Swollen juicy eye - thoughts?

[Wyorp Rock]

hey guys - we noticed about 4-5 days ago that one of our seramas had a little bump right by her eye. We'd never seen anything like it before and it didn't seem to bother her so we thought maybe it was a mosquito bite or something.

Here we are 4-5 days later and I notice it's gotten much worse (bigger swelling, and now the eye is irritated and has discharge).

The two tiny birds would probably drink much less then a gallon in 5 days. Could I prepare maybe half a gallon @ half a teaspoon and then refrigerate it - changing out for fresh refrigerated water every morning?

Yes, you can make a 1/2 gallon at a time.

Did the birds in your other thread ever recover from their illness with antibiotic treatment?
It looks like you concluded they likely have MG which can be spread to other birds, so it's a good possibility this is what's going on with your chick.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-the-weather-and-one-seems-healthy.1357409/

 

[zaz13]

Yes, you can make a 1/2 gallon at a time.

Did the birds in your other thread ever recover from their illness with antibiotic treatment?
It looks like you concluded they likely have MG which can be spread to other birds, so it's a good possibility this is what's going on with your chick.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-the-weather-and-one-seems-healthy.1357409/

Yes - the 3 birds from the other thread made a full recovery and have not shown any signs/symptoms since. I was under the impression that once the birds have it - they carry it forever and the symptoms will pop up every so often throughout the rest of their lives. They kicked their sickness about 5 months ago now and have yet to seem ill again. Is this the normal? Meaning - they will go long periods (5+ months between showing symptoms?)

Or does this mean that its possible that maybe what the chicks had 5 months ago wasn't MG?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yes - the 3 birds from the other thread made a full recovery and have not shown any signs/symptoms since. I was under the impression that once the birds have it - they carry it forever and the symptoms will pop up every so often throughout the rest of their lives. They kicked their sickness about 5 months ago now and have yet to seem ill again. Is this the normal? Meaning - they will go long periods (5+ months between showing symptoms?)

Or does this mean that its possible that maybe what the chicks had 5 months ago wasn't MG?

With MG they may never show symptoms again or they may become symptomatic during times of stress (molting, weather change, unrest within the flock, another illness/condition, etc.).
Bird with MG do remain carriers for all their life and they can pass the disease on to other birds that are introduced. The disease is shed through dust/dander, feathers, on shoes/clothes, etc.

There's no way to know exactly what they had or have unless you get some testing.

 

[zaz13]

So its barely been 24 hrs since she started drinking the tylosin water - and although the swelling hasn't gone down much - the eye seems much less irritated. Not nearly as much discharge, and seemingly no bubbles.

So a question I have - is Tylosin a wide range antibiotic that treats various bacterial infections? Or is it a specific treatment for MG - meaning, if this medication works, that it is most likely MG that was causing issues?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Were you able to press any pus out of the eye?

For poultry Tylosin is mainly used to treat respiratory disease like MG, but it is a broad spectrum antibiotic that will treat gram-positive organisms.

Hard to say whether it's definitely MG or not without testing.
Since you did have other birds that were sick in the past and now this, then I would hazard a guess that MG is a contributor. Keeping a closed flock is a good idea since it does seem to have spread.

 

[zaz13]

Were you able to press any pus out of the eye?

For poultry Tylosin is mainly used to treat respiratory disease like MG, but it is a broad spectrum antibiotic that will treat gram-positive organisms.

Hard to say whether it's definitely MG or not without testing.
Since you did have other birds that were sick in the past and now this, then I would hazard a guess that MG is a contributor. Keeping a closed flock is a good idea since it does seem to have spread.

Were you able to press any pus out of the eye?

For poultry Tylosin is mainly used to treat respiratory disease like MG, but it is a broad spectrum antibiotic that will treat gram-positive organisms.

Hard to say whether it's definitely MG or not without testing.
Since you did have other birds that were sick in the past and now this, then I would hazard a guess that MG is a contributor. Keeping a closed flock is a good idea since it does seem to have spread.

I did not attempt to press on the eye - wasn't exactly sure if I should mess with it. Thought maybe it was just swollen and irritated as part of the infection.

Do you think I should attempt to press on it and relieve pressure? I never really would've thought to do that. Should I just use a finger or two to apply pressure to see if anything will come out? Should I use a tool of some sort?

Thank you for all your help - I really appreciate all the wisdom!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I would press around it and see if anything comes out.
If you haven't done so, I would flush the eye out a couple of times a day with saline and apply an eye ointment too.

 

[zaz13]

I would press around it and see if anything comes out.
If you haven't done so, I would flush the eye out a couple of times a day with saline and apply an eye ointment too.

I'll attempt to press the lump and relieve pressure - and report back with findings...

I've been gently rinsing with saline and using a warm towel to gently wipe the area - i definitely don't think i have anything that i would classify as specifically an eye ointment. Ive got a few different things on hand - quickderm, ceragyn (which is a spray, but specifically states its safe for eyes), saline, bacitracin zinc, neosporin, off the top of my head. Do you happen to have any recommendations?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You can find Terramycin eye ointment at most feed stores like Tractor Supply or order it online.
Plain Neosporin can also be used.

 

[zaz13]

You can find Terramycin eye ointment at most feed stores like Tractor Supply or order it online.
Plain Neosporin can also be used.

So I was able to squeeze some stuff out of the eye this morning. It was a dried up chunky pus. I couldn't get all of it out - when I peeled the eye lid forward a bit, I could see where the pus went down into a small pore/duct. I was able to get a good amount out, but definitely not all of it. I rinsed the area thoroughly with saline and lightly applied some original neosporin.

I'm heading out towards our feed store today, so I will see if I can pick up some terramycine eye ointment.

The eye is obviously now irritated and red due to the squeezing and rinsing, but in theory I guess this should help it heal/resolve faster. I couldn't really think of anyway to remove the bits of pus that were lodged in the pore/duct, but hopefully the amount of junk that I removed relieved some pressure and allows the rest to wiggle its way out some more.