Updated with Very Graphic Pictures! - Blackhead Five Miles from My Place

[Joe.G]

SO I know that you guys said what type of meds, I need but does anyone have a link to the best place to buy from? What Brand? And how to give it to them and dosage? Thanks.

PS I keep Peafowl, Guineas,Chickens,Turkeys,Pigeons and Pheasants here.

 

[casportpony]

I keep several forms of metronidazole on-hand:

• 200 mg Flagyl tablets
• 250 mg Fish-Zole tablets
• 100 mg Meditrich tablets
• 50mg per ml liquid suspension

We shop around for the best price and try to think of other things we might need to get free shipping. The Flagyl and the liquid are hard to find, but they can be found. Of course a vet can write a prescription for either of those.

My very large turkeys would get 800-1000mg of metronidazole
My adult male peafowl would 400mg of metronidazole
My adult female peafowl would get 200-250mg of metronidazole.

The younger ones need to be weighed and I dose them at about 60mg/kg (60mg per 2.2 pounds). This is when having the liquid is handy... One can dose the smallest of chicks very effectively with it.




The AAAP Avian Disease Manual says this:
Treatment - There is currently no approved medication for treatment of histomoniasis in food animals. Small groups of birds not being raised for consumption can be effectively treated individually with metronidazole at a dose of 30 mg/kg orally SID for 5 days. Antihelmentic treatment may help suppress the population of cecal worms.


Plumbs Veterinary Drug Handbook says this:
For susceptible infections (anaerobes):a) 50 mg/kg PO once daily for 5 days (Bauck and Hoefer 1993


From Clinical Avian Medicine
http://avianmedicine.net/content/uploads/2013/03/09_therapeutic_agents.pdf


I've also heard of vets prescribing metronidazole at 60mg/kg (60mg per 2.2 pounds) twice a day for five days. FWIW, I recently gave my mature BBW 1000mg (5 200mg Flagyl) and it looks like she may recover.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Zazouse found this one and it's on the Petsmart website, so one might find it there. This product had 10 packs that contain 250mg metronidazole and 75mg praziquantil (tapeworm medicine). Each pack contains the same amount of metronidazole as one Fish-Zole tablet. Before you buy it verify that metronidazole is listed on the box.

Fish-Zole is cheaper, but this will help those that need to medicate their birds right away.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...ferralID=be9d6d47-449f-11e3-a8bc-001b2166c62d





-Kathy

 

[zazouse]

Yea that is where i got mine.

 

[casportpony]

Yea that is where i got mine.

Good to know they have it, it could save some peafowl!

-Kathy

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I ordered this in and should get it in a day or so but meanwhile I lost one turkey and that is it. We did push it further out into the pasture, too. The other 3 left in that pen are still doing fine, though all I am giving them is high vitamin water.
In the tractors they are on the ground that gets walked on by wild birds and other creatures as well as where I may have walked in the past. There have been birds on my land for more than 25 years but chickens have only been here about 7 or 8 years, the others were ducks and geese in small numbers.

I hope none of my others get blackhead and I am so scared to bring my peas home now. I make sure I am careful when I go to feed them to wear different "bird" shoes as it is.

 

[mbbrinegar]

Zazouse found this one and it's on the Petsmart website, so one might find it there. This product had 10 packs that contain 250mg metronidazole and 75mg praziquantil (tapeworm medicine). Each pack contains the same amount of metronidazole as one Fish-Zole tablet. Before you buy it verify that metronidazole is listed on the box.

Fish-Zole is cheaper, but this will help those that need to medicate their birds right away.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...ferralID=be9d6d47-449f-11e3-a8bc-001b2166c62d





-Kathy

Kathy, This is also found at PetSense. I don't have a PetSmart around here but do have a PetSense. I thought that you could pass the message as needed.

 

[casportpony]

Kathy, This is also found at PetSense.  I don't have a PetSmart around here but do have a PetSense.  I thought that you could pass the message as needed.

Thanks, that's good to know!

-Kathy

 

[Peacockvilla13]

Hi , Casportpony my 1 yr old India Blue pied Peacock died today May 17 /14 after showing all the signs you're describing here and I have a question : they say that the bird will only last 2-3 days but mine got sick a week ago on Mothers day and died a week later but with the same symptoms ,he was trying to eat and he would pick up some crumbles ,but then he would try like to clean his beak or at least thats how it looked like it , I been reading a lot of the comments here but with all the info and diferent opinions I am all confused so I am gonna ask you : what is the best treatment for blackhead ? And where can I get it ?

 

[casportpony]

Hi , Casportpony my 1 yr old India Blue pied Peacock died today May 17 /14 after showing all the signs you're describing here and I have a question : they say that the bird will only last 2-3 days but mine got sick a week ago on Mothers day and died a week later but with the same symptoms ,he was trying to eat and he would pick up some crumbles ,but then he would try like to clean his beak or at least thats how it looked like it , I been reading a lot of the comments here but with all the info and diferent opinions I am all confused so I am gonna ask you : what is the best treatment for blackhead ? And where can I get it ?

Sorry for your loss. Who says they only last 2-3 days when sick with blackhead? That is_not_true! The key to successful treatment is noticing when they are sick and treating right away. If caught soon enough, treatment with metronidazole ans Safeguard should be effective, but if not caught soon enough, they will almost always develop a secondary E. coli infection, for that I treat with Baytril.

If you live in the US these items are easy to get, please see post #32 and #33 for info on metronidazole. The Safeguard (fenbendazole) dose I use is 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in ten days (.5ml per 2.2 pounds). The amount of Baytril I use is one of these:

• 10mg/kg twice a day
• 15mg/kg once a day
• 20mg/kg once a day

-Kathy