Thyme for Canker (possible?)

[bozbozboz]

Ok, so it has now been nearly three weeks since my vet diagnised Louise with wet & dry fowl pox. She's been in isolation ever since, and is now on day 9 of a 14 day antibiotic treatment for any secondary infections (Sulfamethoxazole). She is still 'squeaky' when she vocalises, but not sneezing, and only sounds wee bit wheezy when she is deeply sleeping, or angry (eg if we are cleaning her beak!). Generally she is bright, perky and eating well, although still not laying, but that is likely due to being in isolation.

The big sores in her lower beak at the sides are gone, and the very smallish scabs she had on her comb have also gone, but there are still small yellow sores on the back of her throat and on the roof of her beak, which do not really seem to be shifting.

The vet diagnosed pox on the basis of the scabs on her comb, but she had had bit of a fight with another hen before she started to sound off, and I am half wondering if we are treating the right condition. As I am in the UK I cannot get hold of fish zole to treat canker - but I have read that thyme extract is good for it too. Would it be worth me trying her on a course of that just in case too? If so, how much and how would you dose it? She does not drink much, so putting stuff in her water is pretty ineffective - is it something I could dilute and squirt into her beak?

Anyone had any joy with using it?

 

[Eggcessive]

If she had fowl pox, and the lesions inside her beak did not smell terrible, then she probably has wet fowl pox. The diphtheritic or wet version of fowl pox is a virus that will have to run it’s course over 3 weeks or so. If it smells rotten near her beak, that would sound more like canker, an protozoan infection carried by pigeons and spread by unclean water sources. In either disease, any patches or plaques that obstruct the inside of the beak, make need to be removed, although it can be bloody.

I recently tried to look up a dosage for thyme after someone else asked about it, and could not find an ansnwer. There are a few people on BYC who have used it successfully, but I would try to get metronidazole from a vet. It is sold as Flagyl, and is also sold for fish. Dosage is 250 mg daily for 5-6 days. People who raise pigeons also may use ronitazole or a combination medicine that treats pigeon canker and coccidiosis.

 

[bozbozboz]

I tried to get Flagyl from my vet initially, but they told me it was banned for hens? My vets are not really good with hens, it has to be said... There isn't a horrible smell from her beak that I have noticed to be honest - does it smell kind of cheesy? I'd say if she smells anything it's sort of sweet, but that may be the nutri drops we have dosed her with that I'm smelling rather than anything else.

We've been removing the plaques in her beak, but can't get to the ones on the back of her throat - swabbed with Iodine each time we clean.

I'm just wondering if the thyme would be worth a punt 'just in case' (no arguements about resistence like there are for antibiotics etc) - I just want to get the poor girl back out with her pals as soon as possible as she's obviously feeling quite lonely.

 

[Eggcessive]

The odor is supposed to smell very rotten like something dying. Because you are not smelling that, I would continue treatting for wet pox with painting povidone iodine on the plaques. Can you find thyme oil in your area in a health food store? It should not hurt to use it to treat just in case.

 

[bozbozboz]

Well she definitely doesn't smell like she's rotting, so yes, you're right, it probably is just a persistent case of pox. I think I can get thyme oil in my local health food store though (or if not, I can get it very easily online), so I might invest anyway. As you say, it can't hurt, and it's supposed to be generally beneficial for their health from what I read. I just need to figure out how much to give and how from somewhere...

 

[Eggcessive]

@Chickassan has mentioned it in the past I believe, but I may be wrong.