VetRX dosage, please help!

[thegirls2012]

I have several young chicks (8+ weeks) that recently got moved to their new coop. I also acquired some from my neighbors that are around the same age. I noticed a couple sneezes Tuesday and Wednesday, then found one of my Easter Eggers dead when I went to feed them.

I removed the chick, then tried to check on everyone else. She’s the one that seemed to be sneezing the most, but a couple others are sneezing as well. Not constantly, just every once in a while.

I called my vet yesterday and asked if they had anything on hand for them, but they did not. They said it could take a week or longer to get anything in. I did some research online after that and found VetRX at a Rural King. I drove last night and got it.

I read the directions, which are plainly written, but also a tad confusing. It says to add one teaspoon to a cup of water, but that seemed excessive. It smells VERY strong, so I added two teaspoons to a gallon of water and gave them all that. They seemed pretty sketched out by it, but I did stay long enough to watch several take a drink.

The two teaspoons in the gallon seems like a lot, which is why I’m worrying about it. I also want it to be enough, because per gallon it should’ve been 16 teaspoons, which seems ridiculous.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I would also like to add that all of my flock seem to be acting normal. Eating, running around and playing.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Smells Strong and "is strong" are two completely different things. VetRx is 6.6 proof, that makes it weaker than a typical Americal lager, more like a "light beer" (and less than almost every American Light Lager). Think Amstel Light, Kirin Light, or Heineken Light.

It contains NO guaranteed amount of any medication, merely oils of various plants known to contain pharmacologically useful bioactives in trace quantities. Even the alcohol content, at recommended dosage, is less than .1% in the final mix.

Appreciate the desire to do good for your birds, and I certainly hope for the best with the health outcomes for the rest of your flock, but the use of VetRx even at recommended dosages is not reason for high hopes of altered outcomes, much less at the dosage you have chosen to use.

Did you quarantine your neighbors birds before introducing them to the flock? and what was in your flock's current location before you moved them there?

LOTS of causes for respiratory symptoms in birds - makes treatment recommendations difficult.

 

[bhaugh]

Vet RX has never done a thing for me. Bought it once then thought it a waste of money. Quarantine is an absolute must with new birds but since that ship has sailed, you left to take a different path. You need to know what you’re treating. Throwing meds to hope you catch what’s ailing is a waste of time. You could take the approach of wait and see, or possibly take the sickest bird to the vet and have a culture done. I personally do not use many medication‘s for birds because I think that is a slippery slope, so hopefully others will chime in to offer a better solution to the vet, RX. Luckily, most sneezing will go away on its own, but that does not mean that you won’t end up with a continual sneezing issue that perpetuates itself over and over.

 

[coach723]

Occasional sneezing can be just from dust in the environment, from bedding, or from feed, etc. I used to have a bird that sneezed every time she ate. Every. Single. Time. She ate like a hoover and always snorted some up. So that in itself may or may not indicate a problem. Without a necropsy or obvious symptoms it's hard to know if the one that died was related to the sneezing, or if that was just coincidence. I would watch all of them for any other symptoms, wheezing, coughing, discharge from eyes, nares or beaks, bubbles in eyes, facial swelling, plaques or lesions in the beak. See what droppings look like, normal or not.