sulmet overdose?

[aymer]

I used sulmet to treat my hens for coccidiosis. On day 5 of the treatment I had four out of six hens laying around instead of the usual pecking and scratching so i discontinued the treatment for fear of overdose. The last dose was on saturday evening. I am seeing no signs of improvement (they seem to be getting worse). They are laying down for most of the day, combs are losing the bright red color, and one of them is having a hard time walking. Three of the four are eating and drinking well. I have one of them in the house and I am helping her eat and drink. I am giving them plain yogurt. Does anybody have any recommendations for what else I can do?

 

[chickenzoo]

I don't have an answer, but I know Sulmet can be hard on them if given too much. I always use corid. Call the company that makes it and they should be able to give advice on flushing their system if possible. I know you can with epsom salt or molasses but i don't remember how or if it would help.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Did you reduce the sulmet dosage by one half on the third day (1 tablespoon per gallon for the next 4 days?) If not, there possibly could be a problem. If you did reduce the dosage, it's not working and I agree with chickenzoo, corid should be your next option.

 

[aymer]

Thanks for the replies! Corid does not work with my flock (the cocci on my property have become resistant). When I have a poo sample come back positive for cocci I alternate between Albon, Baycox, and Sulmet. The poo sample from today is clear so the sulmet worked on the cocci but my girls are not doing well. I know Sulmet is hard on their systems but I have never had neuro symptoms before. I gave the Sulmet full strength for two days and 1/2 strength for 3 days. I was afraid to give it for the sixth and final day. I also do not mix it in with the girl's water. I give it to them directly to make sure they are getting the full dose (my girls are free range during the day).

I just read that giving the girls raw liver may help. Have you heard this before?

 

[chickenzoo]

Giving it w/o mixing it with water is deadly. It is always dosed in water. Corid can be given directly from bottle, not Sulmet. I don't know what internal damage has been done, but it doesn't sound good. I would call the company and talk to their lab department and see what may counteract it if anything.

 

[aymer]

My chicken vet recommends dosing without water especially if you want to make sure the chicken gets a full does to prevent resistance.

1.2 cc/kg body weight for 2 days
0.6 cc/kg body weight for 4 days

 

[speckledhen]

I have given chicks cooked liver when they were having issues with Sulmet and had what looked like anemia. I don't use Sulmet any longer, only Corid, but those were chicks that had trouble getting over cocci during one season. Sulmet ravages the heck out of their intestines.

Are yours grown hens? If so, I can't understand why they are not becoming immune to the oocysts in your soil. Usually, they are immune by around 12 weeks old or so, unless you bring something into your soil that wasn't previously present.

 

[chickenzoo]

That's a new one on me.

 

[aymer]

I am trying the liver and I am tube feeding water with electrolytes to the really sick one.

Most of my girls are 2-3 years old but I have two that are a little over a year old. When the young ones were little I had a cocci problem. I lost 5 chickens. Nothing seem to work. Since the two that lived have intestinal damage I still have their poo tested a few times a year and end of treating once or twice a year. The big girls were fine and I am still not sure why I thought it was a good idea to treat everybody...

The interesting thing is that my sick birds (cocci positive) are doing great while my healthy birds (did not get their poo tested) are the ones that are suffering...

 

[speckledhen]

Something doesn't make any sense here and I'm not sure what it is. No one should be having a chronic cocci issue with hens that age. I'm in the soupy south, which makes cocci a given most of the time, and though I have probably every type of oocyst there is here, I have never really had to treat an adult bird for coccidiosis. I did recently, but realized I was wrong about the diagnosis. They outgrow it by the time they are 11-12 weeks old. One or two rounds of Corid does the trick. I won't even give Sulmet anymore--seems the meds are almost worse than the ailment.