sulmet v. Aureomycin

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Aueromycin, an antibiotic, does not treat Coccidiosis so there would be no point in continuing it before starting on Corid. That of course assumes you actually have Coccidiosis which seems unlikely since it has been 3 days since your first post, you have not been administering a Coccidiostst & your birds aren't dying.

 

[lizO]

argh. this is why i studied art in school!

that makes excellent sense, plus i've got a measured dropper for giving cat meds that has ounces on it.

I'm treating 7 birds, (weight varies, alice is maybe 2.5lb, 2 delawares maybe 2.5-3, 2 buffs and 2 RIRs larger) and this is their 3rd day of (maybe too old) aureomycin.

Their stools look normal again. they were runny instead of formed and had what looked like blood & guts in them. but since that's ended, now i'm wondering if they didn't catch and share a couple mice? (nah, no other evidence). but whatever it is has stopped and they are acting perfectly normal. Now i'm not sure if i should start the Corid; but it isn't like an antibiotic, is it? they won't develop monster strains of something if i dose them 5 days? they are clearly all drinking, i added a little sugar to it, and i hang around to make sure everyone is going for it. and the volume is down what looks like an appropriate amount at night.

Maybe i should finish the aureo., run the Corid, then do a wormer, and wait that out before using eggs.

This from one who was never gonna use anything but ACV and DE on my birds. But the desciptions i've read of sickly & dying hens might have cured me of Total Natural.

Tulie13, Sonoran & SilkieChick, Ya'll my New Best Friends. Thanks,

Liz

 

[lizO]

"Aueromycin, an antibiotic, does not treat Coccidiosis so there would be no point in continuing it before starting on Corid. That of course assumes you actually have Coccidiosis which seems unlikely since it has been 3 days since your first post, you have not been administering a Coccidiostst & your birds aren't dying."

That is what i was concluding. they aren't dying, and they aren't looking weakly. so either the probably-too-old aureomycin cured something, or they cured something themselves, or i'm over-reacting. Now, however, i have a Sh#!t-load of coccidiostat around the house, so i hope it lasts forever.

 

[tulie13]

I don't think I would worm unless you see evidence of worms. But if they have perked up already, you might not need to do the Corid, but doing it won't hurt (it doesn't develop resistant strains of bacteria, etc.). How far expired was your Aureomycin? And was it already open? If it was old but still sealed in the foil pouch, it might still be pretty darn good. If it had been open/unsealed for the last 3 years, you might not have nearly as much.

I don't like giving antibiotics unless you know what you are treating for, and which antibiotic is appropriate. That said, you have already been dosing them with this and they seem to have improved! So either it was something that has gone away on its own, or the Aureomycin actually helped whatever it was. Regardless, I think it's generally a good idea to actually finish a course of it so you don't develop resistant strains of bacteria, it will kill off whatever it was going to kill off.

Just make sure you also feed them some PROBIOTICS after the course, or they may get Sour Crop (yeast/fungal infection of the crop). Yogurt is a good source. Acidification of their water with Apple Cider Vinegar can also help prevent this fungal overgrowth - it occurs when the naturally-occuring gut and crop flora are killed by antibiotics. Same thing happens in humans - that's why women often get yeast infections after taking antibiotics.

If you decide to finish out the antibiotics, and you have wormer on hand, and you think you MIGHT have worms, it would probably be a good time to hit them with it since you can't eat the eggs anyway until the antibiotic clears their systems.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Since they are doing better on the aureomycin, I would complete the course. If nothing else, completing the course will help prevent a resistant strain of bacteria. You may want to add corrid as well. That is up to you, but I doubt it was coccidiosis if they are getting better without a coccidiostat.

While coccidia are protozoa, not bacteria, they can and do develop resistance to coccidiostats. That is why some people rotate the coccidiostats that they use and it is also why some are no longer as effective as they once were.

Once they finish the aureomycin give them probiotics to replenish the good bacteria in their guts. Continue to watch their poop for a couple of weeks after finishing the meds, and then consider whether to worm or not.