Think my hen has gapeworms, but also has roundworms....Safeguard question

[vsolosky]

Hi - I have a sick hen - she's less than a year old, but I brought her in because she started gaping. I first thought she had a respiratory infection, so I brought her in to keep her warm and help her. But this morning, she passed a large round worm. In researching more, I'm wondering if she doesn't have gapeworm, too. So since she has roundworms, I bought the Safeguard (since it'll treat both according to a different post) and gave her the .5 cc dosage as I saw on another post. My question is, if she does have the gapeworms, how long does it take to work so that way I know that was what she had (and if it doesn't work, then I will have to figure out what else she may have). She is eating very very little and drinking a little. She is pooping, but not a whole lot.

Thanks!

 

[casportpony]

How much does she weigh? 1/2 a cc is what I give to a two pound bird (50mg/kg).

This is a cut and paste from another post of mine

When mine get sick, this is what I do:

• Thorough exam which includes inserting a gloved, lubed finger into the cloaca to check for an egg, check for cuts, bruising lumps etc.
• Dust for mites/lice with poultry dust even if I cannot see any. DE does not work.
• Weigh on digital kitchen scale (see avatar), record weight and weigh daily. any weight loss is bad.
• Place bird in a warm, quiet place on towel with food and water that it can't drown in.
• De-worm with Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste 50mg/kg ( .5cc/kg) by mouth and repeat in 10 days. Warning - Safeguard/Panacur (fenbendazle should not be used during a molt)
• Once warm, if not drinking, and crop is empty, hydrate with warmed Pedialyte or lactated ringers with a feeding tube - 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours.
• If not eating after 24 hours and crop is empty, tube feed baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte
• Inspect poop.
• If I suspect a stuck egg, treat for egg binding.
• If I suspect a bacterial infection, treat with antibiotics.

From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf
Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​

by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.

 

[vsolosky]

ah! So your post is the one I got the info from! Thanks so much for that one - it was very helpful. She is a 2lb girl. She's not eggbound, in fact she was producing soft shelled eggs (and gave us one right before I brought her in). I did the mite thing with the "garden dust" (the non-de stuff) a few days ago (i did it to all of them). She is eating and drinking a little bit. Not like normal.

but she is gaping - (stretching out her neck and gasping/wheezing). If she does have gapeworms, how long would it take this safeguard to work?

Thanks!

 

[vsolosky]

Oh - one more thing - just in case it is a respiratory infection, can I also give the Tylan 50 injections since I gave her the safeguard?

 

[vsolosky]

today my girl is still gaping. she sounds like an asthmatic having an attack. she is doing it with every breath. do i give her more safeguard? do i start an antibiotic? she sneezes/coughs every so often, too. please help. i don't want to lose her....i weighed her again, just to make sure - i was off yesterday - she's 2 pounds 15 ounces. (i used a postal scale). she must have been slightly off the scale yesterday when i got the 2 pound reading....

anybody? please?

 

[casportpony]

I have read here on BYC that gapeworms are rare in chickens, but I have not seen that published, nor have I seen how gapeworm is supposed to be treated. If I had to guess, I would say respiratory and I would probably give antibiotics. I have given Baytril, Clavamox and amoxicillin at the same time as Safeguard, so it's probably okay to give it with Tylan.

 

[casportpony]

FWIW, Safeguard is *very* safe, probably one of the safest. It's used on kitten, puppies and chicks.

 

[vsolosky]

Thank you so much. I just gave her the injection in the back of the neck. I really hope this works. She sounds like an asthmatic having an attack.....it's constant wheezing and gaping with an occasional cough and sneeze....if it was gapeworm, how long do you think it takes the safeguard to work? i read in some other posts that they should get it for 3 days straight (for gapeworm in general)? it's so confusing...

 

[casportpony]

Thank you so much. I just gave her the injection in the back of the neck. I really hope this works. She sounds like an asthmatic having an attack.....it's constant wheezing and gaping with an occasional cough and sneeze....if it was gapeworm, how long do you think it takes the safeguard to work? i read in some other posts that they should get it for 3 days straight (for gapeworm in general)? it's so confusing...

I know that Safeguard is used multiple days in a row for certain worms in various animals and giardia in puppies and kittens, but I don't know how much for which ones, what species, etc.

 

[casportpony]

Here is more info on Safeguard (fenbendazole).