Something wrong with my roosters eye - help!!

[avalon23]

I noticed this evening that there is something wrong with my roosters eye. The lids seem to be crusted shut, possibly infected. I put some neosporin on it but have no idea what could have caused it or how long it's been like this. I feel terrible that I may not have noticed it earlier. There is a very small part barely open where I can see his eye and it trying to blink. I love this rooster so I hope that this can be cured.

 

[threehorses]

You'll want to go to the drug store and buy some sterile saline eye wash. Ask the pharmacist where it is - say it's for cleaning an eye.

Then buy some terramycin ophthalmic (eye) ointment at the feed store or TSC. Sometimes they keep it behind the counter because it's a very tiny tube.

Daily, rinse the eye out with the saline mixture. Then apply a 1/8th ribbon of the terramycin ointment into the eye so that it melts onto the eye's surface. Do that daily for a week.

A little extra vitamin A wouldn't hurt as it's an ocular health vitamin. A drop or two of cod liver oil directly in the beak would be helpful twice a week. In the case of cod liver oil, just give this much - not a whole capsule; more isn't necessarily better.

It seems if the eye issue is an injury. He may have scratched his cornea. But even if he didn't, it may could over for a while. Eye injuries often do that and eventually will clear up. If there was a definite injury (I'd call this one) preceeding the clouding, I feel it's nothing to worry about - in other words it's not Grey Eye = Marek's. It's just what the cornea of the eye does to heal.

I'd love to hear an update on this thread, please - if you post here, it'll notify subscribers (including me) that you've put in another post in the thread.

p.s. Incidentally, he shouldn't need any systemic antibiotics. If for some reason you choose to do so, use penicillin injections. Other antibiotics (unless you get Baytril from the vet) aren't really applicable, those from the feed store for example. This doesn't appear to be respiratory - but an injury which would require penicillin if it went further. I personally feel daily cleansing and topical (ointment) treating will do the trick.

Also know that if for some reason he loses his sight, roosters are perfectly capable of living a wonderful, long, and productive life with one eye. Just don't sneak up on their off side - they dislike that.

I had one who was missing sight in one eye for most of his 10 years and it never ever stopped him.

 

[fairladi_chick]

hey,, what you prolly need to do is get some vetrX& wipe the eye with clean water & & get a cup of warm water & put some of the vetrX in it & dip a paper towel in the vetrX& water & wipe his eye ,, i say at least 3 times a day if he will let you & dip his beak into the water mix so it will coat his beak & nostrals,, also put some vetrX straight under its wingsso it can breath the fumes in,, it will take a few days,, if anything it may lose that eye,, we have a chicken that had the same problem & caught it too late,, but its still alive but lost the eye.

 

[KittyKelly]

Im thinking that VETRX would hurt...like getting vapo-rub in the eye! Ouch!

 

[avalon23]

OK, thanks! I will try that. I am going out to the coop now and am hoping that the neosporin did something. We adopted him last Oct and he's just the nicest rooster in the world. He had huge crusty scales on his feet that I cured with a couple of applications of camphophenique, and baby oil. It went away amazingly fast and hasn't come back. I'm thinking it was something to do with a past leg mite infestation or bumble foot.

I will update after I do the eye treatment for a week.

 

[avalon23]

OK, back from the coop and his eye is opened some and looks much better! I will still get the eye ointment & saline and start that tonight.

 

[threehorses]

He probably had scaley mites on his feet from past care. He looks lovely, from what I can see. I'm glad his eye is opening; I think the cleaning and ointment will really fix him right up, and maybe he won't even have any corneal involvment - that would be nice!