UPDATE! Sick or depressed?

[Alas]

Today I noticed that she keeps trying to scratch at her left eye, which is looking a bit red, like conjunctivitis or something. Would an eye irritation cause her to hold her head like this and therefore be off-balance? What can I use to treat her eye?

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Awww...poor sweet girl! I hope she get's better!

 

[Alas]

Any ideas?

 

[dawg53]

She might have dirt or debris in her eye. Try flushing it with saline solution, then put some terramycin eye ointment in her eye for possible bacterial infection.
Also, check the corners of her eye for eyeworm. Eyeworm is very thin, but can be seen by the naked eye. Here's a pic of a chickens eye with one worm in the tear duct area, and above the persons thumbnail. Hopefuilly it's not eyeworm.

 

[Alas]

Does ivermectin help with eyeworm? Just wondering since I've never had that before.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
The easiest way to treat eyeworm is mix 50/50 valbazen/water and put some drops in the eye. Then dose your duck orally with 3/4cc-1cc straight valbazen. Valbazen is albendazole, it kills all known worms including eyeworm. You will need to redose your duck 3/4-1cc ten days later to kill eyeworm larva.

 

[Alas]

Would treating her for it when she doesnt have it hurt her? Would having eye worm cause her to hold her head like this?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
No, it wont hurt her. I dont know about holding her head like she does, but if eyeworm is left untreated, it will cause blindness. You can use a magnifying glass to check her eyes, to see eyeworm. Have you visually inspected her for lice or mites around her head area? Her ears? Check her out for those external parasites. I'm not too familiar with ducks, I suppose they can get external parasites as well.

 

[Alas]

Sorry. I did not specify. She is an Embden goose. I just treated with ivermectin last week and dusted the yard and coops with seven dust. There shouldnt be mites, I hope. She just started this 2 mornings ago. She had just lost her sibling and best friend to a coyote. I thought maybe she was just depressed, but it seems there is something wrong with her neck. I think the eye thing is just from not being able to groom properly. I've been applying eye drops to try to wash it out. I dont see signs of worms, but I'm going to try to look again when some help gets home.