White in Corner of the Eye in Runt Quail

[Japoniquail]

Hello! It’s been a long time since I posted, but I was wondering if anyone might know what this is?

We recently went through an international move and so had to restart our flock, and we went to buy some chicks from a local store.

My son was adamant on taking in “the runt”, and we haven’t had any problems with her, but just a few days ago, I noticed a bit of white in the corner of her left eye. Do any of you know what it could be?

She’s about 5 weeks old and this white in her eye is the only way I can tell her apart from the other Italian female we have, so she’s grown a significant amount since we first took her in despite her being the runt.

Any advice is helpful. Thanks!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

How's her vision in that eye? A white area like that could be indicative of something like a cataract. No other signs, like discharge or irritation there?

 

[Japoniquail]

How's her vision in that eye? A white area like that could be indicative of something like a cataract. No other signs, like discharge or irritation there?

Thanks for answering!
I’m not quite sure how her vision is, but she doesn’t appear to be blind - or if she is, she’s really good at hiding it. No discharge or any apparent irritation.

I was just worried as I know she’s the runt and I’ve heard that things can go south with runts.

 

[007Sean]

That appears to me to be unilateral conjunctivitis (1 eye).
Causes can be any of the following:

• Bacteria, such as Staphylococcus spp., Corynebacterium spp., Escherichia coli, Chlamydia psittaci, Clostridium botulinum, or Mycoplasma spp.
• Viruses, such as poxvirus, Newcastle virus, paramyxovirus, herpesvirus, adenovirus, pneumovirus
• Fungus, such as Aspergillus spp. or Candida albicans
• Parasites, such as nematodes, trematodes, or spirurids
• Foreign bodies, such as seed husks, millet seeds, or feathers
• Trauma or ulceration
• Environmental toxin exposure, such as from cigarette smoke, chemicals, ammonia in feces, and other airborne toxins
• Periorbital or orbital disease
• Poor hygienic conditions
• Vitamin A deficiency

I also suspect it's periorbital or an orbital disease, due to it's age...not very old. A visit to the vet is really the only way to know for sure.

 

[Japoniquail]

That appears to me to be unilateral conjunctivitis (1 eye).
Causes can be any of the following:

• Bacteria, such as Staphylococcus spp., Corynebacterium spp., Escherichia coli, Chlamydia psittaci, Clostridium botulinum, or Mycoplasma spp.
• Viruses, such as poxvirus, Newcastle virus, paramyxovirus, herpesvirus, adenovirus, pneumovirus
• Fungus, such as Aspergillus spp. or Candida albicans
• Parasites, such as nematodes, trematodes, or spirurids
• Foreign bodies, such as seed husks, millet seeds, or feathers
• Trauma or ulceration
• Environmental toxin exposure, such as from cigarette smoke, chemicals, ammonia in feces, and other airborne toxins
• Periorbital or orbital disease
• Poor hygienic conditions
• Vitamin A deficiency

I also suspect it's periorbital or an orbital disease, due to it's age...not very old. A visit to the vet is really the only way to know for sure.

Thanks for replying! That’s a lot of possibilities!

I’m not sure about diseases/viruses as I’ve not seen any issues with any of the other members of my flock, and I don’t think it’s sanitation issues as I clean quite often, they’re on wire, and they free range in our front yard a few times a week.

What other symptoms would these things show though? For this particular bird, she doesn’t seem to be in discomfort, has no other symptoms - no swelling or anything that looks like an infection. The only thing that makes her stand out from the rest of the flock is that she was originally a runt when we bought her. Could there be a correlation? If so, what’s the likely cause and treatment for it? We can’t really go to a vet, and my husband who was one when we were in Japan doesn’t have experience with birds.