To dose or not to dose, that is the question...

[CaptainSamH]

So I e gotten a lot of great advice on the original - now long - thread I posted about our lethargic and underweight Amberlink pullet. After consultation here and at an avian vet, I have been giving some extra goodies on the form of a mixture of chick feed (18% protein - vet suggested to bulk her up) and yogurt with some electrolyte & probiotics powder. Fecal results from the vet showed no coccidosis, but the vet gave me an antibiotic (looking for the name...but also said it would several months of not eating her eggs, though winter is coming on and I'm trying to figure out if she's already stopped laying).
Anyway, I haven't dosed her yet because she perked up a bit when I first gave her the yogurt coop, but now I'm not so sure....she still feels skinnier than she should be.
Is it just best to get that antibiotic into her at this point ( it's been several days of "off" behavior, funky poop, etc.)?
Thanks!

 

[CaptainSamH]

The medication is SMZ TMP.

 

[dawg53]

SMZ-TMP is a sulfa drug, combined with TMP is an excellent antimicrobial that treats many bacterial diseases including certain types of coccidia.
Go ahead and mix it in feed for your pullet and follow the directions given by your avian vet. Hopefully she'll recover soon.

 

[CaptainSamH]

Thanks for the info. The vet have us a syringe and prescribed 165cc 2x daily for 2 weeks. You think i can skip the syringe and mix it in with the baby chick food (though she won't eat her batch if the others are hanging around). If I'm trying to bulk her back up, do you mealworms might be worth a try?
She's still in the coop and ranging with the others, what do I do about her eggs (though I'm fairly certain she's not laying...)? They kind of scared the bejeebus out of me about not eating her eggs.

 

[dawg53]

Perhaps you can separate her and put her in a cage away from the others where she can eat in peace. Do whatever you can to get the meds in her, it's the only way she'll recover.
Boil plain white rice, let it cool. Then add the liquid meds to the rice and mealworms. She should scoff it up since rice looks like maggots and birds cant resist mealworms. The rice will settle her digestive tract and make absorption of the meds easier on her.

 

[sourland]

If I spent the money on a vet visit, I think I would follow his/her recommendations, but that's just me.

 

[CaptainSamH]

Perhaps you can separate her and put her in a cage away from the others where she can eat in peace. Do whatever you can to get the meds in her, it's the only way she'll recover.
Boil plain white rice, let it cool. Then add the liquid meds to the rice and mealworms. She should scoff it up since rice looks like maggots and birds cant resist mealworms. The rice will settle her digestive tract and make absorption of the meds easier on her.

Wow. Thanks. That is incredibly helpful info. Will post back after we try that...

 

[CatWhisperer]

What was the diagnosis that they prescribed that particular antibiotic for?

 

[Eggcessive]

SMZ-TMP is a sulfa antibiotic, the same as Bactrim used in humans, and treats a variety of infections, including coccidiosis, coryza, fowl cholera, and E.coli. It also is good for skin infections. It is not approved for poultry (and almost no drugs are,) but is routinely prescribed by vets for many different reasons. If I were using it, I would wait until a month afterward to use the eggs.

 

[CaptainSamH]

Perhaps you can separate her and put her in a cage away from the others where she can eat in peace. Do whatever you can to get the meds in her, it's the only way she'll recover.
Boil plain white rice, let it cool. Then add the liquid meds to the rice and mealworms. She should scoff it up since rice looks like maggots and birds cant resist mealworms. The rice will settle her digestive tract and make absorption of the meds easier on her.

Will for sure snag some mealworms at Tractor Supply tomorrow...tried getting the dose in by syringe today...she qasnt having it, we did it, but it took three of us and I'll be flying solo tomorrow...
Thanks!
I just have to figure out the egg thing (I'm 99% sure she's not laying, but...) Someone was trying food coloring on the vent to "mark" the eggs...