I've posted about Carmellita before, been dealing with one issue after another for a few months. She appears to thrive while receiving each treatment, then crashes when off the meds. I recently treated her with 5 days of safeguard and corid. She also received fontline plus for lice/mites. While on the meds she gained 1/4 lb and ate well. She received vinegar water and buttermilk the entire time.
Within two days of coming off the meds she crashed - stopped eating and drinking. The only way I found to get fluids in her was to run the hose - she has always loved to drink from the hose, and would take a few sips every hour or so. At that time she had no symptoms of what might be wrong. I had to go out of town and couldn't be here to run the hose for her every little while. When I got back she was standing hunched and fluffed up, with her eyes closed, excreting thick, stinky fluid and screaming when she did so. I figured that besides obvious dehydration, she probably had either a bacterial or yeast infection secondary to the parasites I'd been treating her for. Since all I had on hand was a tube of athletes foot cream, I treated her for yeast, putting some into her vent with an eyedropper. Within 8 hours she was nibbling plants! I got fluids into her by watering the plants she ate.
I've been treating her twice a day now for 5 days and she shows improvement each day. My question is, how long do I keep her on the athletes foot cream? I'm putting it in her vent, should I (can I?) also give it orally? I'm afraid to take her off because every time this hen stops a medication she crashes. Because we've been working with this bird for so long and all of our other birds appear to be very healthy, my husband brings up the possibility of an underlying disease like cancer, but I'm not ready to give up on her.
She spends nights in the house because it's still chilly outside, and days out with the flock. Outside she eats plants and bugs. When she's inside I've offered her a variety of foods - salmon, scrambled eggs and mealworms, but all she will eat when she's inside is brown rice and buttermilk. (she guzzles the buttermilk!) There is vinegar in her water. Her poops are very watery starvation poops. Aside from being very thin, she looks great now - very red comb, good sheen to her feathers, clear bright eyes.
I have supplies on order to do my own fecals - our vet has no interest in chickens.
I appreciate any advice.
Within two days of coming off the meds she crashed - stopped eating and drinking. The only way I found to get fluids in her was to run the hose - she has always loved to drink from the hose, and would take a few sips every hour or so. At that time she had no symptoms of what might be wrong. I had to go out of town and couldn't be here to run the hose for her every little while. When I got back she was standing hunched and fluffed up, with her eyes closed, excreting thick, stinky fluid and screaming when she did so. I figured that besides obvious dehydration, she probably had either a bacterial or yeast infection secondary to the parasites I'd been treating her for. Since all I had on hand was a tube of athletes foot cream, I treated her for yeast, putting some into her vent with an eyedropper. Within 8 hours she was nibbling plants! I got fluids into her by watering the plants she ate.
I've been treating her twice a day now for 5 days and she shows improvement each day. My question is, how long do I keep her on the athletes foot cream? I'm putting it in her vent, should I (can I?) also give it orally? I'm afraid to take her off because every time this hen stops a medication she crashes. Because we've been working with this bird for so long and all of our other birds appear to be very healthy, my husband brings up the possibility of an underlying disease like cancer, but I'm not ready to give up on her.
She spends nights in the house because it's still chilly outside, and days out with the flock. Outside she eats plants and bugs. When she's inside I've offered her a variety of foods - salmon, scrambled eggs and mealworms, but all she will eat when she's inside is brown rice and buttermilk. (she guzzles the buttermilk!) There is vinegar in her water. Her poops are very watery starvation poops. Aside from being very thin, she looks great now - very red comb, good sheen to her feathers, clear bright eyes.
I have supplies on order to do my own fecals - our vet has no interest in chickens.
I appreciate any advice.
