per pound of body weight twice a day, orally. When I dose I mix it in a bit of distilled water and add a drop or two of nutra drench for taste (the amoxicillin is bitter) and do with an oral syringe. I'm usually doing the fish mox so it's powdered, you could grind the tablet(s) up, or put it in a bit of bread or egg and feed it that way if it works. Hope that answers what you were asking.
Glad you were able to get one eye cleaned out, hopefully the other will be softened some tomorrow. I honestly don't know if the amoxicillin will be enough to take care of the eyes or not, I've always used terramycin, about $17 at my feed store, Veterycin also makes an anti microbial eye gel that is non antibiotic.

 

[H.R. Cluck-N-Stuff]

Amoxicillin dose I use is 57 mg per pound of body weight twice a day, orally. When I dose I mix it in a bit of distilled water and add a drop or two of nutra drench for taste (the amoxicillin is bitter) and do with an oral syringe. I'm usually doing the fish mox so it's powdered, you could grind the tablet(s) up, or put it in a bit of bread or egg and feed it that way if it works. Hope that answers what you were asking.
Glad you were able to get one eye cleaned out, hopefully the other will be softened some tomorrow. I honestly don't know if the amoxicillin will be enough to take care of the eyes or not, I've always used terramycin, about $17 at my feed store, Veterycin also makes an anti microbial eye gel that is non antibiotic.

Yes! Thank you! I have 500mg amoxicillin that I'm going to grind down and part into doses, really small and into more doses through the day. I don't have a scale yet. But I don't want to over dose the chick. I do have the oral syringes! I'm working on building my chicken doctor kit, honest.

Next on my list is that terramycin. It's been noted in my reading up on problems a lot and come up twice now in emergency situations, last when I had a rooster attacked by a raccoon. Need to keep that stuff on hand.

Should I use saline flush to soften to pus plug? Is there anything from the drug store I can get for the chicks eyes? Feed store is a little far in this emergency situation, unfortunately, and I work the farm 7 days a week. I typically get there only on grain puck up days.

 

[coach723]

I may be wrong but I think a comparable human eye ointment would be prescription. You can also get terramycin shipped without a prescription as long as you are not in California.
https://www.revivalanimal.com/produ...MI7K-mvJ6h3QIVCL7ACh21xw9CEAQYBCABEgIQyvD_BwE
Saline may work to loosen the pus, you may need to do multiple times a day, the veterycin eye gel (most regular pet stores carry it) might help also. Sometimes the pus will lift if you can get one edge started.

 

[Eggcessive]

A warm wet compress to the eye while you are holding her may help to soften drainage or pus as well.

Here is how I deal with medication dosages. With a 500 mg tablet or capsule, you can crush it or empty the capsule onto some wax paper or saran wrap. Then I take something soft like liverwurst, enough for 10 doses or you could mush up some bologna or salami into a paste. Friskies canned cat food is great as well. Add the amoxicillin, mix well with a fork getting the drug distributed equally in the food. Divide into 10 sections, and each one will equal 50 mg.