What can she be sick with? I need help. Pictures included.

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K

Keltara

Songster
8 Years
Apr 14, 2011
1,670
103
173
Small Town U.S.A., Michigan
My Coop
My Coop
My poor sweet Dixie. I feel just awful. Dixie is very sick and I didn't realize it. I'm hoping it's not too late. I brought her in the house on Sunday to give her a bath to see if I could find out what was wrong. Her symptoms:

  • She is very bloated in her abdominal region.
  • She had diarrhea (consisting of clear liquid, green and white)
  • She waddles like a penguin. I didn't know that it was because of being so bloated. This has been going on for several weeks (the wattling).
  • She began to get a droopy tail on Friday.
  • Saturday, she was unable to go up the ramp to the coop and had to be helped. Sunday morning she needed help getting down the ramp in the morning.
  • Her chest seem emaciated, but she does not seem underweight, in fact is very heavy when I hold her.
  • She is not laying eggs, but I'm sure she's not egg bound, because she'd surely be dead by now.

What I've done, and am currently doing:
​
Sunday I gave her a bath and made the discovery that she was so incredibly bloated. I also let her soak for a very long time in the warm water.

IMG_2888.jpg


Blow dried her as she struggled to stay awake during her relaxing spa treatment.
IMG_2892.jpg

​
Monday morning, I set up a brooder box for her and brought her into the house so I could nurse and monitor her.
IMG_8683.jpg

​
Yesterday, I fed her scrambled eggs made with oatmeal, organic whole milk, and garlic for breakfast. She is eating and drinking. The rest of the day yesterday, I was feeding her a mash consisting of Organic Chicken feed, mixed with organic plain yogurt. This morning I fed her the yogurt mash thinking that the yogurt will help heal her gut. Her water has Duramycin 10 (a broad spectrum antibiotic), I also gave her de-worming drops yesterday thinking that perhaps she may have a horrible case of worms?

Is there anything else that I can do for her? Is there some insight that you may have for me? Any guidance would be so greatly appreciated.

Kelly
 
Last edited:
This if from a thread I started:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/766114/this-what-i-do-when-i-find-a-sick-bird-updated-w-supplies

When mine get sick, this is what I do:

  • *Thorough* physical exam which includes inserting a gloved, lubed finger into the cloaca to check for an egg, check for cuts, bruising lumps, smells, etc.
  • Dust for mites/lice with poultry dust even if I cannot see any. DE does not work.
  • Weigh on digital kitchen scale (see avatar), record weight and weigh daily. any weight loss is bad.
  • Place bird in a warm, quiet place on towel with food and water that it can't drown in.
  • De-worm with Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste (fenbendazole 10%) 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in 10 days. Warning - Safeguard/Panacur should not be used during a molt.
  • Once warm, if not drinking and crop is empty, hydrate with warmed Pedialyte or lactated ringers with a feeding tube - 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours.
  • If not eating after 24 hours and crop is empty, tube feed baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte
  • Inspect poop.
  • If I suspect a stuck egg, treat for egg binding.
  • If I suspect a bacterial infection, treat with antibiotics.
  • If I suspect a fungal infection, treat with Nystatin.
  • If I suspect coccidiosis, treat with Corid (amprolium).
  • If I suspect canker or histomoniaisis (blackhead), treat with Metronidazole.

From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf
Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​
by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​
therapy.

ORAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Below are listed some of the oral nutritional supplements
that can be gavage-fed to debilitated birds. Various
hand-feeding formulas are on the market and, as a
whole, are far superior to the homemade formulas used
decades ago that contained monkey biscuits, peanut butter
and ground seeds. Commercially available hand-feeding
formulas for baby birds are often utilized in the treatment
of sick and debilitated adult birds. The quantity
that can be fed at one time to a sick bird is greatly
reduced from that of baby birds. On the average, a baby
parrot can accommodate 10% of its body weight per
feeding due to the elasticity of the crop and its rapid
emptying. Adult birds have a greatly decreased crop
capacity, averaging 3% of their body weight. Additionally,
sick birds are less tolerant of food in the crop and care
must be taken to avoid regurgitation and/or aspiration.
A sick or debilitated bird should always have its
hydration corrected prior to attempting to initiate​
oral gavage-feeding.






Here is a list that I'm working on. Let me know what else I should have!

Medications - With the exception of Clavamox, all can be purchased without a prescription for tropical fish or pigeons. If you need help finding any of them, let me know.​
  • Metronidazole 250mg, 100mg and 50mg/ml liquid (banned for use in food animals)
  • Nystatin (antifungal)
  • Amoxicillin 250mg
  • Cephalexin 250mg
  • Tylan (tylosin)
  • Clavamox 250 mg
  • Baytril 10% (banned for use in food animals)
  • Corid (amprolium - coccistat)
  • Sulmet
  • Terramycin Antibiotic Ophthalmic Ointment
  • Neosporin
  • Safeguard wormer (fenbendazole 10%)
  • Praziquantel
  • Calcium
  • Vitamin D

Supplies​
  • Pedialyte for tubing
  • Catheter for tube feeding
  • Baby bird food for tubing
  • Catheter tip syringe for tube feeding
  • Lactated ringers for tubing or SC fluids
  • Heat lamps
  • Heating Pad
  • Boxes and crates
  • Poultry dust
  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Gram scale
  • Needles and syringes of many sizes
  • Mineral Oil
  • Petroleum Jelly
  • Vet Wrap
  • Gauze Roll
  • Gauze Pads
  • Telfa Pads
  • Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Isopropyl alcohol
  • Latex Gloves
  • Betadine
  • Epsom Salts


Books
  • Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook
  • AAAP Avian Disease Manual
  • Diseases of Poultry
  • Clinical Avian Medicine
  • Penn State Poultry Health Handbook

Online poultry books:

[URL]http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam.html[/URL]
Download the entire book (two volumes): Clinical Avian Medicine
(Large file - please allow several moments to download)

Another two book set:
[URL]http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/chapters.html[/URL]

Penn State Poultry Health Handbook
[URL]http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/agrs52.pdf[/URL]
 
casportpony said:
This if from a thread I started:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/766114/this-what-i-do-when-i-find-a-sick-bird-updated-w-supplies

When mine get sick, this is what I do:

  • *Thorough* physical exam which includes inserting a gloved, lubed finger into the cloaca to check for an egg, check for cuts, bruising lumps, smells, etc.
  • Dust for mites/lice with poultry dust even if I cannot see any. DE does not work.
  • Weigh on digital kitchen scale (see avatar), record weight and weigh daily. any weight loss is bad.
  • Place bird in a warm, quiet place on towel with food and water that it can't drown in.
  • De-worm with Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste (fenbendazole 10%) 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in 10 days. Warning - Safeguard/Panacur should not be used during a molt.
  • Once warm, if not drinking and crop is empty, hydrate with warmed Pedialyte or lactated ringers with a feeding tube - 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours.
  • If not eating after 24 hours and crop is empty, tube feed baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte
  • Inspect poop.
  • If I suspect a stuck egg, treat for egg binding.
  • If I suspect a bacterial infection, treat with antibiotics.
  • If I suspect a fungal infection, treat with Nystatin.
  • If I suspect coccidiosis, treat with Corid (amprolium).
  • If I suspect canker or histomoniaisis (blackhead), treat with Metronidazole.

From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf
Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​
by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​
therapy.

ORAL NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Below are listed some of the oral nutritional supplements
that can be gavage-fed to debilitated birds. Various
hand-feeding formulas are on the market and, as a
whole, are far superior to the homemade formulas used
decades ago that contained monkey biscuits, peanut butter
and ground seeds. Commercially available hand-feeding
formulas for baby birds are often utilized in the treatment
of sick and debilitated adult birds. The quantity
that can be fed at one time to a sick bird is greatly
reduced from that of baby birds. On the average, a baby
parrot can accommodate 10% of its body weight per
feeding due to the elasticity of the crop and its rapid
emptying. Adult birds have a greatly decreased crop
capacity, averaging 3% of their body weight. Additionally,
sick birds are less tolerant of food in the crop and care
must be taken to avoid regurgitation and/or aspiration.
A sick or debilitated bird should always have its
hydration corrected prior to attempting to initiate​
oral gavage-feeding.






Here is a list that I'm working on. Let me know what else I should have!

Medications - With the exception of Clavamox, all can be purchased without a prescription for tropical fish or pigeons. If you need help finding any of them, let me know.​
  • Metronidazole 250mg, 100mg and 50mg/ml liquid (banned for use in food animals)
  • Nystatin (antifungal)
  • Amoxicillin 250mg
  • Cephalexin 250mg
  • Tylan (tylosin)
  • Clavamox 250 mg
  • Baytril 10% (banned for use in food animals)
  • Corid (amprolium - coccistat)
  • Sulmet
  • Terramycin Antibiotic Ophthalmic Ointment
  • Neosporin
  • Safeguard wormer (fenbendazole 10%)
  • Praziquantel
  • Calcium
  • Vitamin D

Supplies​
  • Pedialyte for tubing
  • Catheter for tube feeding
  • Baby bird food for tubing
  • Catheter tip syringe for tube feeding
  • Lactated ringers for tubing or SC fluids
  • Heat lamps
  • Heating Pad
  • Boxes and crates
  • Poultry dust
  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Gram scale
  • Needles and syringes of many sizes
  • Mineral Oil
  • Petroleum Jelly
  • Vet Wrap
  • Gauze Roll
  • Gauze Pads
  • Telfa Pads
  • Raw, Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Isopropyl alcohol
  • Latex Gloves
  • Betadine
  • Epsom Salts


Books
  • Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook
  • AAAP Avian Disease Manual
  • Diseases of Poultry
  • Clinical Avian Medicine
  • Penn State Poultry Health Handbook

Online poultry books:

[URL]http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam.html[/URL]
Download the entire book (two volumes): Clinical Avian Medicine
(Large file - please allow several moments to download)

Another two book set:
[URL]http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/chapters.html[/URL]

Penn State Poultry Health Handbook
[URL]http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/freepubs/pdfs/agrs52.pdf[/URL]
Click to expand...

Thank you....I'll look through all of this info.
 
Keltara said:
I did. I really don't know what I'm looking for, as I had never done that before, but I didn't feel anything (although I don't know what "normal" feels like).
Click to expand...
If no egg is there, I think the only firm thing that you should be able to feel is the gizzard.
 

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