What’s going on with my Turkey??

[BCOOP813]

i’m new to turkeys and have had this tom a couple months. i was out of town for a couple days and came back to him looking like this…… what could it be? and how do i treat it? his eye is all bunked up and shut and he has lesions all over his head.

thank you in advance for any and all advice.

 

[Myrshine]

Turkeys are very prone to Fowl Pox. I can't tell too much if that's what I see in the photo though, but it sounds like Fowl Pox to me. Fowl Pox is a viral disease that affects all species of avians, it is caused by the Avipoxvirus therefore, it can not be treated with antibiotics, since it's a virus. Fowl Pox can have 2 forms- one being a Dry form and the other a Wet form. The Dry form will cause scab-like lesions on anyplace where skin is exposed, including the face, eyes, legs, neck, head, waddles, etc. The Wet form will cause respiratory symptoms due to cheesy yellow-whiteish lesions forming in the mouth. I hope this helps!

 

[589205]

It looks like fowl pox to me too. Check his mouth for lesions/cankers and if he doesn’t have any there then it is most likely the dry form of fowl pox. Treat all the outer lesions/scabs with iodine at least twice daily and do your best to keep areas clean and biting mosquitoes away from him. Fowl pox is highly contagious so if there are other birds housed with him you might want to quarantine/separate them from him so that they do not contract the virus themselves from his skin/feather dander.

 

[589205]

How is he acting? Is he still eating, drinking, pooping and moving around normal or is he showing any signs of having abnormal droppings, droopiness and/or lethargy?

 

[BCOOP813]

Turkeys are very prone to Fowl Pox. I can't tell too much if that's what I see in the photo though, but it sounds like Fowl Pox to me. Fowl Pox is a viral disease that affects all species of avians, it is caused by the Avipoxvirus therefore, it can not be treated with antibiotics, since it's a virus. Fowl Pox can have 2 forms- one being a Dry form and the other a Wet form. The Dry form will cause scab-like lesions on anyplace where skin is exposed, including the face, eyes, legs, neck, head, waddles, etc. The Wet form will cause respiratory symptoms due to cheesy yellow-whiteish lesions forming in the mouth. I hope this helps!

so there is nothing i can do to help him through it? besides keep him well fed and hydrated?

thank you for the information.

 

[Myrshine]

so there is nothing i can do to help him through it? besides keep him well fed and hydrated?

thank you for the information.

Sadly no— only supportive care. You can try giving probiotics and just keep him comfortable and stress free as much as possible.