What antibiotic should I use for chronic diarrhea?

[heartsizedfarm]

I'll disclose what some ordinary people do to get around the problems described here, just to expand on the discussion. I know its not ideal. I save leftovers from antibiotics prescribed for cats and dogs. I know there shouldn't be leftovers, but sometimes there are.

In the medicine cabinet I've got Tobrex, an antibiotic eye drop, Clindamycin hydrochloride solution, Clavaseptin, Erythromicin, Amoxillan powders, Aclavulanate, as well as Meloxicam and Banamine. All of those would require a prescription I think. I know its wrong of me to have them, but I bet I'm not alone.

I love my vet, but when she heard pneumonia in my hen's lungs she said she won't last the night and wouldn't prescribe an antibiotic. That was her call, fine. But a week of leftover Clavaseptin and I can't hear that lung rattle anymore and the hen is running around with the others, perfectly happy.

 

[casportpony]

 
  I don't quite understand your reasoning for coming on here lecturing everyone as some other vets have done in the past, and calling online companies to lecture them for selling the drugs.  If you are a good vet, I'm sure you will have plenty of business from chicken enthusiasts.

Actually, my intent was not to lecture anyone but to get information and ended up explaining what I have to go through from my side. I was specifically responding to Kathy's post about antibiotics and asked the simple question about where you buy them without a prescription since I did not know. She slapped me back saying the as a vet I should know that information and implied I was stupid for not. I contacted the website since it did not say they required a prescription (most online websites do).

I really only wanted to know where people buy drugs that traditionally require a prescription without a prescription. I am very sorry that I upset you!

Sorry if you thought I was implying your were, stupid, I was not, I just thought you were trolling for info on places that sell Baytril, Cipro, etc. and that your intentions had hidden agenda.

-Kathy

 

[Eggcessive]

Actually, my intent was not to lecture anyone but to get information and ended up explaining what I have to go through from my side. I was specifically responding to Kathy's post about antibiotics and asked the simple question about where you buy them without a prescription since I did not know. She slapped me back saying the as a vet I should know that information and implied I was stupid for not. I contacted the website since it did not say they required a prescription (most online websites do).

I really only wanted to know where people buy drugs that traditionally require a prescription without a prescription. I am very sorry that I upset you!

I'm not upset. I realize that some people will ask you to do things for them that are not ethical or could get you sued. I can't blame you at all to refuse to give medicines you haven't prescribed or can believe are safe. My daughter won't even prescribe drugs for her own siblings' animals unless she can see them. Many of us on here are medical professionals and are aware of ethics and liability. I just think this website is great for the backyard enthusiast to share knowledge, and serves a good service to those people. Vets are great to have if we can find them and afford them, and many of us learn from people's experiences after consulting with them. I actually wish there were more vets on here, not to give out free consults or anything like that, but to join in some of the discussions about newer treatments, or correcting misinformation. Sometimes too, we can all occasionally learn a thing or two from the old time farmers, LOL.

 

[Michael Apple]

The fact is medicinal/antibiotic research does not stop. Accurate information is available in regard to research pertaining to poultry, such as the Poultry Science Association, performed trials from Poultry Science Departments at universities, Merck, etc. It is the misinformation perpetrated by some which confuses those new to keeping poultry. The world wide web is full of hogwash as well as legitimate information. Knowing that, I try to be as accurate as possible when helping others. I won't suggest a treatment to someone I haven't used myself. And if it is alien to me, I will direct them to a knowledgeable source. I am fortunate to know an old vet who isn't greedy with information. Not everybody has that benefit.

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Since I started this thread I thought I ought to give the results of the necropsy of my roo for which I posted this in the first place for.

It turns out that he had an impacted colon. He had a large mass of dry feces blocking his cloaca. The diarrhea was the liquid feces that was able to make it's way around the mass. They found a distended abdomen. However, that was not obvious to me.

They did not find a reason for the diarrhea in the first place, just that diarrhea is what most likely caused the mass.

 

[Michael Apple]

Since I started this thread I thought I ought to give the results of the necropsy of my roo for which I posted this in the first place for.

It turns out that he had an impacted colon. He had a large mass of dry feces blocking his cloaca. The diarrhea was the liquid feces that was able to make it's way around the mass. They found a distended abdomen. However, that was not obvious to me.

They did not find a reason for the diarrhea in the first place, just that diarrhea is what most likely caused the mass.

I'm sorry for your loss. Minimizing levels of fish meal, wheat, & barley can help prevent necrotic enteritis. Overuse of ACV can also affect blood sugar, potassium levels, intestinal walls, and mineral depletion, all hindering digestive uptake of other nutrients which can cause immunity problems. Poultry science has found that a probiotic strain, Bacillus Subtilis, was selected and isolated from the gut of birds that coped well with Clostridium infections. So Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are necessary in the birds' diet. I supplement with Probios dispersible powder in water a few times a week which contains these strains. Amprolium is another ionophore preventative treatment you likely know about since Cocci protozoa can also cause enteritis. For those conditions I suspect of being bacterial, neomycin/bacitricin mixed together in equal parts and given for at least one week at 1 tsp per gallon of water until symptoms disappear. Many folks seem to think just because they don't see intestinal worms in droppings, that their birds don't have them. They cannot always be detectable to the naked eye, which is why I worm regularly, more so the first year or two which ends up being 1-3 times a year generally.

Cecal worms can cause thickening of the walls in the caeca which can result in impactions as well as Histomoniasis.